Think spring!!! Colorful pictures of orchids inside. Click here!!!

[prolesunited]

I shot these last weekend and set them as my rotating desktop background and screensaver. They've helped me get out of my winter doldrums a bit so I thought I would share.

[barb162]

1. GORGEOUS!

[redqueen]

2. Lovely!

Thank you!

:D

[prolesunited]

5. Thanks!

If you want to see them larger (and better quality), go to my site and click on the "slide show" feature in the right-hand corner

http://homepage.mac.com/prolesunited/PhotoAlbum99.html

[tridim]

3. Very nice.. It's hard not to think spring when it's 60 degrees

in mid January in Denver. Weird weather, but I like it.

[prolesunited]

11. Rub it in why don't you

They're predicting 8 to 12 inches of snow tonight with blizzard-like winds tomorrow.

[prolesunited]

4. Here's some more

[roguevalley]

7. wow. extraordinary. you take nice pictures. :-D

[RevolutionaryActs]

8. Those are gorgeous, and so cheery. Thanks for sharing!

:7

[prolesunited]

9. You're welcome!

You should really try the slideshow link. You'll like it. :-)

[RevolutionaryActs]

10. Oh I totally missed that, that was fun. I love orchids and nothing like

some flowers to make you feel nice. :hi:

[motely36]

6. Very Pretty

Thanks.

[ralps]

12. Here are some of my orchid photos.

I think this one is also an orchid but I'm not sure

[catzies]

17. Gorgeous. Yes, that last one is an orchid too, prob. a cattleya cross

b/c of the ruffled lip.

[nickgutierrez]

13. That does help.

You know what else helps? Chucking a snowball at a friend.

Make sure you wear gloves when you do it, though, because it's colder than frozen hell out there right now.

:hi:

[prolesunited]

14. Hey, wanna come over

and shovel my walk? :hi:

[OmmmSweetOmmm]

15. Exquisite and so sensual. Thank you for posting these! You're

very talented! :)

[chiburb]

16. Thanks, Sharon. I stole your pics and...

Made them MY screensaver too! The only problem is that they lose their crispness when filling my 20 in. monitor...
Beautiful, and thanks again.

[Rabrrrrrr]

18. I love orchids!! My favorite flower.

Love 'em! Good pics, too!

[catzies]

19. They're all beautiful. Nice work! Did you go to a botanical garden?

Great idea in winter, BTW.

[DeposeTheBoyKing]

20. Thank you! These are so lovely!

I love orchids. We used to have some in our Wichita home, and I plan to buy some when I move to Dallas.

[Glenda]

21. How lovely!!

It's so freakin cold here lately, maybe I need to buy myself some flowers :) Thanks for the idea!

:hi:

[Rabrrrrrr]

22. Do you raise these?

or go to a greenhouse?

[prolesunited]

24. These were at the White River Gardens in Indy

It's a small conservatory and garden, but they always have really nice displays. In the past, they've added butterflies and it's really spectacular.

[XNASA]

25. Hoosier Orchids?

I've never heard of such a thing. Are they made of plastic? :evilgrin:

[prolesunited]

26. Damn you!!!

What happened to that flippy icon?

:hi:

Stay warm and safe. Too bad I have to venture out to go to work.

[flamingyouth]

23. Beautiful pictures

I'd love to someday have a greenhouse where I could grow orchids. Maybe when I retire. :)

[spinbaby]

27. You don't need a greenhouse!

Orchids make great house plants. With basic care, they last forever and bloom regularly. I've got a dark pink phalaenopsis that blooms reliably from October through March every year. In the fall after I bring them inside, I've had as many as a dozen at once in bloom.

[prolesunited]

28. I've always thought they were quite delicate

and easy to kill. Is that true?

[spinbaby]

29. Not at all

They're actually very easy houseplants. I put them outdoors in a semi-shady spot in the summer to fend for themselves. They do tend to be very slow growing, but in a long-lived houseplant that's not a problem. A basic phalaenopsis is under $20 at places like K-Mart and Target. Just water it when it's almost dried out and feed it a bit and you should have a reliable winter bloomer for years to come. My mother in-law has had one for over a decade.

[prolesunited]

30. Maybe I'll try it

Worst that could happen is that I kill it and I've wasted $20 on more frivolous things before.