~ Introduction ~

Hello!
    I am Jasen Liu and I love the certain family of monocot plants that possess a column and lip in their flowers, a family called Orchidaceae. What appeals to me about them? Perhaps it is their wide range of colors and smells. Perhaps it is their range of weird and wonderful modes of enticing pollinators. Perhaps it is just their sheer diversity, being essentially the largest plant family in the world. Ever since my mom asked me to read an orchid book to try to get me to care for an ailing Phalaenopsis and I saw the pictures of those obscure genera, the cherry-like blooms of Mediocalcar, the weird Lepanthes flowers, the descriptions of plants with "heavenly fragrance", I was instantly attached. Then, my sister took me to my first orchid show soon afterwards where I obtained my first orchids completely under my own care (If I recall correctly, a Phalaenopsis stuartiana, Dendrobium kingianum, and Sedirea japonica, of which only the ridiculously hardy Dendrobium survives today). Thus began my journey of growing killing orchids.
    Unlike the classic story of how an orchid grower started with a Phalaenopsis they got at a supermarket and blah blah blah "it's not as hard as they say it is" blah blah blah, I had a very different start. Phalaenopsis hybrids are impossible to grow in my experience. I think in all my time in orchid growing, I've rebloomed one? Maybe two? My first orchid to rebloom was a beautiful orange Masdevallia hybrid: Highland Fling, which for some reason I have been unable to kill since I got it, despite often neglecting it and letting it (*gasp*) dry out quite often during the (*gasp*) summer, sometimes even during (*gasp*) heat waves. It would look much, much better if I gave it more attention though, I do admit. Initially, I babied my plants all the time. Now, however, I grow them quite haphazardly, believing in the concept of "tough love", which is quite effective as many orchids thrive given gentle neglect. I do not consider myself a great orchid grower, nor do I consider myself a good orchid grower, despite my previous four years of practice. However, I am much better than when I started (duh) and the fun thing about growing these mystifying plants is that the whole process is a learning experience.
    Now, as my collection has approached 200 plants (and my death collection increases as well), I grow both indoors and outdoors, with some plants switching between with the changing seasons. I love miniatures, especially pleurothallids. Of these, my favorite genera have to be Masdevallia, Lepanthes, and Dracula. However, I do not discriminate too much and as long as the plant is not a 1. Phalaenopsis hybrid 2. Cymbidium hybrid  or 3. Unlabeled plant, I do not usually mind too much. Of course, there are still many Phalaenopsis hybrids which I believe to be quite attractive and I do not resent Cymbidiums because I don't like their looks (well actually kind of as sometimes they just look meh) but more because they take up lots of space, which my very small Palo Alto backyard does not allow for.
    Apart from orchids, I also grow several other types of tropical plants like Hoyas and Tillandsias. Additionally, I am a bulb aficionado and outdoors, I experiment to test which types of spring bulbs can rebloom with the mild Bay Area winters. My favorite non-orchid or bulb plants are likely the gentians (attempting to grow a few now) and aquatic flora in general. Oh yeah and I love trees, with some of my favorite native North American ones being the sitka spruce, silver maple, and chinkapin oak. Ok seriously enough with me rambling. Oh oops this is awkward not having any pics to share unlike in my other blog...

Um ok here's one taken just now:

Hoya bella. This is one of my most rewarding plants to grow and one of my best purchases during 2013. It hangs in a pot inside of my bathroom, receiving light from the skylight above and blooms intermittently, sometimes having 10s of these flowerheads. Additionally, they are lightly fragrant and the plant is very tolerant of neglectful underwatering (to make the drying situation worse, it's potted in coarse orchid bark) while getting somewhat baked sometimes.

Until next time,

     Happy growing!