The closing of the greenhouse door

That's it. A full year of greenhouse delights have come and gone. Consider this the final In The Greenhouse post for now. There's just no point in posting pictures of flowers you've seen before. As soon as novel beauties come into bloom, naturally I'll be sure to post those. And of course, you can always dip into the Archives and revisit old favourites! Thanks for all your enthusiasm; it's been a pleasure sharing a year's worth of irrational passion in this way. I hope you've been inspired by the world of orchids to add some tropical splendour to your own life.

Laelia tenebrosa. Big, colourful, bold as brass (literally). The flowers measure 18 cm from petal tip to petal tip. It's a summer-flowering Brazilian species and so always flowers around Chrimbo time in the southern hemisphere. Merry Christmas.