"Recreating a natural habitat... has consumed a... gardening guru for nearly 20 years. Well-known within orchid circles, Leonard Cobb has transformed his Pakuranga hideaway into an orchid showcase.
... Leonard has visited jungles, forests and gardens in Hawaii, Japan and Australia in pursuit of beautiful orchid displays. ... Leonard says. Problems dissolve when youre working with plants and stress flows out of you. ... His eagerness to recreate natural orchid ecosystems has prompted him to display orchids in harmonious surroundings as well as depict their beauty in his own artworks. I try to paint two to three days a week and sometimes Ill work at it for the entire day, he says. I like to encourage my grandchildren by creating line drawings of orchids with lots of hidden surprises for them to colour... ... Leonard has Australian pink rock orchids d[D]endrobium kingianum and cymbidiums perched in trees, on ponga trees and over pieces of gnarly driftwood... he admits he killed his fair share of plants when he first started his horticultural hobby. Air circulation is critical and moss is perfect for the epiphytic roots. I dont use any chemicals and soapy water smothers most problem insects. Slug bait is necessary at certain times of the year and oil will control scale. " URL : http://www.times.co.nz/cms/our_homes_today/2007/09/art100017929.php photo : [caption : Leonard Cobb orchid artist at work.] http://www.times.co.nz/cms/image/1/art_gmmTooPZ.jpg ************** Regards, VB _______________________________________________ the OrchidGuide Digest (OGD) [email protected] http://orchidguide.com/mailman/listinfo/orchids_orchidguide.com
