So. The Sharry Baby is in bloom. Like so many of my plants, it looked like it was getting ready to bloom right as I was going to be out of the country on holiday. When I am away, my plants do get tended to, but not in the way I would as I need to make things simple and accessible for people. It's a lot to ask of someone to come every day, so I try to achieve a "worst case scenario" plan of action. When I came back, things were still ticking-over, albeit a bit dry (there was already some pleating on the leaves from before, but the plant seems to forgive me for this repeatedly so I don't worry about it too much). The flowers were in bloom, but NO SMELL. I looked it up, and figured it was down to a lack of humidity, as the room the plant was in gets warm when the sun is out, and the humidity drops. I would add a humidifier (or more likely mist) if I were home, but because Scotland is so variable, the humidity is normally around 50% without doing too much else, and these bouts of sunniness are fleeting. I have always feared adding humidity and then experiencing one of our VERY frequent sudden temperature drops. Like today. We are having rain, gale force winds, and freezing cold temps...in MAY. But the sun is also coming out in between bouts, so the room is still a lovely 80 degrees and 50% humidity. Perfect.
ANYWAY, after giving it a bit more water and
misting for a few days after coming home, IT HAS SMELL. YAY! Is it chocolate? Meh. Not to my nose..but then I like dark chocolate. To me it smells like a slightly sweeter and stronger version of my tiny twinkle. It has oncidium smell, lol. It doesn't fill the room, but perhaps with a bit more attention it will. I'm looking forward to the second spike (which is still in progress) flowering! Just wondering about others' experiences with fragrant inflorescence and humidity...
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