Orchid waterfall

Dendrobium pierardii planted on a horizontal branch makes a waterfall of blooms!  This orchid is cold-hardy to the mid 20° F range, deciduous, and pendulous.  Since they are leafless in the spring when the blooms appear, there is no foliage to obscure the mass of blooms.

The flowers are lightly fragrant and when the sun shines through the petals, they sparkle!  The yellow lip is slightly fuzzy.

Dendrobium pierardii is a natural epiphyte and thrives when planted along with other epiphytic plants. Here's one growing with Resurrection fern.

They require no care whatsoever once they are attached to the branch.  A single staple holds small plants steady until rooted.  The roots run along furrows in the bark and gather nutrients from decomposing leaves and other debris falling out of the tree.  New green shoots grow from the base of the plant in spring and will produce flowers a year later. 

Each year they grow larger and more beautiful! This specimen has been growing unattended for more than 20 years!

Another four years of growth since the above photo was taken for this original post and here's what it looks like:

I had to stand back much farther to get the whole thing in the photo!