Dear Doc:

I adore your orchid pictures. I would love to know your source. Are they from a book? — Weekly reader

Dear Weekly Reader:

The main source of supply of the pictures you so adore is my personal garden. Every now and then I may see an orchid in a friend’s garden that is worthy of being photographed.

Dear Doc:

I have an orchid that I don’t know how to take care of. The name on the tag starts with dtps, but the rest of it is illegible. — Ricky

Dear Ricky:

You seem to have either a Doritis or Doritaenopsis. Doritaenopsis is a cross between a Doritis and a Phalaenopsis (phal). Doritaenopsis leaves are much smaller than a Phalaenopsis and the blooms are very small and compact. Once a phal has the slightest touch of a gene from the Doritis family it is classified as a Doritaenopsis. Doritis, like the phal , does not like to be dried out. Neither does it like to be soggy. Water it when the medium is 3/4 dried. Expose to filtered sunlight, and fertilize once per week.

Betty Ashley is an avid orchid enthusiast who has spent decades successfully cultivating orchids for herself, as well as for orchid lovers across the island, earning herself the title ‘Orchid Doc’. Send your orchid questions and/or concerns to: bettymay@flowja.com.