Phaelenopsis orchid - finally bloomed

While majority of my orchids are resting during our hot and humid summer this phaelenopsis orchid blooming with all of it's profusion.

Some years ago I got this small "experimental" seedling just to see if I can bring it to flower. It have spent number of years on the back bench and I've been patiently waiting for it finally mature.  I have no idea what was crossed with what, but I think it's actually turned out quite a nice orchid.

Maxillaria tenuifolia

Maxillaria tenuifolia

Being one of the popular orchids for cultivation this maxillaria orchid also been one of my favorite for many years - it's very easy to look after and have the most amazing coconut scent.

In nature it grows in rain forests at low altitudes from Mexico to Nicaragua and hangs from tree trunks forming large clumps. It loves humid weather and in our climate it always blooms at the beginning of summer showing off it's beautiful red coconut scented blooms.

Dendrobium bigibbum in flower

One of my dendrobiums currently flowering, another name for this orchid is Cooktown orchid and its Queensland's state floral emblem. It's native to northeastern Australia and PNG and many variations of color and form exists for this specie - from pure pristine white to dark purple this orchid delights with abundance of blooms during it's flowering season.

My Cooktown orchid white with many purple stripes at the end of the petals and always flowers at about this time of the year. These orchids are easy to grow for the beginner, not fussy, they like plenty of light and reduced watering in winter. The blooms are long - lasting and new flower spikes are forming during it's growing season giving recurring wonderful display of perfect, beautifully formed blooms.

Brassia arcuigera

brassia arcuigera

One of my brassia's just finished it's flowering season, again rewarding with masses of delicate, slightly perfumed flowers.
This plant native to Ecuador, Costa Rica, Panama, and Peru and like to grow under a light, filtered shade. In it's native habitat it grows in wet rain forests and in home situation it's very easy orchid to grow.

The flowers have slight jasmine scent and last for several  weeks and the plant tolerate normal garden conditions quite easy - it needs plenty of water during growing time and shady situation for most of the year, making it an ideal orchid to grow for the beginners. It also flowers twice a year during spring and early autumn, putting up quite a show of delicate, spidery blooms.

brassia arcuigera1

My stanhopea tigrina var nigroviolacea

Stanhopea tigrina var nigroviolacea

At the moment we are experiencing hot and very humid weather here and not many of my orchids currently in flower, however there is a group that enjoy's this kind of conditions and it's stanhopea orchids.

My stanhopea nigroviolacea flowers opened up this morning and I was able to take this picture as the blooms were unfolding. It have the most magical scent - heavy chocolate mixed with strong vanilla and the smell very forceful and lingers for a long time.

Unfortunately, the blooms only last a few days and then it's all over for another season which will be next year - these orchids are not for an impatient grower, however they have their own unusual beauty and many people appreciate their uniqueness. I find them easy orchids to grow - they need open bottom planters so that flower spikes can push thru, they appreciate shade for most of the year and plenty of watering. Then what's left is just to enjoy them and marvel at Nature's creation.

I can't say enough about stanhopea's and their special beauty, but Barney Greer, one of first Australian experts on this genera documented and described them this way:

"...I couldn't believe my eyes. It's huge savage beauty, it's uninhibited perfume, the incredible sculpture of the lip! The way the buds exploded into life, flaunted their brazen charms like Can Can dancers and then fell in a heap! This was an ORCHID. I was hooked..." B Greer

My flowering phalaenopsis orchids today

Some of my phalaenopsis orchids are flowering at the moment. They always bring a lot of color at the time when most of my orchids are resting - right in the middle of our summer. The flowering period is long and there is plenty of time to enjoy their fabulous blooms.

I found that there is a bit of confusion especially for beginners on how to grow and to maintain these orchids, volumes of information abound everywhere and most of it complicated. The result is for many they became throw-away plants, quickly replaced by the new one's with same outcome. Right now I have a few plants in my "intensive care orchid unit" given to me for revival
 that are doing nicely, recovering with great speed.

In the near future I'll do a post and will share my own techniques for growing these fabulous plants and in the mean time here are the pictures of my flowering phalaenopsis

Back to Orchids... Back to blogging...

I've taken a break from my blog for a while and recently decided to get back and start sharing again information about the beautiful orchids that I love.  I needed a break to deal with drama's of life , to travel and to attend to some pressing health issues, to learn and to experience many new concepts and understandings.

I am forever grateful for all messages that I received via this blog and happy that I was able to share with you all my love and fascination of orchids and hope that I will be able to continue to do same in the future.

Here are some pictures of my travels where I tried to capture the mystery and the energy of the places, to learn and to apply the magic of the places and the plants that native to them and to glimpse at the world that is so close to us yet so mysterious.

My Miltoniopsis Orchids

Mps. Lillian Nakamoto "Tanto"

Mps. Pink Mooma "Yosemite Sam"

Couple of my Miltoniopsis orchids currently in flower and I love their bright, cheerful blooms. They are native to high altitude wet cloud forests in the Andes of Costa Rica and they have large, showy flowers with a large lip. Their common name is "pansy orchid" and they produce many brightly colored, fragrant flowers on vigorously growing plants.

Many hybrids have been made utilizing the bright colors and attractive flower shape. They are easy to grow and their native situation gives glue to their cultivation - they require cool conditions with high humidity and good air movement. No watering rest period, well drained, yet moisture retaining potting mixture and no direct sunlight.

My plants get a lot of shade during our hot months and their seems to love their situation, I get a lot of repeat flowerings from these orchids throughout the year and I feel that they well worth the modest effort required to see their flamboyant, striking blooms.

Cymbidium orchid Cymbiflor Montage x Valley Zenith Discus

These days cymbidium orchids are the result of complex hybrids and produced and crossed to show unusual markings or larger flowers and this cymbidium have complex parentage. It's a cross of Cymbifor "Montage" x Valley Zenith "Discus" and it's currently in flower.

The blooms are very large, even for cymbidium, with many round petals, it have white extended lip with pale pink to dark burgundy colors and the effect is very nice, unusual blooms. While green color flowered orchids usually not as popular as other "traditional" colors, this one seems to work so well, it even have slight scent, very crisp and fresh.

I got seedlings of this plant couple of years ago and been looking forward seeing it in flower and this season it flowered first time for me. It would probably need another couple of seasons for the plant fully mature and reveal more of it's beauty and I am very happy with another beautiful cymbidium for my collection.

Pot. Free Spirit "Liana" x Drumbeat "Triumph"

Here is another of my Potinara orchid that have been crossed with "Free Spirit" - this one is Pot. Free Spirit "Liana" x Drumbeat "Triumph", it's just finished flowering and I love the shape of it's blooms , it's colors combination  and it's striking, flamboyant beauty.

This cross is quite generous in terms of developing many flower spikes during it's flowering cycle and flowers for a number of weeks each year, giving constant bust of color during our winter time. I've purchased this orchid quite a few years ago and always looking forward seeing these blooms at flowering time.