Field Trip

Today we were invited by our friend RC to meet him at an Orchid Nursery. I don't remember ever making a conscious decision to not grow orchids. As involved and consuming a hobby it appears to be, perhaps bonsai is enough. I do appreciate the diversity and beauty of the species, so I thought it would be fun to see. I wasn't wrong.

Andy's Orchids is a family owned nursery in Encinitas. His family home is on property amidst a sea of greenhouses. And not just orchids but also other flowering plants and succulents.

As most of the plants were not labelled, I used my handy dandy Discover icon on my phone to determine my best guess for what these all were. But keep in mind there is a large margin for error, let me know if I guessed any incorrectly.


Rows upon rows of orchids planted on wood, which apparently is natural for orchids.

Butterfly orchid

Thousands of smaller starters and some that were quite a bit larger and more established. These ones below might be staghorn ferns.



Some were flowering.

aphyllum dendrobium orchid


Some of the plants had really interesting leaves, which to me is a bonus if it also flowers. As it turns out, many of the interesting leafed plants were begonias.

Spotted Begonia


Columnea purpureovittata

Begonia melanobullata

Petrocosmia

Begonia redrum

Every time you turned a corner, there was more to see.



Dendrobium-jonesii (ruppianum)

At times it felt like you were in a glass jungle.



Here are some of the orchid blooms that caught my eye.

Dracula



After the rows and rows of greenhouses, we came back outside by the family house. RC was quick to point out the plants that were growing in the crevices of the trees. Now I see where he got his inspiration for the ones he planted in his garden.




RC said these were all epiphytic plants, which means they are not parasites of the host plant, they do not rely on the host plant for nutrients, only physical support. I think that's nice. 

If you're interested, I include the link to his website. He has several open houses throughout the year, or you can call to make an appointment to stop by and you can purchase online. Andy's Orchids.

A dopo!


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