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

Dendrobium aemulum "Star Shower"

This beautiful native been with me for quite a few moons, originally purchased as a discounted plant in rather sorry condition yet recovered fully in it's first growing season. Every year it rewards with long spikes and massive displays of scented creamy flowers and usually blooms when all other orchids resting filling the gap nicely.

In it's native habitat it grows in moist areas of eastern Australia and loves plenty of watering especially at the beginning of it's flowering season. Other than that, it's very easy to look after and tolerates most conditions, in winter I grow it in a greenhouse in a sunny spot with some other natives and then take it out under the shade of the trees for the rest of the year.

"Star Shower" is a beautiful orchid, appreciated by everyone for it's masses of scented blooms that reward year after year.

Dendrobium aemulum "Star Shower?

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.

Song of the Plants

We are currently in between flowering season here and majority of my summer flowering orchids now resting. All late autumn and winter blooms not here yet so my attention turned to repotting and general maintenance of my plants. That of course does not meant that new and exiting discoveries not happening.

For a while I wanted to write about the Song of the Plants and to introduce everyone to this magical energy. Since everything is a vibration, plants like everything else have their own tone and harmonics. Many "plant" people know this already, in the deeper parts of themselves they have discovered this truth.

Do we talk to our plants and do they talk back? What do they communicate back to us and can we understand them? Often one needs to go beyond the mind and the logic and just let plants to express themselves. I've been asked numerous times about cultivation techniques for different orchids and I am always lost for words to describe the whole growing cycle of any plant and my best advise is to just listen to the plant, it will tell one exactly what it needs to thrive in your own environment. Some people find this concept difficult in our "Age of Reason", yet growing beautiful orchids or roses or trees or herbs is never a mental or logical exercise, we all do that because we love their energy.

Native people have always considered plants as living beings who's power lies in their energetic or vibrational qualities. The energy pattern of every plant is unique and has it's own special characteristics. We all grow different plants because we are now rediscovering concept of wholeness - a recurring theme in many ancient philosophies and it's relevance to us. Wise men living several thousands of years ago proposed that when we are totally integrated, the life force abounds, bringing with it real sense of health and happiness. The way to attain such inner harmony, they claimed, is to respect Nature and her ways.

Quite a few years ago I had an opportunity to visit eco village of Damanhur in Northern Italy, the sustainable community of people who live in balance with all Nature and have the most fondest memories of that place and it's people. And I was delighted finally to find recording of singing plants taken at Damanhur and to share it with you all.

As usual, I have more questions than answers, questions like" do native plants have different harmony" or "is healing plants have different energy" or "does ancient plants vibrate differently from hybrids" or "different color of same plant have different harmonics" or "do birds singing in the trees or in the forest contribute to plant's energetic makup" - and many many more questions. I am still looking for an answers and in the mean time, here is the Celestial Song of the plants - enjoy it:

Odontoglossum nobile orchid ( Full Moon x Tiffany)

Another of my beautiful Odm. nobile orchid currently in flower - it's very nice cross named 'Full Moon x Tiffany" and it flowers with huge white pink dotted blooms. The flowers are large and free flowing relaxed petals and plant producing many long sprays of them during it's blooming season. It's also a scented orchid that have strong smell of jasmine that lingers for a long time - an absolute delight!

The flowers stay on the plant for about three weeks or so and many new flower spikes develop during it's flowering time, giving an opportunity to really enjoy this beautiful and special creation.

Odontoglossum nobile native to clouded forests of Colombia, found in an high elevation of 2400m and in our climate perfectly suited to greenhouse cultivation - it needs moderate light, dry conditions between watering and free flowing orchid compost so it can drain freely. Odm. nobile have pristine white large blooms and this variety of Full Moon x Tiffany displaying larger ( 8.5cm) and more colorful flowers.

It's another beautiful orchid that easy to cultivate for experienced orchid grower as well as beginner and will reward year after year with it's special, majestic scented blooms.

Oncidium orchid Sharri Baby "Sweet Fragrance"

My wonderful Oncidium Sharri Baby currently in flower - it's variety "Sweet Fragrance" and have beautiful scented blooms, reminiscent of "sour cherries" - what a delight! It flowers with masses of small sculptured flowers on long arching flower spikes and flowers are burgundy color with just a touch of white on the petals.

Sharri Baby is one of the most famous of the Oncidium hybrids ( Jamie Sutton x Honolulu) and "Sweet Fragrance" lives up to it's name, it's one of the best known fragrant orchids on the market today. It's very generous in it's growing habit, producing many new bulbs and leaves and flower spikes during it's growing season and can get quite large specimen in short period of time. This never a problem to me - I just divide it and share it with friends and other orchids growers and collectors.

It's one of the easiest orchids to grow for the beginners - it likes a lot of water during it's growing time and to be a little bit drier when it's resting, in our climate it's quite happy to grow outside under the shade of the trees, but in colder climates it loves sunny window situation. It have large pseudobulbs that will shrivel if the plant not getting enough moisture, indicating optimum growing requirements.

The original Sharri Baby hybrid have chocolate/vanilla scented flowers and Sharri Baby "Sweet Fragrance" beautiful "sour cherry" scented blooms and if you ever wanted to grow an orchid or two, give them a go - they easy and will reward you with their special fragrant blooms.

Phaius tankervilleae orchid

These beautiful orchids native to India, Southern Asia, New Guinea, Australia and many islands of the pacific very popular with gardeners and orchid collectors. There are currently about 50 species in phaius genus and tankervilleae is one of them. In nature they can be found in a variety of habitats and altitudes. They have squat pseudobulbs and large, pleated leaves. The flower spikes erect with several large, colorful flowers.

These species are terrestrial, which means that they happily grow in the garden and present great opportunity for landscaping with orchids in mild climates. They quite easy to grow and to flower, providing some of their requirements are met - they love organically rich soil, they prefer to be kept moist year-round and fertilized while actively growing. Plants of this very popular species will grow and flower under direct sunlight, but the best results are achieved with shaded conditions. If you have shaded spot in the garden and would like to grow an orchid or two, try phaius - they quite hardy and easy to grow and will reward you with many beautiful blooms.

There are other colorful phaius varieties - for instance phaius flavus have huge yellow/red color blooms, phaius pulchellus blooms with dark burgundy color flowers, there are others with lime green or dark brown or orange/ copper colored flowers, presenting quite a range for landscaping with orchids.

Oncidium varicosum orchid

Oncidium orchids considered one of the largest genera in the orchids family and many orchid collectors dedicate large portion of their collections to these beautiful and diverse plants.

There have been many name changes in the Oncidium alliance and being such a large genus ( currently approx 750 varieties) one feels that it will be some time before a stable nomenclature is achieved. There are also many hundreds of handsome hybrids made within the species of this genus and with other closely related genera.

This of course, does not deter orchid growers from enjoying such a beautiful blooms and it gives one possibility of growing them in many colors, textures and scents.

My oncidium orchid is var varicosum and it's one of the first orchids in my collection that starts it's flowering in early autumn and will continue producing it's beautiful, bright yellow blooms for a number of weeks. This species native to Brazil and Bolivia and it flowers in nice clusters. The flower spikes come up from the base of the pseudobulbs and are approx 80 cm long. It likes growing in a free-drain orchid compost in the shade of the trees with a lot of air movement around them. They are easy to grow and because of their cascading flower spikes can be grown in hanging pots or mounted on the tree trunks or slabs.

Miltonia spectabilis var moreliana orchid

These beautiful orchids are native to Brazil and grow at low to intermediate altitudes and were once locally abundant but have now been reduced by clearing and over-collecting.

They are easy to grow when provided with warm, humid conditions and an abundance of air movement. With their fine roots, these orchids are very sensitive to stagnant conditions and excessive watering can quickly lead to rotting. They prefer bright, but diffuse light for flowering.

My plant is a few years old and in autumn flowering with these beautiful large free flowering purple blooms. Its just started flowering with many more flower spikes developing and I am anticipating extended flowering period this season.

Masdevallia Tungurahua orchid

From quite a range to choose from, these orchids have earned their place as a firm favorite with growers in many countries.  The genus numbers more than 350 species and is distributed in Mexico, Central and South America. The majority of species found in high, mountainous regions where conditions are cool, moist and humid all year around. Under such conditions the plants have no requirement for moisture storage and storage organs such as pseudobulbs are unknown in the genus. All species have a compact growth habit and free-flowering producing beautiful floral displays.

Masdevallia's have a reputation of being tricky to grow, however as with all orchids, knowing their origins helps with cultivation. They have very fine roots which rot quickly if the potting mix becomes clogged. My Masdevallia Tungurahua just started flowering and I expect many more blooms during this season.

First orchids plants - starting collection

Where does one get first plants? Perhaps a friend given you a plant. May be you have seen them in a local nursery. However you get them, you need to know their names and their needs. One should never buy an unnamed plant unless it is a species and you think you can figure at least what genera it is. Then you can bloom it and refer to botanical descriptions or expert to find its full name. 

Unnamed hybrids are virtually valueless, unnamed plants can not be shown and half the fun of growing orchids is learning about their origins and genealogy.

Keep in mind your conditions when buying your first plants. Until you have really accumulated lots of experience in growing orchids, you should not try plants whose needs you can't meet.

Many modern hybrids are so complex that these plants less fussy about temperatures. Modern hybridizers have "warmed up" many cool growing orchids by breeding them with species from warmer areas. For example miniature Cymbidiums are intermediate while standard one's cool growing.

If you have joined your local Orchid Society, you will have immediate access to good plants. Most growers have divisions to give or sell. Try not to invest in an awarded plant until you know you can handle it, however do try to get plants in good growing condition. Seedlings and back bulbs are not for a beginner - they may be years from blooming.

Some of the members of your local society will be commercial growers. Make an appointment to see them, be ready to listen and learn, and ask for their recommendations. You can ask to visit some member's greenhouses - every greenhouse is different, but there is something to learn everywhere. When you get there, try not to look at plants only. Look at benches, the heating, shading, watering, hoses, etc... See how plants are arranged. Not everything you see will apply to your own conditions, but keep an open mind. Make notes or sketches and ask questions.

Another good advise for a beginner - don't load up only one genus. Try different orchids if your growing conditions are intermediate. Sticking to just cattleyas or just cymbidiums makes a dull collection and a look of sameness. Most people don't realize how different orchid blooms can be.

However you get your first plants, through friends, commercial growers, ads, catalogues or auctions, try to buy plants that give you flowers at all seasons of the year.

Some Cattleyas bloom more than once a year. Some bloom in season. Most Phalaenopsis bloom in spring. Cymbidiums start in autumn and go on through spring. Catalogues will tell you if an orchid is early, middle or late flowering. Find out about expected bloom period of plants, trying not to buy three of four purple Cattleyas all blooming in autumn.

Often you will find "combination offering" at reduced prices and these are good deals for a beginner to try to grow different species and to see the magic of orchids.

(Photo from  Australian Orchids Council screensaver)

Native cymbidium from a garbage dump

Well, everyone will agree - not much to look at, dry and shriveled, not many roots and one will not call it "beautiful" or "special" by any stretch of imagination. Still...

This plant came to me couple of days ago via friend who spotted it while driving and noticing land clearing for new housing development - all vegetation was dumped in a garbage baking under the hot sun and he though that it may be a cymbidium orchid. He stopped, pulled it out from the dump, found old black plastic pot, covered it with soil and brought it to me.

I am very grateful to him for his effort and for this plant - its Australian native cymbidium var suave and its going to be really nice and beautiful plant when it recovers. Cymbidiums suave recently been used in crossess quite a lot to produce miniature size cymbidiums, since they have smaller leaves and flowers and very nice sweet scent.

I've already cleaned it up, cut down all dry leaves and roots, repotted it into fresh compost and at the moment its placed in the shadiest area of the garden to recover. All I need to do now is to keep watering and checking it out regularly. I am sure it will recover soon - its a tough variety with masses of beautiful small flowers and I'll be taking pictures of it when its starts flowering.

One of the rare Natives

This beautiful Geodorum densiflorum orchid one of the rare terrestrial orchids from tropical regions of Queensland and currently registered on plants threatened species list.

 Its dormant in winter with bulbs half buried in the soil. It grows in open eucalypus forests displaying large leaves with long erect stem.

It flowers in January, with stem holding up to 20 pale pink flowers and as it matures, it nods, hence the orchid's common name - Pink Nodding Orchid.

This picture was taken by my friend who's active in Landcare, Coastcare and local bush regeneration groups. A small colony of these orchids was spotted and pictures were taken, then left them in the wild to grow and multiply for the future. What an absolute privilege to see this beautiful, rare plant growing in its native habitat!

Orchids - understanding their requirements

Orchids plants are easy to grow as can be testified by the huge number of growers to be found in various countries around the world. Its easy for people in the tropics to grow orchids but even in extremely cold climates it is possible to create suitable conditions and grow these beautiful plants.

A novice orchid grower usually is somewhat starry-eyed about the subject and tries to grow as wide a range of orchids as possible. Experience is the best teacher and hardened growers realize only too well the folly of trying to grow orchids which have vastly different cultural requirements together, in similar conditions. With such a tremendous range of orchids available to select from, its not difficult to choose a group which will thrive in a particular set of conditions. The message then for a beginner is to gain as much knowledge as possible from experienced growers, orchids periodicals and books. Joining a local orchid society is one of the best ways to start.

In my personal opinion, the best orchid growers are those who have a good understanding of the requirements of their plants. One of the most effective ways to gain this knowledge is to observe orchid plants growing in their native state. Unfortunately this is not always posiible and the next best approach is to read avidly. Orchid journals can provide wealth of information not only directed to cultivation of plants but also in reports of collectors who have been fortunate to visit out-of-the-way localities.  Even a photograph of the terrain can provide clues - note whether the vegetation is open or dense, the topography flat or steep, large boulders and cliff faces obvious or the mountain tops covered in mist. These are the sort of conditions that can influence the requirements of a species and an observant grower takes note of them.

As an example I am attaching some photos of orchids growing in the wild and as you can see some require a lot of air movement and light, some prefer humid, misty situations, other prefer drier situations with plenty of light but no direct sunlight. By observing and learning of cultural requirements of a particular orchid specie you will know if its suitable to grow in your particular environment.