Dendrobium moniliforme China form

I mentioned a couple posts ago, that I will be putting together a post of the various Dendrobium moniliformes I have, and I still plan on that.  But this particular plant I feel deserves it's own post.  Most of the D. moniliformes are from Japan, but this one is actually native to China.  It's a much smaller flower, thinner and taller canes, and oh, the fragrance is just spectacular.  It has the rose secent that most D. moniliformes have, but there is a stonger fragrance that can only be described as sweet, and the scent is much stronger than my other moniliformes.  I bought this last year at the Atlanta orchid show from Andy's Orchids.  It's mounted and receives the typical moniliforme care, which is basically typical Cattleya care for me.

Picture is a bit blurry, sorry about that, it was very breezy this morning.  But the color is true, yes it's a nice shade of yellow.

Dendrobium hybrids

I think I've mentioned before that Dendrobiums are one of my favorite genera of orchids :).  But I don't particularly care for Dendrobium hybrids - maybe because they have become pot plants for the most part?  So, I only have 4 of them. One of those (NOID) is still very small, although it did give me one flower this year.  Here are the other three.

Starting with Dendrobium Selena Marie x Ise.  I picked this up from Lenette during their close out sale, back when I lived in North Carolina.  It's a pretty flower, on what is a relatively small plant.  Each individual flower is bigger than the p'bulb, and I do think its a pretty little thing.  I'm growing it mounted, and it gets typical Section Dendrobium care.

Next up is D. Spring Dream 'Apollo', which I've grown from a keikii sent to me by a friend in Colorado. I've only had it a couple years, and this is the second time it has bloomed.  Again a pretty thing, and again I'm growing it mounted, with typical Dendrobium section care.

And last, my favorite, Dendrobium Rainbow Dance.  Considered by most to be a nobile hybrid (I hate that phrase), but to me it seems to show it's genetics from D. unicum and D. moniliforme.  This picture is from last year, as it is still in bud so far this year.  Absolutely an adorable flower.  Again it is mounted, and again it's getting typical Dendrobium section care.

Well that's it for the hybrids, hope you enjoyed!







Spring, where are you?

We had a very warm winter here, so I was looking forward to spring.  But just as it was supposed to start warming up, we got cold.  We still haven't made it to the beach yet this year, way too cold. I feel bad for the spring breakers, they look forward to a nice warm week at the beach, but they are running around in sweatshirts instead of bathing suits :)

But even though it's been cold, the plants are responding.  Spring blooming Cattleyas, intermedia and loddigesii are in their full glory right now, with a bumper year for blooms.  Guarianthe aurantiaca, Guarianthe skinneri and Guarianthe Guatemalensis are all in advanced bud.  My Catasetums for the most part have started growing again.  Hoyas have come back to life, and some are even in bud this early for me. 

But the Dendrobiums are really beginning to put on a show.  Here are a few of them.

D. draconis.  According to Baker and Baker, this orchid is suspected to be the most common orchid in the wild. I picked up a small seedling a couple years ago, and mounted it.  It receives typical Dendrobium care, lots of sun and water in the warmer months, reduced watering in the colder months.  This also is one I leave outside through the winter, and it seems to take whatever Mother Nature tosses at it.  This is my first blooming on what is still a small plant.

And next Dendrobium speciosum v. pendunculatum.  I think most speciosums are pretty big plants, but v. pendunculatum stays smaller.  I'm growing it with lots of water and sun during the warmer months, and put in a complete dry, but very bright area in winter.  Although it doesn't get watered, it does have dew most mornings.  Last year it gave me one spike, this year two, maybe in 5 years I'll have a show!

And now one of my favorites.  Dendrobium gracilicaule.  The flowers are not very impressive, and honestly I think the buds are actually prettier, as it has spotting on the backside, which you see during the bud stage. So why is it a favorite?  First is the frangrance, it smells just like Fruit Loops to me  lol.  Second, it is the most reliable bloomers, as well as being one of the first Dendrobium species I ever bloomed.  Growing mounted, same culture as the speciosum, but just a bit less light in winter.



I'm going to finish up with another first bloomer for me.  Dendrobium nobile, hv. cooksonianum.  Why do so many people claim they have nobile, but it is obviously a hybrid?  I think the online orchid forum people don't even know there is a species called nobile.  Seriously!  I have seen so many many posts calling their plant nobile.  Or nobile type or whatever they feel like calling it.  First of all the Section is Dendrobium, not Nobile.  Second the type of this section is actually moniliforme.  So why???

Ok done with my rant.  The only thing that irritates me more is the whole potbound/rootbound old wives tale that people put out about Dendrobiums.  But I'll save that for another day.

Anyways, I'm not very thrilled that the flowers didn't fully open.  It is a first bloom, but it has 17 spikes on 3 canes, so I'm not very hopeful that it will open better next year. We will see.  When I first bought this plant, it was labeled v. cooksonianum.  But I couldn't find any information on it.  Then one day while reading the  proceedings from an orchid meeting/conference from the late 1800s, I came upon the name.  It refers to nobiles that have the color of the lip at the base of the petals.  So semi-peloric. Since it is not an actual variety, I've decided to call it hv.  Right or wrong? First a picture of the buds.

ok, that's it for today, this is long enough.  I do have a bunch of different hv of D. moniliforme in bloom, but I want to do a separate thread, capturing the flowers and leaves of all of them.

Until next time.

My first Paph bloom

It's been a while since I posted, life had been interfering, but I wanted to capture this one.  I, like most orchid growers, tried to grow Paphs.  But I was never successful at them, they died amazingly quickly for me.  But I decided a couple months ago to try again. So one day in December I saw what looked like a healthy plant, in spike, at a reasonable price, so I thought, I'll give it another try.  Since then, a friend has also sent me a few more, and hopefully I won't kill them.

I repotted into my Turface/perlite that I use for other orchids and Hoyas that like to be evenly moist.  I have put them under lights in my intermediate growing area for the winter, and as soon as it warms up enough, they will go outside.

To my surprise, this Paph of mine, even though it was repotted, even though it was taken from it's nice home in a greenhouse, continued to develop the spikes, and even opened.  It is Paph. Pink Streams (Dr. Jack x phillipenense)  I'm not completely thrilled with the coloring on the dorsal sepal, it's a bit muddied, but HEY - it bloomed!

Bulbophyllum ambrosia

Although I do have a Bulbophyllum species thread, I think this one deserves a post all to itself.  Absolutely my favorite, and also the easiest to grow of the Bulbos I have.  Also, it seems to do better with typical Cattleya culture, not typical Bulbophyllym culture.  By that I mean, it seems to grow and bloom better when it is allowed to dry out in between waterings, and when I leave it outside in the winter.  (Never below freezing though)

As the species name indicates, this Bulbophyllum has a lovely fragrance.  To me it smells sweet and clean at the same time.

Lots of pictures as I so love this one.

Cattleya Alliance Hybrids

When I first started growing orchids, like most people I started with hybrids. As I refined my personal taste over the years, I've gotten rid of most of my Cattleya Alliance hybrids, but there are a few I've kept out of sentimental reasons, or just because I really like them.  Here are some of them.  Culture for all of them is the same.  Growing in Hydroton, watered when dry (in between rains), fertlized when I remember, and left outside year round from about 32F to whatever summertime gives.

Starting out with one of the oldest orchids I have, Cattleya Garrett Collins. I remember ordering this over my brand new cell phone while I was waiting for my son to finish kindersoccer.  Remember when Orchids magazine was a small mag with all the ads in the back?  I used to go to the ads first :)  This was from a "special" that Gold Country was offering.  To give an idea of how long ago it was, that son who was at kindersoccer practice is now 17 years old.  It currently is in a 10" square pond basket filled with Hydroton.  The only complaint I have with this one is since it blooms on partially matured new puesdobulbs, and it is constantly growing new pseudobulbs, I never get the mass of blooms that plants that bloom seasonally give.  But the upside is it is almost always in bloom.  Oh and can't the forget the absolutely delicious fragrance it has.

Another pink hybrid, it also is currently in a 10" square pond basket filled with Hydroton.  It too is one of the first orchids I ever aquired.  I remember buying this at an OSWP spring show - and possibly it was from Fishing Creek Orchids.  That I'm not positive on.  Unfortunately I've lost the tag over the years, and although I absolutely do not buy NOIDs, I've kept this one because I truely like the flower.  When it was smaller, it only bloomed in the spring.  Now, as it has gotten larger, it blooms whenever it feels like it :)  When I took this picture, it had two spikes fully opened, and another set of blooms. And it has a lovely fragrance as well.





This lovely hybrid is Bc. Marg Putman but the reverse cross.  I received this at a Tallahassee orchid society meeting about two years ago.  This is the second blooming.  One of my favorite hybrids is Bl. Morning Glory, and this is the closest I have to it.



A lovely Laelia hybrid is next.  I aquired this from Carter & Holmes 5 - 6 years ago maybe?  The original tag reads L. rubescens alba x aurea.  Since L. rubescens var. aurea has been given species status since then, this is now a hybrid.  This plant gets better and better every year.  The color is actually a bit more yellow in person, my camera doesn't seem to capture the color well.  Also, please forgive the damage on the flowers, I didn't have a chance to take pictures when the flowers were fresh.

This is the first blooming on a plant that I raised from compot.  Guaricattonia Renate 'S&W'.  Colorful cheery little guy. This plant still fits comfortably in a 3 in pot.

Another "special" from Gold Country bought way back when.  This is also a frequent bloomer, except during the hottest part of the summer on partially developed psuedobulbs.  Lovely fragrance as well.



One that I actually picked up in the last couple years, I had to add at least one red one.  Hawkinsara Koolau Sunset. I'm pretty sure this has a clonal name, but I don't have it written down.



ok, moving on to the whites.  First is C. Mem. Ruby Cosby.  Another plant from Carter & Holmes, I find this one not the strongest grower.  But it limps along, and does bloom.



And Caulaelia Mizoguchi.  I received this one a while ago while still living in PA, so pre 2004.  I do remember it came from Carter & Holmes, and it was one of those $7.00 plugs they sold back then.  These pictures are from last year, and it is again in spike as I write today.  This year I have three spikes.  The nice thing about Mizoguchi is it is sequentially blooming, and remains in flower for a good amount of time.



And one I picked up last summer from Odoms.  I'm not sure any flower can beat the fragrance of this one.  Rhyncovola Jimminey Cricket. It too has a clonal name, that I can't remember right now.  Edit:  I should add that this particular hybrid, I do not grow under the conditions I mentioned above.  When I went to repot last summer, it naturally divided itself, and I mounted one piece, and the other piece is in a net pot with lava rock.  The potted piece has been brought inside to grow under T-5s with a minimum temperature of the mid 50sF in the winter. 



And finishing up with a great summer bloomer.  So far, all spikes bloom at the same time, putting on a nice show.  Cattleychea Newberry Butterscotch.

I do have a few more hybrids, but I don't have access to those pictures right now, so I'll end up here.  And Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all.













Hoya cembra

I've seen this Hoya's name written as cembra and cembrae, and I'm not sure which is correct.  This plant is also commonly confused with Hoya odorata as well.  I aquired this plant in about 2008, as a very very small rooted cutting.  At first it struggled a bit, but once it started growing, it hasn't stopped.  It bloomed last fall for the first time with a couple flowers.  This year's blooming is much much better.  I grow this one in Turface in a 6 inch pot, allowing it to dry out briefly in between waterings.  Direct morning sun, and it seems to handle my cool winters fine so far.  The flowers are long lasting, about two weeks, and for my plant at least, the buds take turns opening.  Here are a few pictures showing the whole plant, buds, a flower and a close up of a groups of buds and flowers.