What's In Bloom

Much to Cheyenne's delight, we have a glorious number of paphs and phrags in bloom in our greenhouse right now.

The first multi floral paph to bloom this year is the phillipenese x adductum var. anitum. It's still debated as to whether or not var. anitum is a separate species or sub species of adductum. The flower structure is very similar, the only difference being that anitum is larger and darker in color, sometimes almost black. Hence, it is sometimes referred to as a "black slipper," "vampire" or "Darth Vader" orchid. It's high on my wishlist, but to the best of our knowledge, it is still illegal in the US. An example is shown here:



And here are some pics of my recently bloomed phillipenese x adductum var. anitum, or Addicted Phillip...






















At the Maryland Orchid Society Show this past March, I acquired some unique dendrobiums. The first is this atroviolaceum hybrid, whose parents are from the island of Papa New Guineau...




Also from Papa New Guineau is this polysema species...



Morgan added a new species to our collection with this Miltonia upcountry puna "Keanu Star" AM/AOS. Beautiful and very fragrant...
















This additional Miltonia hybrid bloomed a couple of weeks after we purchased it at the SEPOS show at Longwood...













And before we get to the really good ones, our always faithful bloomer, this dendrobium phaleanopsis...



As well as this species phalaenopsis schilleriana, which, when mature, can have branching flower stems with up to 50 or more flowers...


















And last but certainly not least, are my phragmipediums, acquired just this year from Woodstream Orchids in Calvert County, MD. The first is a Wossner Supergrande (warscewiczianum x longifolium 'Waunakee').







The second is this longifolium 'Woodstream' AM/AOS. Phragmipediums are in the same alliance as paphs, but are much easier to grow and love water. Some can even grow submerged under water along riverbanks for parts of the year.



Soon to come, a long anticipated roth or two, Lefty Kei, Kemp Tower (all paphs), a new phrag, oncidium, and miltassia.

What a Long, Fragrant Spring It's Been

Our spring thus far has been inundated with orchids-- from our greenhouse to local shows to our wedding planning, even.

In February, we celebrated Valentine's day by attending the
National Capital Orchid Society's Annual Paph Forum at the National Arboretum in DC. We heard from some great speakers, including Frank Smith of Krull-Smith Orchids in Florida.



In March, we attended the Maryland Orchid Society's annual show at the Timonium Fairgrounds for the first time, where we purchased some unique dendrobiums and my first Miltonia.



And at the end of March, we returned to one of our favorite shows-- the Southeastern Pennsylvania Orchid Society's Annual Show at Longwood Gardens...








...And had some pics taken for our upcoming wedding this September!











The orchid agenda for this summer includes a weekend stay in Neptune, NJ to attend Silva Orchid's first annual Shore Orchid Festival July 23rd-25th and, of course, a trip to
Parkside in Ottsville. Not to mention, planning a few stops at orchid nurseries in Hilo during our Hawaiian honeymoon this fall.

The Return of the Green Lantern

Check out the new blooms on our Dendrobium "Green Lantern" (left). Any resemblance to the classic comic book hero of the same name (right)?











This hybrid cross of Dawn Maree x cruentum is a semi-compact plant made from Thai and Vietnamese species and, unlike other dendrobiums, doesn't require a dry winter rest, hence its blooming at this time. A real beauty in our collection of dendrobiums, this Green Lantern should put out at least four more blooms on the same cane this time around. A few more pics...

The Evolution of an Orchid in Bloom

Bringing an orchid to bloom takes months, even years. But once set in motion, it doesn't take long for them to reveal their beauty.

Such was the case with our Oncidium (also known as a "Dancing Lady" orchid). Cheyenne gave it to me for an anniversary last January, and at the time, it probably had two spikes with 4-6 blooms on each. A timely grower, it bloomed right around the date of this year's anniversary, but this time, it put out three spikes with six blooms on each for a total of 18 blooms-- a record for us, I believe!

Here's a pic of the orchid in full-- you'll see that the blooms on two of the spikes have almost all opened, while the third spike continues to grow.



To give you an idea of how these gorgeous blooms came to be, here's a time lapsed rundown that shows their progression:

Day One: Ready to Burst


Also Day One: Opening Up









Day Two: This bloom had fully opened, and others on the spike were well on their way.



Some other pics I took of our Oncidium:












Two of my faves...Amazingly, I was able to capture these au naturel without the use of Photoshop or other enhancements:

Small Wonders

In addition to full-size orchids, we have a small, but growing, contingent of mini orchids in our collection. Most were purchased from Andy's Orchids in Encinitas, CA, where they have an amazing, extensive collection of minis in addition to other rare orchid species. Not only do they make great stocking-stuffers for Cheyenne, they're fascinating to view and grow, proving the old adage that big things often come in small packages. Here are a few from our collection...


Haraella Odorata is a perpetual bloomer from Taiwan. Blooms measure about an inch across.


Epidendrum ellipticum from Peru. Blooms measure about a half inch across.


Really tiny, really cool-- the blooms on this Pleurothallis ornato from Mexico almost resemble fringed cowboy chaps up close. This is our smallest mini to date, with the blooms just pushing about a quarter of an inch.

We also have a mini dracula and a domingoa keinastii from Mexico (somewhat resembles a flying toad; like the haraella odorata, which resembles a bee or other flying insect, their blooms take on the characteristics of pollen spreading insects in order to attract them and thereby insure the propagation of the species).

For a look at more amazing minis, check out Andy's Orchids.

What's In Bloom...

Although most of our orchids have settled in for a long winter's nap in preparation for spring blooming, a few have braved the cold to put out some extraordinary flowers.

Our Paph. Somers Isles x Paph. Hsinying Majakun (under inspection by our cat Huey), recently acquired on a trip to Woodstream Orchids in Calvert County, MD

A similar paph with a gorgeous ruby/plum color, the Paph. Redhawk x Paph. Hsinying Magic 'Voodoo' was also acquired on our trip.


Another new addition to the flock, this Charlesworthii X Spotglen recently bloomed.

One of my favorites, we acquired this Dendrobium Victoria-Reginae about a year ago. A perpetual bloomer, the first inflorescences were small with a magenta-purple hue; this round is much larger and robust (long live Super Thrive), with indigo, almost blue blooms. You'll notice an interesting inconsistency-- while two of the inflorescences are the standard color, the blooms in the lower left are almost "albino" with purple tips.

Some other pics of the Victoria-Reginae...

Step 1: We admit that we are powerless over our addiction.

It all began with a single phaleanopsis given to us as a housewarming present almost three years ago. We watered it once in awhile, grew it in organic potting soil, and soon learned that that's no way to treat an orchid (amazingly, it still managed to put out blooms a year and a half later). Since then, we've amassed a collection of more than 50 orchids, 15+ species, and we've only just begun. Cheyenne once told me that even if we attempted to collect a different orchid every day for the rest of our lives, we still wouldn't be able to collect every orchid that grows on the planet. That fact, however, does not seem to discourage him from trying.

Cheyenne is our resident orchid expert and likes to cultivate them; I take the far less challenging route of photographing and writing about them, offering moral support, and watering them when he's out of town. This blog will chronicle our experiences with growing orchids, particularly our ever-increasing collection of paphs, other slipper orchids, and our odyssey to bring four sanderianum seedlings to bloom (look for that post in 3-5 years), as well as our adventures in engineering our home's evolving "orchid room" and our trips to various orchid shows and society meetings.