Bloom Event - Paphiopedilum King Arthur

I keep saying I'm not a big grower of Paphiopedilum, but I do have a fair few. This is one of my older ones and it blooms quite regularly. As a complex hybrid, it seems adaptable to conditions which wouldn't necessarily suit some of the species in its parentage. It is almost plain leafed but does have some faint markings with fairly glossy narrow foliage with delicate purple markings at the base and along the midrib on the back. I very much like the colour on this one, as it is nice and rich. I imagine, given the specific colour, that my plant is the cultivar 'Bourgogne' though I wouldn't swear to it as it didn't come to me as that.

One trait that I always notice with 'King Arthur' is how shiny the flowers are. The petals and pouch are really glossy, like they have been lacquered. Blooms take a good week from opening before they are properly unfurled and expanded to their full size and shape, and this is rather a large flower, but without the chunky artificialness you get with some of the more complex 'bulldog' Paphiopedilums. This hybrid looks to me to be much more simple than it really is.

This is a tough, easy to grow plant that seems to grow into a clump readily, and will produce multiple blooms with time. I have it planted in a deep rose pot filled with moss and bark chips.

It can be seen quite clearly on the above photo that this plant seems to like to climb. This is a habit I usually associate with certain Phragmipedium hybrids, but not usually with Paphiopedilums. The fan closest to the front has a noticeable length of 'stem' beneath it, and the new growth just emerging on the right is standing proud of the growing medium. At first I thought there might be a root problem and the plant was trying to get away from its growing medium, but when I turned the plant out of the pot, I discovered a very healthy and vigorous root system, so this can't be it. There are still a couple of unflowered growths sitting at the correct level, so I can't just pot it deeper or they'll rot off. The only option I can see is to divide the plant up and plant each division at the correct level. I don't really want to do this, though, as I wanted to grow it into a specimen plant. I suppose I could divide the plant up and re-plant all the divisions at the correct level in the same pot, but that goes against all my instincts as an orchid grower!

This just goes to show that each plant has its idiosyncrasies. This especially applies to Paphiopedilum as they can't be propagated by meristem like many other orchids can, so each plant is either seed grown (more likely) or an straight division of a larger plant. If all of the 'King arthur' in this batch has been seed grown, it follows that each plant will be slightly different, and this weird habit my plant has is something specific to it. I guess I'll just have to live with it and do what I think is right when it is time to repot. Here's a shot of the entire plant to finish.

New Plants - Delivery from Schwerter in Germany

I have always shied away from buying orchids from off the continent, but no more if this delivery is anything to go by. I spent around £80 (including express delivery) and got 6 flowering size species orchids. I consider this to be very reasonable indeed. They were expertly packed, better than I think I've ever seen, and have arrived here in the UK on Wednesday, having only been sent from Germany on the Monday of the same week. I've taken some photos, so here goes!

Two Coelogyne species; celebensis (left) and merilii (right). Coelogyne celebensis seems to have three shoots growing, which I am hoping will produce blooms in due course. Coelogyne merilii seems also to have three shoots coming, and I see old flower spikes on top of its pseudobulbs which is always encouraging. A friend of mine is green with envy at these.

Sedirea japonica. This is only a small species, looking much like a miniature Phalaenopsis. This plant is blooming size, as evidenced by the start of a flower spike emerging, totally unexpected. Hopefully the journey from Germany won't have shocked it too much and it will continue to develop in my growroom.

Encyclia alata. I have wanted this species for some time, for its long panicles of flowers and strong scent. I think once new roots start to grow I will repot this one as it seems a bit rocky in its pot. Still nice and healthy though. Again, fully blooming size.

And finally, two colour forms of Encyclia cordigera that I've been looking for for absolutely ages. My own plant is a greenish brown colour with a white lip featuring a purple splodge in the centre. I am informed (by google, so to be taken with somewhat of a pinch of salt) that this is Encyclia cordigera var. semi-alba. These two plants should be the pinker form of the species (left) and the fully alba form of the species (right). The plant on the right is a little small, but should bloom from its next growth. Quite often the alba form of a species isn't quite so vigorous, not sure why. The larger plant has a flower spike showing, so I should see blooms in the next couple of months or so. I will be interested to compare the colour forms now I have three. You may gather, I really like this species !

Bloom Event - Phalaenopsis 'Spottion'

It feels like aeons ago that I posted that the Phalaenopsis season is beginning, but they have been steadily opening flowers over the past few weeks. Phalaenopsis are much maligned among orchid growers for some reason (at least the modern complex hybrids are). On the whole, I rather like them and they are easy to grow. The main gripe I have is that they seldom come with a name.

A few years ago when I used to sell a few orchids for pocket money, I got to know a British grower of Phalaenopsis in the course of putting a little business her way. As I only wanted a small order (smaller than the minimum for her to deliver) of only a few trays of Plants, I went to pick my own plants from her nursery, which is great for me because I could pick a tray of all one variety. This nursery
imported young plants from the far East and grew them on to sell as British grown. I had no idea at the time, but the vast majority of her plants did in fact have names and it was only a matter of me selecting the plants I wanted and she could find the name for me. I have sold the majority of the plants, but the few that remain are mostly named. There was a big advantage to these British plants too, which is that they had been grown at lower temperatures than their Dutch counterparts, so the plants were stockier and much stronger than their Dutch counterparts.

All this was back in 2012/13, and here we are in early 2016 and the plants are still growing strong. I'll lead in with a pretty picture and then explain about that particular plant.

These are quite large flowers, probably the largest of any of my Phalaenopsis and are very nicely shaped. I have several plants of this hybrid, and although the purple spotting is very sparse on this particular plant, some of the others are more prominent, though never overbearing. I have been told that these so called 'harlequin' Phalaenopsis are unstable in some way, but I've never figured out how. I do know that the markings are slightly different on each flower, and each plant produces flowers with slightly different markings to the other plants. However, I have looked in detail at many of my other orchids, and I don't believe that any of them produce flowers that are exactly identical. At any rate, this one is particularly subtly marked, with most of the purple spots actually being on the two dorsal sepals that you can't really see. This particular plant has only produced three flowers, as can be seen on the next photo, and I'll explain why in due course.

This plant had a bit of a crisis not long after I got it, and developed crown rot. As any grower of Phalaenopsis will tell you, this is usually curtains for the plant concerned, but I have actually had two plants that contracted crown rot, and both have survived and grown on fine. In this case, the crown rot was not obvious at all and must have happened while the emerging leaf was still very small indeed. The only outward sign was that the plant showed no signs of growth for some considerable time. I decided to keep it and see what it did, and eventually it produced a new growth from the base. It actually bloomed for the first time last year, with only one bloom on the stem (still a large flower for the size of plant). This year, the plant has produce three flowers which, while still not a great quantity, is three times more than last year so I call that good progress.  Crown rot is usually a side effect of overhead watering and cool overnight temperatures. Water lodges in the crown of the plant and allows bacteria to attack the plant, mostly during cool nights. In my growroom, this is never a problem since the nights stay warm. Quite often if the spread of the rot can be arrested, the plant will eventually recover, though mostly plants are thrown away.

Phalaenopsis 'Spottion' is slightly harder to get to bloom than many other hybrids. Quite often the others will put out a spike at any random time of year but not so with this one. This plant, and the other 'Spottion' only initiate spikes after a four week period with slightly cooler temperatures. For practical reasons in my growroom, this usually means that the plants all bloom at the same time, at around this time of the year. This also goes some way to explaining why there are more hybrid Phalaenopsis left in my collection than I would really like. Firstly, I really dislike sending out blooming plants during winter as the transport during cold nights usually results in buds aborting, and this hybrid is also apparently not one for branching. Secondly, it is exceedingly difficult to sell a Phalaenopsis that isn't in bloom or spike. After all, you can go to the supermarket and pick up a Phalaenopsis in bloom for a fiver, and there is no way I can afford to sell a plant that cheaply. Interestingly, although this isn't one for branching, if old stems are left on the plant, they will stay alive until the next blooming cycle (after that four week cooling period) and then produce a second flush of buds. Who said plants didn't have personalities?

New Plants - acquired in a trade

I love trades. Not that I get to do them as often as I'd like. This particular one was with someone whom I regard very highly as an orchid grower, so I'm doubly pleased to be able to deal with him. We did our trade on Friday after several months of orchid based nerdiness via Facebook chat.

Practically every orchid grower has a 'list' of plants that they'd like to get hold of, myself included. Unfortunately it seems to get longer, not shorter. At least now the plants I have on my list are appropriate to the conditions I am able to offer them. A couple of these orchids I just got in trade are off my list, and I have to say I'm impressed. So, without further ado, here are some pictures of the plants I got in trade.

 This above is Stanhopea nigroviolacea. From what I read, some authorities consider it to be a variety of the species Stanhopea tigrina. This is a decent sized plant, easily blooming size, I'd say. Very healthy, potted in Sphagnum moss (as this needs to hang to allow flower spikes to dangle down beneath the plant, a more water retentive medium is necessary). I've never grown Stanhopea before so I'm quite excited about this plant. I wasn't expecting one quite so large.

And Dendrobium gatton sunray. Another nice large plant, though I'm told it will grow a good deal larger yet. Flowering size again, I shall look forward to seeing it bloom. I have quite a few Dendrobium of one form or another in my collection, so I feel I'm on less shaky ground with this one. I have read that it is almost impossible to kill so hopefully it will do well for me. A very popular and sought after orchid.

A few Coelogyne. Back left is Coelogyne lawrenceana. This plant has two flower spikes and looks very healthy. I notice that the older pseudobulb is wrinkly. This interests me because I have a hybrid of this species that does exactly the same. It is meant to be a very large flower. I'm excited that it is about to bloom, though I hear the buds take a very long time to develop so I'll have to be patient. Back right is Coelogyne triplicatula. This is technically a cool grower, but I have a couple of its close relatives (fimbriata and ovalis) and both of them do fine for me. Front left is Coelogyne intermedia. This is allegedly a natural hybrid although nobody has been able to re-make the cross, so it may well be a species in its own right. again, technically a cool grower, but I'm told it grows and blooms fine under warmer conditions. Front right is Coelogyne Wood Fairy. One cool and one warm growing parent, so we'll see how it does in my warm growroom.

Here we have Bifrenaria aureo-fulva on the left. I've never grown this species, and I can't say I've done well with Bifrenaria in the past (not a good experience standing by helplessly watching Bifrenaria harrisoniae slowly die on me). I'm hoping this species will be easier for me. On the right we have Miltassia dark star. I know where I am with Miltassia so should be onto a winner with this one.

And finally two nice sized keikis of Dendrobium anosmum var. dearei. I have potted these two up so hopefully they'll just get on with it now. Occasionally Dendrobium species and hybrids will produce adventitious growths from the leaf nodes along their canes which will grow their own roots and can be detached and grown on separately. These are known as keikis. They are an excellent way of propagating orchids, especially if the plant in question is a particularly good clone. The keikis are genetically identical to the parent plant.

Bloom Event - Laeliocattleya Gold Digger

This plant never fails to perform. It seems an easy grower and a regular bloomer. They are not large flowers, by Cattleya standards, but what it lacks in size it makes up for in colour, with the striking yellowish orange. It seems to be an unspoken rule among Cattleya that the brighter the colour, the smaller the flowers tend to be (and usually, though not in this case, the size of the plant as well). The smaller flowered hybrids tend to have more flowers per spike, though and are more likely to have interesting markings. There are quite a few cultivars of LC Gold Digger around, but I wouldn't like to attempt to guess at which one my plant is. If any of my readers know for sure, please do leave a comment below.

While my back has been turned, it appears that the taxonomists have been at it again. This plant should now correctly be labelled as Cattlianthe Gold Digger. I'll have forgotten that by tomorrow. I shan't be in a rush to change any labels as I've no doubt that there will be yet more name changes in the future. I always said taxonomists need an eye keeping on them. Laeliocattleya Gold Digger (as was) was registered way back in 1974 and is a hybrid between two hybrid parents. Its complex genetics are the very thing that makes it so easy to grow, a phenomenon called hybrid vigour.

This is rapidly growing into quite a large plant, and has already been both potted on and divided a couple of times. Next time, I shall just cut the rhizome behind the leading four pseudobulbs to encourage the plant to make new growth from the back, and give me more flowers (at the moment there is only one lead, so only one flower spike at a time).

The one annoying thing this plant seems to do is that the pseudobulbs crack as they swell towards maturity. Not that it is a particular problem as I don't show my plants, but I do worry that it might let an infection in at some point. None of my other Cattleyas do this, just this particular one.

As ever, it is potted in coarse bark chips. I really have found that Cattleya do much better in a coarse medium with growth being stronger and roots being less inclined to wander. There is a new generation Cattleya that are really diminutive (full flowering size at only a few inches tall), a couple of which have found their way into my collection (a particularly vibrant one will wend its way onto this blog in the coming week), and these do fine in medium bark chips.

This hybrid carries a very pleasant fragrance which is, at least to my nose, reminiscent of roses although it isn't overpowering (at least not compared to the other very overpowering things also in bloom at the moment).

Bloom Event - Gongora galeata

After the beauties posted last week, its time to look at one of the oddities in my collection. I can't pretend to be the best grower of this species, and this is the first time it has produced any blooms for me after three years in my care. Three flower spikes were produced, simultaneously with a new growth. One of the spikes has blasted (orchid growers term for buds dropping or spikes dying altogether), another spike has blasted all but two buds. The third spike has opened all its flowers. It is an odd looking species, even in bud.

It is nigh on impossible to get a decent photo of this plant; the flower spike swings precariously in the merest breath of wind, and they blend very well into the background (at least as far as the camera is concerned). It isn't very obvious on the photo, but the flowers are actually arranged quite precisely on the spike, in three ranks (I think there would be four ranks on longer spikes). Flowers open more or less simultaneously. Here is the result.....

Funny looking thing, isn't it. I know it is hard for some people (excluding myself, of course) to get excited about what can only be described as a brown flower, but they are so intricately formed, it is hard not to wonder at them. It took me ages to work out which was the lip,the column or the dorsal sepal. The hood like structure is (as far as I can tell) the dorsal sepal (the petal that sits upright on a 'normal' orchid flower), with the column (the bit that sticks out of the centre of a 'normal' orchid flower) sitting in the back of the hood. The labellum (lip) sits upright between the two sepals sitting at 180 degrees to each other. Weird, isn't it?

When I look at the whole spike, the flowers do seem to have the appearance of hovering insects. I haven't done enough research on the whole Stanhopea tribe (of which Gongora is a part) to know the ins and outs of their pollination mechanisms, but the flowers seem to have evolved to attract a certain species of bee (often one species per orchid species). The flower may or may not offer a reward for this service. I do think if you've gone to all that trouble to attract a specific insect, you ought to make it worth their while !

The blooms carry quite a pleasant fragrance (not all orchids smell good, believe me), sort of spicy and quite strong.

I hope to become better at cultivating Gongora orchids (there are quite a few species) as a whole, as this plant really just seems to limp along. At least it is strong enough to produce blooms now, though so I can't be getting it entirely wrong. It seems to enjoy quite a lot of water and humidity and has definitely done better since I got the growroom set up properly. I think it probably has a slight rest after growth is complete during which it seems to need a little less water, but it also doesn't appreciate being allowed to go dry.

Bloom Event - Cattleya Ann Balmores

What a stunner. I had forgotten just how big the flowers on this plant are (either that or the flower size is increasing as the plant puts on bigger growths). They are larger by far than the flowers on my Vanda blue magic or any of my Phalaenopsis.

When I first got this plant, there was no purple on the petals at all, they were pure white. The flowers did not open quite so fully (these flowers are almost flat looking from the front). As I remember, this plant was among a mix of 'Cattleya large flower mix' that I got from a big plant distributor on the continent (yes, the same one that supplied me with the half dead Brassias; shame on you!). It was in a poor state with no live roots, broken down potting medium, pseudobulbs cut off, really shameful. I had credit for the plants, but they shouldn't have been sent out in that state. Says a lot for their quality control, doesn't it? Mostly, the plants were so poor they went straight in the bin, but I kept this one as it was still showing signs of life.

It slowly recovered. As any orchid grower will tell you (and as I have pointed out in a previous post), Cattleyas are painfully slow to do anything until they've a mind to. I repotted into fresh growing medium immediately, but still had to wait months for the plant to put out new growth and, in turn, new roots. Luckily this one roots out while the new growth is relatively young, so recovery was a little faster than it might have been. Now we are a couple of years down the line, the plant is growing (comparatively) fast, and pseudobulbs are increasing in size season on season. I have even managed to sever the rhizome a few pseudobulbs back and the plant has responded by producing a second lead which will begin to flower in a year or two.

Another view. I don't know why I fell in love with this one, but I think it is absolutely beautiful. Add to that it has a good scent and we have a real winner on our hands. I don't know if the flower count will increase in the future, but the size certainly has.  The blooms measure six inches top to bottom and across. I expect them to last around two weeks.

I have it potted in coarse bark to keep the root zone well aerated, and the pot appears to be quite full of roots. There is still space for another season or two of growth but after that I will have to decide what to do with it next. Cattleya are not easy to accommodate once they start to reach a large size as they take up a lot of horizontal space. It would seem a shame to divide it, though.

Bloom Event - Brassavola nodosa

This orchid is, to me, always a sight for sore eyes. It is probably one of the most elegant orchids I have the good fortune to grow, even if it was described by my other half as looking like teaspoons! Sadly, it is not easy to get a good photo of it for some reason, as the bright whiteness of the lip makes it look really featureless on the photo. 

I obviously have a weakness for these pale spidery delicate looking flowers. It is quite hard to believe that Brassavola nodosa is a Cattleya relative, but it forms hybrids (such as Brassocattleya binosa) very readily, although I do think that a lot of the elegance of the original species is rather lost.

I have seen forms of this with some spotting on the lip towards the centre, but my plant doesn't have this. There is only one flower spike this time (last time two were produced), but it has come out much longer than last time and I'm sure the flowers are larger, too. Of course, what can't be conveyed in a blog post is the scent. Brassavola nodosa is quite well famed for being night scented, but I had forgotten just how strong the scent is. I have took a sniff of the open flowers a couple of times during the evening and didn't detect any scent whatsoever. I rather assumed that since I now grow this under lights 100% the plant might have lost its dusk trigger to produce scent (since lights are either on or off). It also can take a few days for scent to develop properly, and this is true of a lot of orchids, especially among the Cattleya tribe. Being a bit later one day to go and close the growroom door, (I leave it open to allow air to circulate as a rule), the lights had already gone off before I got there, and the scent greeted me before I even entered the room. What amazes me is how the plant can turn it on and off like that. It doesn't smell at all during the day, but fills the room during the night.

I'm not sure this photo is the best, but you can see that there is some very subtle veining on the lip. The lip completely encloses the column to form a tube, presumably with nectar at the back of the flower. This species is moth pollinated, hence the night scent and the lack of colour (wouldn't be much point being a gaudy colour if its trying to be attractive at night, would there?). I assume that the big white lip must show up quite clearly in the dark, and the strong scent must advertise the plants presence from much further away . The scent is very pleasant, sweet and spicy, but I'm not sure I'd want to sit in it all evening!

Brassavola nodosa seems easy enough to grow. When I got the plant I mounted it on an elder branch, and it seemed to establish quite well. More recently, I have put the whole lot into a pot with coarse bark, so the base of the plant is still exposed to the air. It was attacked quite badly by red spider mite a year or two ago, and I put this down to it being excessively dry between waterings. The last couple of growths have come up clean, so I assume the small amount of extra moisture and humidity has done the trick. It is a funny looking plant. The leaves look to me like a load of pencils cut in half lengthways and stuck in a pot (the technical term for leaves looking like that is semi-terete). They are quite fat and succulent and the whole plant is definitely adapted to quite dry and exposed conditions, which should be mimicked under cultivation.

I also grow Brassavola cucullata, which is a much more slender plant with almost completely terete leaves. This is a relatively new aquisition, so I feel we are still getting to know each other, and it doesn't know me well enough yet to show me its flowers. I also have a couple of Brassavola hybrids. One is B. David Sander which is quite new but showing new growth. The other is a more complex hybrid called Jimminy Cricket which blooms regularly and will eventually be featured on this blog.

Repotting of Coelogyne Green Dragon.

It was always my intention with this blog to show more than just pretty flowers, because that isn't going to educate anyone, least of all me, so I thought it might be time for a blow by blow account of the repotting process. This will serve as a reminder to me of both what I did and when I did it, and it might also help any of my readers who are faced with the daunting task of accommodating a beast of a plant that has put on frankly more growth than is good for it.

I expect there a lot of people who think Coelogyne are nice small manageable plants that will fit comfortably on a window sill. Some species are like this. However, Coelogyne Green Dragon (and both of its parents) are like the big thuggish older brothers of these nice well-behaved plants. Many members of Coelogyne get rather large. I got my division of Green Dragon from Burnham Nurseries a year ago from their special plants list which they send out just before Christmas every year. It wasn't a cheap plant, but considering the proportions it grows to it probably isn't any more expensive gram for gram. Coelogyne Green Dragon is a hybrid between the species C. massangeana and C. pandurata. Both parents are large growing species from lowland jungles that bear long pendulous racemes of flowers with their new growth. Utterly beautiful when in bloom, but a bugger to accommodate.

Anyway, I've gone a bit off topic. The point about this hybrid is that it has rather taken after its C. pandurata parent in that it has quite a long length of rhizome between its pseudobulbs, meaning it has a tendency to climb out of its pot after a year or two.

As you can see, I had to do something with it this season, and since the new growth has just started to produce roots, there is really no better time. You can see the new growth well overhanging the edge of the pot, and you also get some idea of the size of the plant in this photo, remembering that it is a relatively new division at just over a year old. I thought long and hard about what I was going to do with it once I got to repotting time, and finally decided that a basket was the answer. Most growers grow large and specimen species like this.

I got the necessary articles together; I already had a 16 inch basket lying around as it happened. In a rare moment of forethought, I took the chain off as I won't be hanging this plant (it'd pull the ceiling down!). I also had a handy basket liner stashed away (as you do!), as well as ample supplies of Melcourt potting bark, so it was all systems go.

The sharper eyed among you might notice the deliberate mistake here. I may indeed have ready a 16 inch basket as a new home for my treasured plant, but I failed to notice that I only had a 12 inch basket liner. Fail. So after some dummy chucking and trips to the garden centre, I was finally ready to do the business. I managed to get the plant out of its pot after some wrestling, and I notice it has developed a nice root system which is always good news. Nice and well developed, but not root bound which would have caused problems of its own.

Notice also that the plant is very damp indeed. My experience of pretty much all Coelogyne is that they really don't like to dry out, so watering is frequent, and this appears to be the moisture level that the plant wants at all times. Also, damp roots are much more pliable and therefore less likely to get damaged during repotting. It is obvious from the size of the older pseudobulbs (right in the middle of the photo) that this plant still has some significant growing to do before it reaches its full potential. I work on the ground in a gravel bag tray to catch stray bark chips, though I suspect normal people might do this on a bench. As you can see, the basket liner is just a bog standard cheap one. Its purpose isn't to trap any water (in fact, the more water it lets through, the better) but just to stop the bark chips from falling out of the basket and help to contain the roots.

I removed the very oldest backbulb as it was getting in the way and had no roots of its own in any case. There's always the chance that it'll sprout new growth, but I frankly doubt it. With semi-climbing plants like this one it is a good idea to try to partially bury the older pseudobulbs so that the base of the new growth (where the roots emerge from) is in contact with the potting medium. The oldest part of the plant should be at the edge of the basket (or new pot) so the new growth has the maximum amount of space to grow into before the plant needs disturbing again.

If this were almost any other type of orchid than a Coelogyne, I would probably recommend using coarse bark chips for a plant this size as finer stuff holds more water in the centre of the pot/basket and a lot of orchids won't like that. However, this being a water-pig Coelogyne, I have used medium bark, because I want that extra bit of moisture retentiveness (I could have added perlite, but I prefer not to as I find it rather unpleasant to work with; when dry it is dusty and when wet it sticks to my fingers. I have also heard that it can hang onto nutrients which will burn the roots eventually).

Now I slightly break the rules here because the standard advice is to use fresh potting medium each time one repots. I'm too tight to waste materials that, at least to my mind, are still perfectly good. Provided there aren't any root problems (which there weren't), any problems with pests (which there weren't) and the bark chips haven't started to break down (which they hadn't), I see no reason not to re-use them. If in any doubt, they can be put into a cool oven for an hour or two to kill any nasties, but that wasn't necessary on this occasion. Of course, if you are changing potting mix, you shouldn't mix them, but I'm using the same bark chips here.

I'm always careful to work the new mix around the roots so I don't leave any air pockets. It is also a good idea to give the whole thing a good few knocks (I lift a couple of inches and drop a few times) as this will help to settle the potting mix around the roots.

The end product. As you can see, the new growth is just in contact with the surface of the potting mix and there is plenty of room for the plant to grow out for a couple of seasons before I need to tackle it again by which time I expect I'll need a crane to lift it! Its new growths already seem to be larger than last year, so I expect it will settle down into its new home very quickly. The basket will be stood on top of al large pot so I can still keep it on the benche.  The plant didn't bloom this year, although this isn't unusual for new divisions so I expect it'll bloom sometime around Christmas. It is always a waiting game, with orchids!

Bloom Event - Phalaenopsis wiganiae

Phalaenopsis wiganiae is a primary hybrid between Phalaenopsis schillerana and Phalaenopsis stuartiana. I've not seen it since I got it. It came from the same place as Phalaenopsis kuntrarti rarashati. I repotted it into coarse bark after it was done blooming, and then regretted it for well over a year because it really sulked. That's the difference between the less complex hybrids and the big blousy mutants we usually see around. They are just a little bit more sensitive. However, once it had finished making me feel guilty for having the audacity to disturb it, it put on good root and leaf growth (it never carries many leaves at a time, only usually two or three), and has now rewarded me with a flower spike worth looking at. So, without further ado, I should probably show you what all the fuss is about...

I can see both the parents in the flower. They are numerously produced but aren't very big, actually. No scent. I can't call it spectacular, but it does look a bit more 'botanical' which to my mind makes it more interesting. I love the spotting on he lip and the lower sepals which comes from the Phalaenopsis stuartiana side of the family (also in spike, you'll see in the next few weeks). I haven't tracked down a Phalaenopsis schillerana at a price I'm willing to pay as yet, sadly, but it's on my list. The pink colour comes from schillerana, though it is quite washed out in this hybrid.

One of the things I particularly like about this hybrid is its foliage, which comes from both parents, the silver markings make the plant very attractive even when its not in flower. I'm not certain what the purpose of the markings are, but possibly they aid in the collection of light in its parents natural habitat. Possibly they aid in its camouflage in dappled sunlight so predators can't see it so easily.  At any rate, its lovely.

The roots are slightly flattened and more silvery than they are in the complex hybrids, and seem even more apt to wander; everywhere except in the pot. This is obviously a throwback to the parents natural habits, and makes perfect sense. Many times I have been asked if a Phalaenopsis needs to be repotted because its roots are growing outside the pot, and I always explain that this is what they do. People say they look untidy, but I have never thought that. To me they are one of the things that set orchids apart from other 'houseplants' (a term I have never liked); flowers are almost an added bonus.

Flower spikes are branching. I think this one still has some growing to do. This is realistically its first proper blooming under my care. I will be very interested to see how it performs in the future.

This plant lives in my growroom with all the other Phalaenopsis species and hybrids, and gets watered and fed just the same. All are growing and doing well now so I must be doing something right. I may well post another photo when all the flowers are out. It is almost a shame that I trained the spike to grow upwards, but it would have got in the way if I'd allowed it to ramble as it pleases. In future, when I get better at orchid growing, I'd like to grow one of these mounted on wood to mimic its natural habitat to see how it does.

Bloom Event - Cattleya No ID

It's a real shame that so many orchids are sold without names. The going rate for a generic 'Cattleya' from a 'garden centre' seems to be in the region of twenty pounds, when they are available at all. I really resent paying 20 pounds plus for a Cattleya if it doesn't even come with a name, no matter how beautiful I might think it is. And, of course, it's the same old story that we get with so many shop-bought orchids; some treatment they receive before they get to the end grower (almost put consumer there, which implies 'chuck in the bin after blooming') has killed all the roots and there is inevitably this nail biting period after blooming but before the plant puts out new roots where we wonder if it will make it at all.

When you add into this the annoying habit of some Cattleya to not produce new roots until its new growth is completed, and my point blank refusal to pay full price for a poorly cared for orchid with no ID, you'd think we had a recipe for disaster.

As luck would have it, I find Cattleya generally rather hard to kill, other than with kindness. The actual plant I'm talking about here is no exception to this, as you'll see. I bought this one from one of the aforementioned 'garden centres' off its bargain bench for very little money. It definitely wasn't in flower so I very much took a chance. I have to say, I'm glad I did because the flower, at least to my eye, has very good form.

I really love the non-flatness of the flower; as I've said in previous posts, i tend to dislike flowers that are very flat. The flower is only just open and filled out, but there is a scent developing. Scent is one of the things I really do like about Cattleya.

It's not too big and blousy, although it is a good size flower for the size of pseudobulb the plant produces. The flower count this time is rather lower than I'd like. The plant usually produces two flowers per spike, but there's only one this time. There is more than one growing point on it, but they are out of sync with each other and so flower at different times. I have a few ideas for the species its been bred from, but I wouldn't like to speculate too much as there's no way to be sure. It is strongly bifoliate, intermediate in size and is very vigorous indeed.

I forget exactly how long I've had this plant, but three years seems about right to me. In that time it outgrew its original pot and is now in the process of climbing over the edge of this one. I have put slits down the sides of the pot to let air in (sadly, I didn't foresee that this would also let the roots out but the plant seems happy so I oughtn't to complain). After blooming, I'm going to try to encourage the plant to produce more lead growths by snapping the rhizome a few pseudobulbs back from the lead growths. This should leave enough energy in the leads to still grow strongly and bloom, while encouraging further growths to form from the back of the plant. In future, this should lead to far more flowers being produced. I know it probably needs repotting, but I'm in no rush to do so as the growing medium is still quite fresh. I will say I haven't the faintest idea whether I managed to remove the original growing medium it came in, but judging by subsequent root growth, I'd say probably not. Still; if it ain't broke, don't fix it, right?

Bloom Event - Camaridium cucullatum

I got this plant out of a sale at my favourite orchid nursery. Its a large plant that could really do with either potting on or, more likely, dividing. There are two definite growing points (in this instance I'm not referring to individual gowing points but rather to discrete clusters of growing points), so I should still be able to divide quite easily into two smaller but still quite large plants.  I'm not in any particular rush to do this though, as the plant seems perfectly happy as it is and produces quite a lot of flowers. In case you wondered; yes, it is what most growers would still call a Maxillaria. Plants within the new(ish) genus Camaridium all look quite similar vegetatively, and very different from other splinter groups from Maxillaria (both Maxillaria itself and Braziliorchis), so I guess it makes some sense to split them up. I grow three Camaridium species, cucullatum, atratum and praestans. I haven't flowered Camaridium atratum yet, but C. praestans certainly is similar to C. cucullata from what I remember.

Its not what you'd call the showiest of flowers; its about an inch form top to bottom, maybe a bit more. I very much like it, though, especially as I can't bloom the showier ex-Maxillaria (Picta, I mean you!). Despite it looking like i was a bit premature with the photography, this flower is, in fact, fully open. The upper petals stay swept forward like that (I always think I can see the family resemblance with some species of Cymbidium and Lycaste in these). I love the dark tongue-like lip and the delicate red spotting and striping on the sepals. There is a subtle fragrance, but I find it rather nondescript and you have to really poke your nose in to detect it, anyway. Flowers are produced, one to a stem, from the newest completed pseudobulb just as new growth starts to emerge. Two or more flowers may be produced from one growth, and they are long lasting. They are held below the level of the foliage.

This slightly different angle just helps to illustrate the shape of the flowers, as they are pleasingly three dimensional. Some orchid flowers are rather....flat (points finger at Miltoniopsis this time). I find flowers such as this Camaridium much more interesting.

The plants seem easy going. I grow them under lights where they live in the shade of my larger Coelogyne species and hybrids. Watering is with a spray gun every couple of days. I've no idea if I'm meant to give them a rest period or not. I don't. Warm temperatures and 14 hours of light a day with good air movement seem to suit them well. They also don't seem to be plagued with any pests or diseases which is a bonus. A really good 'species orchid' for beginners like me to make it look like we know what we're doing!