"Over the years, our winters in Hawai'i have been getting very mild. We rarely get the "Kona" storms we used to get... I can... remember the howling winds coming off the Ko'olau, breaking tree branches and knocking off all of the mango flowers. Then there were the torrential rains, for days and sometimes weeks. I remember picking my prized orchids off the ground and trying to keep them dry in the garage.
Lately, our mild winters have been causing changes to the flowering patterns of many of my orchids, causing them to bloom earlier and earlier [or later and later !]. One orchid in particular, the hono hono orchid (Dendrobium anosmum), has begun blooming in early- to mid-February. But last year, just when the hono honos were getting ready for a two-month rest period, the heavy rains in early December caused them to grow a little longer and delayed their winter snooze. Fortunately, the rains stopped and the only effect was a delay for this year's blooming season. The bulk of the hono honos started blooming in April, thus missing March orchid shows. At Foster Botanical Garden, the hono honos are now in full bloom, and it looks like they'll continue to bloom well into May.... refreshing fragrance. Normally, most hono honos are finished blooming well before Mother's Day... Phalaenopsis... seems to have also been affected by the weather, and is blooming later this year." URL : http://www.honoluluadvertiser.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080502/LIFE0401/805020328 ************* Regards, VB _______________________________________________ the OrchidGuide Digest (OGD) [email protected] http://orchidguide.com/mailman/listinfo/orchids_orchidguide.com
