Another nightstand lantern
 

Yup, I was also inspired by Ordphien's lovely little lantern, and I finally got this project planted (all orchids from Andy's). Right now none of the growth can be attributed to me, since I got these yesterday, but I'll keep this thread updated.


The lantern is from Home Goods, there is a little plastic container in the bottom filled with pebbles, and sitting on it is a piece of lava rock from Petco. I currently have a CFL mounted in the top, but may switch that out with an LED spotlight depending on how the plants respond. I sealed the whole inside of the lantern, including metal, with clear silicone and let it sit for around a week before planting.

My own special touch is a PVC tube which I bent over the flame on my gas stove (don't try this at home, kids). If you do want to try this, it was pretty easy but make sure to use PVC and not another type of hard plastic like pex - PVC can be bent easily when heated, and once it cools it will retain its new shape.

The PVC pipe has a plugged bottom so it can hold water, and is wrapped in Spyra. Spyra is a material supposedly very much like Hygrolon, but available for a reasonable price in the States. You can buy it here, and I will definitely update on my success with it! I got a large piece, so I have a few more projects with it coming up.

Enough talk, let's see some pictures!
Front:
http://i.imgur.com/CZ8cNXq.jpg
My view from the bed:
http://i.imgur.com/isBvJev.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/TpUScNB.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/2KuBOJz.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/FL1bbms.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/17MvYWC.jpg

Plant list:
Bulbophyllum moniliforme
Dendrobium aberrans
Epidendrum porpax
Isabelia virginalis
Masdevallia wendlandiana
Microgramma piloselloides

A few of the plants were larger than I expected, notably the Masdie and the Epidendrum, so I might have to end up moving them to my other tank. I also at some point want to get a Lepanthes telipogoniflora and a Lepanthes calodictyon, and my Haraella may end up in here.

Love it

Very nice! I love Ordphien's lantern as well and I have something similar, more like a glass bird house tho. You've done a beautiful job! The minis are fun to play around with and you can be so creative in their homes. Good luck with your lantern.

Super project...and I imagine so satisfying. Enchanting!

Nice set up!

Wow! That's gorgeous!

Thanks for the compliments! Has anyone grown D. aberrans before? According to the Andy's website it likes to be watered daily, but I'm not sure if that translates well to having constant moisture on the roots.

I'm currently getting 73F days and 61F nights, but that will be a lot higher in the summer. If it starts getting above 90F in the summer I'll switch the CFL for an LED.