Blue Orchids

[King_of_orchid_growing:)]

I forgot to mention.

Most Thelymitras are actually not very large.

From what I've seen in photos, they range from being anywhere around 6" to 1' tall.

A lot of the photos you're gathering from the web usually don't have a recognizable point of reference.

Of the few photos that do have a point of reference, you'll see the flowers on some of them are really only about 1" to 1 1/2" in diameter.

[King_of_orchid_growing:)]

Originally Posted by plantguy

...The "cool growing" was based on information gleaned from the Orchid Encyclopedia online but your information provides greater clarity on the issue.

Jay Pfahl has a disclaimer that says his information is not necessarily 100% correct.

While the IOSPE is a good reference, there are certain bits of information that isn't entirely accurate.

Cross referencing is a good idea.

Originally Posted by plantguy

For anyone interested I did post a few pics from my wardian case in my gallery.

Cool.

Thank you.

[King_of_orchid_growing:)]

Oh yeah...

If you're planning for an order, be prepared to buy multiple tubers of each species, not just one.

It's a safe bet to purchase around 5 to 10 tubers per species. Preferably 10.

[Andrew]

Originally Posted by plantguy

The "cool growing" was based on information gleaned from the Orchid Encyclopedia online but your information provides greater clarity on the issue.

In defense of IOSPE, orchid growers have a habit of classifying orchids as warm/intermediate/cool growers. This usually works well because most of the commonly grown orchids originate from lowlands and highlands of the tropics. The less common temperate species don't fit this mould, though.

Originally Posted by plantguy

I do keep my bamboo orchid and cymbidium in the shade of trees, outside in the summer & they do fine. In the winter they go in the greenhouse with the citrus trees.

Actually Cym temps should be OK.

Originally Posted by King_of_orchid_growing:)

Most Thelymitras are actually not very large.

True. Thelys are a lot more impressive in photos than they are in real life. The flower stems aren't that small. They're usually around 1'-2' with some species being over 3' in height. The flowers are about the size you mentioned, though. The other negative is that the flowers usually only open on warm sunny days, which makes flowering them indoors difficult and causes problems when benching them at orchid meetings held indoors and at night.