Question
QUESTION: I recently bought a phal from Wal-Mart. (I know, bad place to purchase one)  It had 2 flowering spikes that were beautiful.  I didn't check the pot and it had no drain hole so the poor thing ended up sitting in water.  The flowers are now wilted but holding on, the leaves are looking rubbery and when I gently lifted the plant, it doesn't appear to have much of a root system underneath.  It does have some of the air roots above the surface of the "soil".  I would love to save it if this is possible.  Please give me any advice you may have.

ANSWER: Jonada, sounds like it's time for emergency repotting.  Obtain a bag of orchid potting mix and a plastic pot with lots of drainage holes in the bottom.  The pot should be just the right size so the remaining roots will fit into it.  Remove all roots that are mushy or stringy as they are dead. Healthy roots are firm and turn green when wet.  Soak the fresh potting mix for about a half hour before use. Place the heaalthy roots (including aerial roots) into the pot and gradually add the wet fresh orchid potting mix, tapping the pot while you add it to distribute it among the roots. Try not be damage any of the roots.  This best achieved if the roots are wet as this makes them less brittle.  Set the repotted plant aside where the excess water can drain out of the mix.  Do not water for at least a week or until the mix feels dry.  Then, resume watering once per week.  It is better to have the plant too dry than too wet.  If you have lost a lot of roots, the rubbery leaves may turm yellow and fall off.  At this point, you are wanting to generate new roots and leaves and this will take a couple of months before recovery sets in.

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QUESTION: What exactly is the meaning of "Mendenhall" when it is attached to different orchid names?

Answer
Jonada, orchid hybridizers often assign a cultivar name to an exceptional cultivated variety of a hybrid they made.  In the case of 'Mendenhall', this name should appear in single quotes to reflect an exceptional hybrid produced by Carter and Holmes Orchids of Newberry, South Carolina.