Wrong Tag on Orchids?

I just bought a couple orchids on clearance and they both had the same name on the tag but they don't look anything alike. Is this pretty common? Or do you think they had wrong tags? Another thought was that the flowers on one had aged more - but the one that seemed to have newer fresher blooms, lost all but one of them already (started w/ 5) while the one I thoughts blooms were on the way out are still hanging in (all 3). Searching images on the internet was no help - I couldn't find one that consistently looked like mine. The tag said wedding promenade, here is one.

Here is the other.

Although there are variations in Wedding Promenade, neither of your orchids look like WP to me. It is small flowered, has pale fuscia sepals and petals. Both are edged in white. The lip is usually darker fuscia and solid (no white edge). I recently went to Home Depot and every phal in every color was labeled Wedding Promenade! I have a Wedding promenade in bloom now, and a large-flowered fuscia stripe labeled Wedding Promenade.

That is great to know! I got these at home depot. I didn't even look at the labels until I got them home. I just grabbed them because they looked like two different types and they were a steal at $5 each! I was thinking >maybe they just label them all that! It would be nice if there were a way to find out what they really are. I tried just searching through websites with orchid pics but I found lots of different ones that looked similar but not identical. Maybe someone will recognize them here.

Yeah it's common. People take tags, look at them and sometimes stick them back in the wrong pots. It's almost as bad as having NO tags which tee's me off.

I can only suggest that, if you have other Depots in your area, you go into several and look for tags on similar phals. If they're bloomed out, but still have tags, write down the names and look up photos on your computer. Since the big stores usually buy orchids from one local or regional grower you might be able to determine what you have. You might consider contacting the grower and emailing pics. They can probably identify what was delivered to that area. I'm jealous that so many members find bargains. The phals in our Atlanta box stores seem much more pricey, especially at the Depots.

I bought a couple exaclty like yours --also no tags!

Amazing! I just bought a Phal. orchid at Lowes grown by Costa Farms in Fla. and it is labeled 'Wedding Promenade'
The blooms are white with dark purple splotches.

This message was edited Feb 18, 2008 8:34 PM

Mine are also from Costa Farms - I tried to go to their website to see if they had the types they grow and the website didn't exist.

Many of the Home Depot and similar places get Phals that are created in huge numbers by crosses which were never officially registered with the Royal Hort. Society. Chances are, you will never know what the cross is named, simply because it never ever had one! I would take the name on the tag with a large grain of salt. And as mentioned, people often switch tags. You will simply have to enjoy them as is. The plant certainly doesn't care if it has a name! :)

Yes, Todd you are right. Even if I had noticed before I purchased them, I would have bought them anyway. I had only tried an orchid once before. It was a bare root, and I got it to grow some leaves but that was it. I kinda gave up on it after it started showing signs of disease. So I figured these clearance ones would be good to try orchids again. Now I will see if I can change my brown thumb with indoor plants to a green one.

Meredith,
Finally my Promanade is in bloom so here goes my try at being compu-competent...

and...

Wow, Laurel, what a beauty that one is! I love the look of it.

Barb

Wow, that is gorgeous! Congratulations.

Yes it is beautiful! The colors of it are more like the images I've seen on the web, than the one I have.

Thanks Todd,
Just as I suspected, the big box places don't carry the 'real thing'. Once in a while, though, I will find something really different there so I buy it anyway. Here is a photo of my 'Promenade'

This message was edited Feb 25, 2008 9:59 AM

Strandlmt- Your Promenade is lovely. The great thing about NOIDS is you can create your own name. I currently have a tag that I created; "Noid Dave's Dumpster (Daveii x Dumpsterae)" swiped, with permission, from a grower's compost pile. He couldn't remember what that green scrap he had tossed was, but for free, it was worth my time. The genetics are an unknown; the source is obvious :). Right on Todd re: the plant's concerns.

Meredith, any orchid, that is not virused, that costs five dollars and that you don't intend to enter into competition/judging is an incredible deal. You did good! If it doesn't need repotting ^---~ even better!

Thanks to all regarding the photos. There are such great folks here.

Laurel

I think they do need repotting- unfortunately- but they were all in bloom so I thought it would be best to wait. I thought until spring because what I've learned from DGrs sticky's and links and all that this is the right time to do it! I was thinking about going to a local Orchid show where they were offering to show you how to re pot your orchids. It was in early feb. though and I was worried about taking them and leaving them in the car during the extremely cold weather. Do you think a mix put out by miracle grow would be okay or should I return it?

Phal Wedding Promenade (Cosmetic Art x equestris)

This is my Wedding Promenade which is quite typical (a clear pink) of most offered from Orchid Vendors. BUT, with phal equestris as one of the parents and a seed cross it could be quite variable. See link for variability of phal equestris itself.

http://www.phals.net/equestris/index_e.html

Phal equestris is used extensively in breeding and is responsible for many of the peloric variations that show up from time to time.

Ken

srandlmt, your phal is very likely NOT a Phal Wedding Promenade, it looks more like it might have come from the Phal Golden Peoker family. Phal Golden Peoker is used a great deal to create the spotting in many phals.

Anyhow they are all very nice no matter what WE call them.

This is my Phal. Golden Peoker 'BL' which is just starting to bloom.

Here is a link to the history of Golden Peoker.

http://72.14.205.104/search?q=cache:B8L50Bn1dnYJ:www.bedfordorchids.com/golden_peoker_(original).htm+golden+peoker&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=2&gl=ca

Ken

Edited to add link.

This message was edited Feb 27, 2008 11:11 AM

I keep getting bumped (is this a hint). Need to type faster. Ken-thanks for all the great info and links.

Meredith-I can't answer your pre-mix question as I have grown orchids over the course of 40 years, but am recently starting to collect again. It's a new day and age for sure and I'm learning along with you. I will say that I'm merciless when it comes to re-potting. To me, it's preferable (albeit painful) to knock off a few flowers than to have a plant sitting in rotting medium. This could be more true of phals than some others as they seem to be potted up well in advance of optimum flowering and by the time you make your purchase you have the equivalent of cut flowers and no plant (only it looks like you have a plant).

Experts please step in here.

Thanks Ken, I appreciate the info. When my three kids were still at home I didn't have the time to really care about the names of my plants, I was just lucky to keep them alive. But now that my kids are grown and gone, I need something to 'mother' so I've begun to pay more attention to all my plants, both indoor and outdoor, and love to know their names. My non gardening friends make fun of me because I put markers on all my outdoor plants.

I just visited my local Home depot since they got a shipmant of Phals. They had lots of the 'Wedding promenade'...but probably NONE were the real McCoy as they included pink, white, yellow and striped! Certainly, some of the hybrids were equestris types as the flowers still had a similar shape to equestris. Anyway, I resisted the temptation to buy....I'd rather get a phal that has a name or at least, it somewhat unique in colour.