My orchid on a stick bloomed! And other goings on...

While portions of the U.S. are baking in still-summer-like heat, we up here in the northwest corner of the country are freezing. As a result of this untimely cold snap—it's 37 out there this morning—the autumn Great Migration of plants has flipped. Usually I start by taking in the dry-loving succulents, and the bromeliads and things that aren't bothered by a little moisture stay out until well in to October, maybe even November. Not this year. On a sunny day last week I started pulling them in.

The "orchids on a stick" I purchased last year at the Northwest Flower & Garden Festival, in Seattle, spent summer on the trellis next to the garage. Truth be told I kind of forgot about them, what with all the bromeliads tucked in around them.

So imagine my surprise when I pulled them down and spotted this on the Bulbophyllum saurocephalum...

What the heck!?

I never imagined this thing would actually bloom, I bought it for the foliage. Look at those tiny little flowers. Pretty cool eh?

And is that a seed? Crazy.

So here's what the basement currently looks like.

The bromeliad collection may have grown a bit.

They've even crept over into the succulent side. I need to start bringing in the succulents this week. They've already been out in much more rain than I like. Our Septembers are usually dry, not this year.

Back over to the bromeliad side.

Yes, I know what you're thinking. That's a lot of plants. I agree. I carried them all downstairs.

After reading about Kim at Urban Soule purchasing a humidity meter for her (now indoor) bromeliads, well, I copied her. My plants are so wet from all the rain that the humidity reading is high. "Most bromeliads grow best indoors at a relative humidity of 40 to 60 percent" (source) not a problem...

Weather Diary, Sept 30: Hi 60, Low 39/ Precip 0

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