Stanhopea

Hi All,

The flowers of my Stanhopea opened on the weekend.
I was expecting them to be bigger, but it is still a relatively small plant.
The scent has filled the entire downstairs of my house.

 

Thanks.
I have an even more bizzare orchid called a Coryanthes.
Really hope I can get those to flower.

 

I'm green with envy Sirius!

 

Just googled Coryanthes - WOW!

 

They are amazing arent they!

I got about 6 species from the London Orchid Show back in March.
They all promply lost their leaves, but have all produced some new growth. So i am hopeful that i can keep them alive.
Flowering them will be a different story. They are indoors and probably not humid enough. But we will see.

 

If it's easy it's no fun!

 

On the other hand I don't want to kill £150 worth of plants!

 

It's a risk that we take............

I managed to kill a couple of Paphiopedilums before I realised that misting them was not good.

 

Really - it didn't like that?

I have been to visit one of the best orchid growers in the UK, and she stands her Paphs in a saucer of water. Not something I would have chanced, but seems to work well for her.

 

Water standing in the top rots the fan. Mine quite often stand in water for a day or more between waterings.

 

longk,

Do you have a lot of orchids??

 

I used to have a lot of noid Phals and Dens, most of which I gave away when I moved house. I hung on to a few Dendrobium kingianium hybrids, my Paphiopedilum glaucophyllum and a Paph noid, Phalaenopsis "Yu Pin Pearl" and a couple of the nicest noids, a couple of Cyms and a Cattleya noid that I'm fond of.
Outdoors are the Blettila and Pleiones, but I lost the Habenaria radiatta to what I believe were birds (they were there when I went to work but no sign when I got home). I lost my Ponerorchis to poor winter care on my part.

I now live in a 19th century cottage with poor light, so I'm being more selective in my choice of houseplant. So plants that can take a rest (ie;tuberous) are more in. Plants that hang (ie; Aeschynanthus marmoratus and Ceropegia woodii) are another that I look to.

I will buy more orchids, but not until I can find Habenaria medusa!

 

Longk,

Noids?

 

No id Sirius. Of unknown parentage - basically what comes from the Dutch warehouses.

Seriously looked down on in the orchid world. But I buy what pleases me. Plants that pose a challenge are important too though.