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My life has been shaped by three intertwining passions—writing, cultivating plants and gardens, and immersing myself in other cultures and landscapes. These converge in my recent book, Rattle of the Sun, which explores ancient civilizations, the hubris of gardeners ‘playing God’ in the garden, the rewilding of a Sicilian farm, and botanical outcasts.

RATTLE OF THE SUN

Decatur Dixon Press

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poet | gardener

My life has been shaped by three intertwining passions—writing, cultivating plants, and immersing myself in other cultures and landscapes.

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We are thrilled to announce Rattle of the Sun by Gregg Orifici, a first collection of poems by this poet/garden designer and longtime friend @thegentlegardener. It contains 100 pages of poems packed with plants, passion, exotic and everyday places, a
Lucha Libre en Mexico!
The ebullient world of anthuriums
Some last orchids including my fav hybrid cattleyas-Psycho Bride. My colleague and plant biology mentor here Manu (and apparently artist as well) gave me this watercolor as a parting gift As always I leave a place with mixed emotions
Last day at the Vallarta botanical garden and I think I found my orchid. Brassia Maculata
Cacao y Vanilla fiesta in the garden with pre-Hispanic dance. The chocolate tree has sweet colorful minuscule flowers that bloom and fruit directly on the trunk and large branches. Mosquitoes are its sole pollinator. The pulp surrounding the seeds of
Magnificent prolific thunbergia Mysore trumpet vine, and 3 small natives to Jalisco region—evening fragrant epidendron Di forma any diminutive leochilus labiticum and Barkeria ovobora
This is another mormodes badia not fully open with a black ant that lives in its bulbs and is rewarded with a sugary excretion for defending the plant against worms and crickets. It has a sharp bite and stinger that is also very painful for humans
A metallic orchid bee (euglossa viridissina) having its way with yellow beauty mormodes badia ( which has only one possible pollinator—this metallic bee!) Orchids often droop or close up or change color as they age or get pollinated— a s
A few orchid favs for today: zygopetalum redvale pretty ann, phalinopses, and oncidioglossum
New year’s laundry in the garden and a fav clereodendrum from se Asia
Staying with yellow, which could be my fav color, todays orchid is from China—a hybrid with 26 ancestors, one of them native to Mexico (the orchid family is enormous with new discoveries every year and countless new hybrids. This beauty is call
Spent today hand pollinating (and creating my own hybrids!) in the garden and greenhouse. With another month at the Puerto Vallarta botanical garden I thought I’d try something new—posting an Orchid a day from their outrageous collection.
Great first week in the greenhouses and gardens. Transplanting by the hundreds to improve substrate for each type of orchid—-Laelia supurbiens. Anthurium Cattleya memorial grant Eichler Lenette Solandra Maximus cup of gold vine beautiful poll
This winter’s work begins at the Puerto Vallarta Botanical Garden in the lab focusing on orchids bromeliads and anthuriums. Such a beautiful place with rare collections of oaks magnolia and epiphytes. Trails through the jungle to waterfalls&hel

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Residency: Vivaio I Campi
Flannery O'Connor House - Savannah, GA
Reading: Flannery O'Connor House and Museum
Flannery O'Connor House - Savannah, GA
Flannery O'Connor House - Savannah, GA

Gregg is happy to share his writing and love of plants with audiences at various venues.

Contact him to schedule a reading or a garden consult.

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