Phalaenopsis - Addictive orchids!

Advantages: Beautiful flowers, still grow if you neglect them!
Disadvantages: Expensive compared to other house plants

..., temperature should not go below 15C. Once weekly watering is more than adequate except in the hottest of summers. If the plant is still damp (or you can see moisture in th pot still) it does not need watering. I water mine with rain water which I bring in and allow to warm to room temp. If you want to use tap water, it should be fine but again, best at room temp. Also, if you live in a high chlorine/ hard water area (I do) the water needs to settle for 24 hrs so the "hardness" drops out. This means that they can be kept inside realtively easily, do not need too much tlc and can be forgotten about for an entire holiday! Orchids should be potted in compost specific for their type (not just "orchid mix", they live in all environments so they do not all need the same thing!). Phalaenopsis like a medium grade bark mixture generally (drains well, plenty...

sk0680 24.02.2008 · Read review
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Review of Orchid

An Orchid Sensation

Advantages: Modern looking, Long Flowering, and Beautiful
Disadvantages: Expensive

..., the orchid plant takes its water and nutrients etc, up through its roots, and if it has no roots, due to root rot, it is unable to sustain itself, without they daily misting that you can provide for it. After a while the plant will develop new roots, and should in time become like it former self. Orchids need to fertilised about every 2 weeks during the summer months, and this can be dramatically reduced during the winter months. Contrary to popluar belief, Orhcids do not need to be overfed with nutrients they can survive pretty well on a limited amount of feeding. When you get your orchid, it may well come in a plastic pot in a growing medium of either shredded bark, or Rockwool and various other types of compost replacing medium. Orhcid roots should not be clogged up, and by way of using bark of various grades, it can be achieved that...

Starseeker1 25.06.2006 · Read review
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Review of Orchids

Vuylstekeara Cambria Plush Orchid

Advantages: Elegant single stemmed orchid with beautiful rich coloured flowers
Disadvantages: Costly to buy. Requires regular attention.

...For Easter this year, my husband surprised me with a beautiful Vuylstekeara Cambria Orchid. With its elegant long stem bowed over from the abundant small butterfly shaped flowers, the plant does look uniquely stunning. I say uniquely - but apparently this is the most widely grown orchid in the world!! It is a hybrid orchid produced by crossing three different original orchids: Cochlioda, Miltonia and Odontoglossu. I had always thought the orchid to be a difficult plant to keep. Thankfully it is not. The plant does require care but nothing too difficult or unachievable in ordinary home circumstances. ~What?s in a name?~ The Vuylstekeara Cambria Orchid is a member of the orchid family which are distinguished by the differentiation of one petal into a lip (labellum). It was originally produced by the Belgian orchid grower...

MAFARRIMOND 19.04.2007 · Read review
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Review of Cambria Orchid

I Love Orchids!

Advantages: Flower, Colour, Ease, long lasting
Disadvantages: Fast growing roots

...Today I?m gonna write something about orchids. I hope this start does not sound like I?m lecturing. Before you go further, I would like to tell you not to forget to view the pictures which I have pasted below. Once finished reading the review, please look at it and tell me what do you think about it ok? Thank you very much! As you see, orchids could most probably be the easiest plant to be grown in your garden. Why? I?ll explain?. To start off, try to get your hands on one orchid. It is a good investment if you love plants. Orchids are sold widely. What do orchids require? Orchids are not fussy plants. They are generally wild plants and they do not require soil to live. Orchids can grow on their own (on rocks, on dead woods, on branches, on plastics), without even having soil. All you need is a pot, or a plastic pot, fill...

kenny_khaw 27.07.2004 · Read review
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Review of Orchids

Visit the Orchid Garden!

Advantages: Nice to visit, pretty, shady
Disadvantages: Quite small

... * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Orchid Garden Review * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Recently I visited Tenerife for almost two weeks and this is another review of somewhere I visited. Another Tenerife review I have written is on Loro Parque and is quite a good review in my opinion! Anyway today I am going to review the Orchid Gardens. While in Tenerife recently I visited the Orchid Gardens in Puerto de la Cruz. The garden was just up the road from the hotel I stayed in which is the Casablanca and probably took about 3 minutes to walk to from there! The orchid garden is a really interesting place to visit but it seemed to be very quiet ?although apparently it is busier in the winter! This is a shame as the gardens are a really nice place just to be in and relax and should be enjoyed by more people and I wish that more...

mariofan123 21.09.2009 · Read review
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Review of Orchid Gardens, Puerto de la Cruz, Tenerife

A Black Orchid by any other name

Advantages: Interesting attempt
Disadvantages: Feels synthetic, expensive, there are similar better value scents

...Launched: 2006 Group: Oriental floral Introduction This fragrance has received a lot of hype during its launch in 2006. I remember popping into Debenhams to get free samples and I saw a small counter set up for Tom Ford Black Orchid where hostesses were handing out samples. This sample then ended up in one of my drawers without testing. Until now that is. So is this perfume worth it? The bottle The packaging is classy, stylish and very 'designer' for me. The bottle is solid black with a ribbed pattern on all sides including the cap. There's a square golden plate attached to the body of the bottle stating the designer and name of the fragrance. The outer packaging is a ribbed-effect golden carton with the small black square label so the colours have been inverted. The fragrance Top notes: blackcurrant...

lillamarta 05.03.2009 (07.03.2009) · Read review
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Review of Tom Ford Black Orchid Eau de Parfum

The Orchid that never blooms

Advantages: Rich historical detail, brings life in the Forbidden City to life
Disadvantages: Dull, fails to captivate, flat characters, wrong period of Tzu Hsi's life

...Empress Orchid is the latest work by Anchee Min, the acclaimed author of "Becoming Madame Mao" and "Red Azalea." The book is based on the life of Orchid, a concubine in the court of Emperor Hsein Feng who later went on to become Empress of China, ruling for more than 40 years. The description on the back cover of the book sounds fascinating - a woman managing to come to power in a male-dominated society, trying to protect and preserve her country against the European powers who seek to carve it up for their own purposes. Added to this the undeniable allure of exoticism (books on court life in ancient China are hard to come by), and the hint of sexiness given the fact that Orchid is a concubine, and the expectations of sex, romance, intrigue are all set. They exist in the book, but for a number of reasons they fail to take hold...

mystikchick17 27.05.2005 · Read review
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Review of Empress Orchid - Anchee Min

* The Song of Summer *

Advantages: Catchy , Better than When I Said Goodbye
Disadvantages: None!

...of the group and the one who sang the least. After leaving Steps he appeard on the programme 'Upper Street' where he joined four other ex-boyband members to form a band.He was sacked from Upper Street by the other members. Summer Of Love was Steps' tenth single , a double A-side with When I Said Goodbye. The songs were released in the United Kingdom on July 3rd 2000. Summer Of Love comes under the pop genre. The length of the song is three minutes and thirty two seconds. Summer Of Love reached number five in the British single charts. Summer Of Love is taken of Steps' third album Buzz. Summer of Love is a summer song! When I hear this song , I always think of the Summer it was released back in 2000. I love how this song has a latino feel to it. . I also like the fact how the lyrics have some Spanish words such as 'fiesta' and 'la vida loca...

xdonzx 16.09.2008 · Read review
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Review of Summer Of Love - Steps

Picturesque summer sledging at Stra?e

Advantages: Tremendous fun, easy to get to, good value for money, get some great views if you remember to look
Disadvantages: None at all

...There is nothing like a chair lift ride to the summit, a quick look at the amazing views across the mountains then careering down the pistes only to start all over again. Especially on a July day! In the snow free months, the ski slope at the Stra?e ski centre in the Slovenian town of Bled ? overlooking the picturesque lake with its tiny island ? is home to a ?summer toboggan? - a 520 metre run where you are seat-belted into a plastic sledge that runs along a single rail about two feet off the ground. My parents wanted to visit Bled and as we (the CM and I) had been before we looked for something new to do. The summer toboggan is signposted from the road that circles the lake and is between Hotel Grand Toplice and the hamlet of Mlin. A two minute walk from the road brings you to the bottom of the slopes. This is where you buy your...

fizzytom 13.07.2009 · Read review
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Review of Summer Toboggan, Bled

The Summer of Secrets

Advantages: A brilliant read
Disadvantages: A little far fetched in places

...The Summer of Secrets has been written by Martina Reilly, who has previously written books under her name, Tina Reilly - those books include Flipside, The Onion Girl, and Is This Love. This is the first of her books that I have written and I found it an excellent read, I had trouble putting it down! Hope Gardner seems to have trouble keeping jobs and after being fired from another one, she decides to take herself away for a holiday alone, much to the concern of her close friends Adam and Julie. Unfortunately, Hope's plane crashes, and she is one of the few survivors. Adam and Julie rally round and book a cottage in Ireland, close to where Hope grew up. They all go there for three months of summer. Hope goes to therapy while there, as she suffers from post traumatic stress after the accident, and she has other issues from...

jules.34 23.08.2009 · Read review
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Review of The Summer of Secrets - Martina Reilly