Windowsill Orchids

Now that the weather has turned cold, I'm focusing on indoor tasks. To the left is Phal. equestris "Sorea Firewings" that I bought bare rooted at a plant sale from Sorea Nursery (they had come over from the States to the UK). If it looks a little odd, it is. It's a peloric form. That means an irregular shaped flower that has mutated to a form more regular. Normally I don't like that much but I love the colour and with flowers about 1 1/4 inches on a 4 inch stem it's a very neat plant. I have a small collection of orchids on various windowsills that I'm still trying to get over the shock of their move a year ago, but there are now signs that some at least are settling in. More orchids at http://markgriffiths.org/orchidindex.html

Turn of the season...

A big change in the weather here. Gone are the (unusually) warm days and nights. There has now been a frost for several nights and some frost has lingered through the day also. The picture is of one of our "species" roses, still in flower. After several days the flowers still look good. The fuschia's look as if they have been boiled however! At last I've added the start of the cottage garden section, one year after arriving here. The new pages are at http://markgriffiths.org/inspiringplants/world_gardens/cottagegardenindex.html Enjoy! Mark