Air travel with orchids!

Darn, I had drafted a blog posting last weekend and then it didn't save!

I recently went on a small orchid shopping trip while home visiting on the West Coast. I've done a few domestic flights with orchids, as well a cross-country drive, so I wasn't worried about transporting my orchids back on the plane.

This most recent trip was a piece of cake. I only had three relatively small-sized orchids that I purchased while visiting a small greenhouse just outside the Cowichan Valley. I wrapped them in newspaper and they fit perfectly, side by side and upright, in a jute carry-on bag. I stored them in the overhead adjacent to other luggage to make sure they wouldn't fall on their side. I didn't get any inquiries about them while going through Security at the airport.

So my new acquisitions are as follows:

Phragmipedium grande 
Cymbidium georginii
Aerangis biloba

I already have one Phragmipedium hybrid that has not yet bloomed for me. In fact it's one of those plants that I often wonder if it's been dormant since I bought it! Even after moving it to more light, it hasn't really done much. But I once looked after a friend's Phrag hybrid and it bloomed and it was a pretty exciting event!

I chose the Cymbidium because I have two hybrids that I love and that have bloomed well for me. I wanted to try my hand at my first Cymbidium species! This one is quite small, especially relative to my two hybrids. 

I'm very excited yet frightened of the Aerangis at the same time! I realized that since I no longer live in a cool-growing orchid environment, I might as well try my hand at an intermediate / warm growing species! We'll see! I have yet to find more permanent homes for these new plants, but for now they are acclimatizing to their new home in our kitchen.