Time for a new thread. We came from: http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/1240494/
I'll start the month off with Dendrobium spectabile. Its continuing bad hair day makes it tuff to get a good picture but she is what she is. This is a large plant with several spikes so I'll be adding more pictures as she opens.
Jim
Jim - "she" is lovely.
I'm finding I prefer the odd flowers.
Yes, so do I. I love Bulbos, Stanhopeas, Shomburgkias and these strange Dendrobiums. It must be a personality disorder. :>)
Jim
This message was edited Mar 2, 2012 6:33 PM
Thanks for the new thread, Jim. Nice way to get us started, with that spectabile!
Here's that macro photo you wanted of Dendrobium Blue Twinkle. Small flowers, but a nice cluster. We're enjoying near 80 degree weather here today!
Great photo, Scott. She's a beauty.
Jim
By the way, March 2 - 4 is the Tampa Bay Orchid Society show and sale at the Egypt Shrine Center. I have applied fire retardant to my buying shoes and will be at the door when they open at 10 AM. I'll be looking for Den. smilliae among others.
Jim
That's a mad orchid for March, Jim. Lovely markings, but you're right about the bad hair day with that second clump.
Only a few more weeks till spring! I can't wait to start moving the dends, brassavolas, vandas, and cattleyas out after a winter indoors.
These are not the best photos, but here are my trio of Den. Nobiles. The sweet yet spicy scent is almost intoxicating.
Nice, Franco. I have a big Den. nobile hybrid that's just about ready to open.
Jim
I've never tried a nobile dendrobium before, but they sure are beautiful. Thanks for sharing, Franco...
Jim, I love it!! How big is the plant and while you have a ruler in hand, how big is the bloom.
Ctna. Capri Lea' x Blc. Waianae Leopard 'Bette' is one i haven't seen in flower before.
And Rlc. Kat E-Sun is opening another lot of flowers.
Gee, I've missed you all! I just caught up on February's thread and finally made it to March. Beautiful photos, as always, and lots of introductions to plants that are new to me.
My swan orchid/Cycnoches chlorochilon 'Norman' finally bloomed. I'm in love with it! I've been going full steam with the floofy cats, then this odd, wonderful flower opens, and I just think it is terrific.
Here it is in bud.Even the buds look like swans.
And open . . .
These flowers are HUGE!
Enjoying some beautiful phals now as well!
Almost forgot these guys . . .
Pinetop, I love your Cycnoches. Nice growing! Nice colorful Phals as well.
I'm back from opening day at the Tampa Orchid Society Show and Sale and I only had four new babies follow me home. I think they are very nice orchids but rely on you to tell me how I did.
First up is the Den smilliae that I was looking for but this one may be an alba version. I'm not sure.
Jim
Next up is Gongora smaug (Gon. clavidora X pterodactyl). It's a big healthy looking plant with spikes hanging everywhere.
Jim
Then I picked up this Sarcoglottis sceptrodes "#2" mostly because it looked interesting and I had no idea what it was. The foliage is beautiful and it has a long spike. If any of you grow this, give me some clues.
Jim
For whatever reason, this stupid software is refusing to allow me to post my last purchase. I've tried it three times. So, I'll try to post two pictures at a time and see if that works.
Finally the crowning jewel. I am thrilled I got this even though I had to cough up $50 for it. Check out those onion bulbs! This is Encyclia cordigera, var. rosea.
Jim
Wow, Jim, you're determined to fill up the OC, aren't you? Nice buys! I saw your Shumburgkia and Den. Spectabile at the recent show here, first time I've seen them locally, but as they are (a). too big, and (b). hot growers, I managed to resist them. That Sarcoglottis is certainly an interesting looking plant!
Bree, Love those Catts!
Pinetop, the Cynoches is a winner, and your Phals are lovely.
Scbegonia guy, I love that little Den.!
Franco, Your dens are all nice...wish I had more room.
I tried to post the last two Encyclia cordigera pics and got tossed clear off the internet. Let me try again and finish this up.
Jim
Wow! if I had known you were willing to spend, I would have told you the Den. smiliae is listed on orchids .com (size not mentioned). Must be hard to spend that much on one plant when you have gotten used to Apopka prices. LOL! The alba is nice though.
Well, I finally finished. What an ordeal!
Let me know what you think.
Carol, yes, both of the orchids you saw take up a lot of space and so does the Encyclia and Gongora that I just bought. I am trying to buy fewer but higher quality plants as I too will run out of room at some point.
Jim
Carol, the Den. smiliae wasn't the budget buster but rather that big Encyclia. Yes, Apopka prices are always haunting me when I go to a show like this but to get a real quality plant, you have to pay, even there.
Jim
Jim wow what a haul !!!
I've grown the Sarcoglottis sceptrodes " Lime Galaxy".
Bright shade, don't let it dry all the way out and it really doesn't appreciate getting too cool. Other than that pretty straight forward. I grew more for the foliage than the flower.
Jim, Have you heard anything from Laurel? I'm watching the weather reports and they are giving tornado warnings for Atlanta. We had winds today, but they are insignificant compared to what's going on back there.
It was the Enc. that I was commenting on.. we cross posted.
You enablers are testing me sorely! The Santa Barbra International show is comming up March 16. I've never gone...hour and a half drive, parking, entry fee, and lunch (at the fairgrounds resturant). will pretty much blow the orchid budget, but there are soooo many more vendors there than I'm used to. I keep looking out the door at all my plants that are in the prone position, due to the wind, and every one I know is either too disinterested, or too disabled to go with me. I'll be arguing with myself for the next two weeks. Sigh...
I heard from her a couple of days ago and I think she is just busy. Her catering business has picked up so she is working hard at that and they were going to put the Miami house up for sale and I expect there are complications there as well. Remember she doesn't post on Saturday so I hope to hear something on Sunday. I hope they get down this way soon, I miss them. If I were there, I'd be happy to go to the Santa Barbara show with you. :>)
Thanks, MJ, this will be a new one for me. I've seen pictures of the flowers and they look weird but then I like weird.
Jim
If you hear from her, let her know we are thinking about her.
JIm -- The sarcoglottis is "way cool". I've long had a weakness for jewel/painted leaf orchids. I haven't grown sarcoglottis, but have tried a lot of others and have had good success following the advice from the series on them in Orchids magazine a few years ago. The installment in the May 2010 issue of Orchids had this to say about culture for the subtribe Spiranthinae (including Sarcoglottis)
"They are more easily grown if you think of them as houseplants rather than orchids. I like to pot them in the 2:1 mix described in installment 1 of this series for the jewel orchids (see Nov 2009 Orchids, pages 664-669). They may also be grown in African violet soil if one augments it with 1/3 more coarse perlite. They need very good drainage and should not be allowed to dry out too much between waterings. Most of these plants have an annual leaf rosette which dies down after flowering. In some taxa, the plant takes a little rest before putting out its new leaves and in that case cutting back on watering is desirable. These plants may flower without any leaves present, the leaves being produced a little while after flowering finishes. In others, the new growth begins as the old rosette is fading. In this case water as normal. They need light shade, humidity and good air circulation. A light application of a well balanced fertilizer is useful. Intermediate to warm temperatures are recommended but some of them will take lower temperatures down to 50 F. When repotting, because the roots are usually fairly fleshy, give the plant enough space in the pot for at least two years of root growth. Because they clump the plants may be propagated by division of the crowns. "
I posted the recipe for the bark mix he recommends at the bottom of this thread. I've found it to be quite good for my jewels
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/757819/
I hope this helps!
Jan
This message was edited Mar 2, 2012 10:35 PM
Great plants. Love them all and that Norman is wonderful.
Looks like you did well again, Jim. I will be on the lookout for Sarcoglottis sceptrodes. Gongora smaug is so aptly named and I really like the color.
We went to the Santa Barbara Show last July. That's the smaller Santa Barbara show. Have not done the international show for a few years now, Carol. But I remember. It was huge. But it' makes for a long day and a little expensive, especially with gas. $68 to fill the tank today. And my car is a Toyota Solara 15+ gal tank!! Don't know if we will be going or not. But there is a local show here this weekend. Never been to it, but may try it out. It's in Torrance, Here's a link
http://www.southbayorchidsociety.com/Show/index.html
Wow, Jim! Fantastic new babies there! They're all so interesting, love the painted leaves on the sarcoglottis but I think my fave is the Gongora. Wonder where they found a pterodactyl to cross it with. The flowers sure look like little flying pterodactyls. (hey, I had kids who were into dinosaurs) Beautiful color.
Can't wait to see the flowers on the Encyclia cordigera var. rosea, and sarcoglottis. Those little green centers on Den. smiliae make the flowers look sort of like snowdrops.
I really am spoiled from shopping in Apopka. But as you say, if you want really high quality and the rare and more unusual species, the shows are the place to go. The growers take all their best stuff to the shows and sell it for primo prices.
Ted, I'm familiar with most of the vendors in the left hand column , they are usually at the Spring Garden Show at South Coast Plaza. I've got some nice plants from them. I just feel like branching out a bit, and I've been stalling long enough. I've got a couple of weeks to think about it, and don't really want to buy until our weather stabilizes a bit. My makeshift humidifier didn't keep up at all today! Hope all is well with you and Lynda!
I know what you mean about waiting out the weather. Just crazy lately. But those two words have a drawing effect ORCHID SHOW. It's about an hours drive, depending on traffic and I told Lynda I didn't think I was going to go. She laughed. Lady knows me too well. Everything is settling down here and getting back to normal. Thanks
The MD Home & Garden Orchid Exhibit Show/Sale is next weekend. I will be there when the doors open Sat AM. Every year I allow myself to adopt 1 baby. Takes me hours to make that decision. But after hanging out with you all this past year, I know I'm trending toward the unusual. Can't get anything too large but I want "impact".
Qwilter,
Small world...I grew up in Annapolis, still have family on the shore and in NW Md.
They keep trying to get me to move back...well, not happening, but I like to visit...in spring or fall.
Finally managed a decent shot of the little flowers on my Howeara Lava Burst 'Puanani'. The flowers are about an inch across, and as someone said, they do not seem to want to open all the way. Sorry if some are a bit blurry, it's really windy out there today!
Apple Blossom with all its 3 flowers open, for Scott.
My variegated Phal in full flower, but I'm getting worried as the lower leaves are starting to shrivel a bit. After waiting 2 years for it to re-bloom I'd hate to lose it now! Advice anybody?
My little Tol/Onc/Rrm family are blooming their little skirts off.
On the upload troubles, it also might have something to do with your service's upload capacity. I'm on Fios service here and it still takes 10sec. or so to upload 4 pictures at once.
Love your haul, Jim! I'm with dyzzypyxxy; the Gongora is my favorite! I wish I had a spot for a plant like that. What a beautiful hanging basket. Can't wait for that Encyclia to bloom! That's a plant I've been tempted by before. Love the canes on the dendrobium -- great length, and the leaf placement is so architecturally hypnotic.
Sweet flowers on the variegated Phal, dyzzypyxxy. I've had phals go through rough times, experiencing root loss, or perhaps having experienced a draft I didn't know about, then they have mostly bounced back. Good luck with that.
Love that lava burst 'Puanani'! The markings are great!
