E. Lee Ward (E. adenocaula X E. tampensis)

[glengary54]

People who know me, know that I love E. tampensis crosses, I can't get enough of them. I like them so much that I have begun to make my own crosses and do my own flasking.

A few years ago, my local Orchid Society sponsored a hands on mounting exercise. Along with instructions, they gave us all the supplies needed, including the plant and for $5.00 you could get another plant.. The plant was E. Lee Ward (E. adenocaula X E. tampensis), I bought a second plant and proceeded to mount them and grow them. One of them grew well and bloomed in it's next blooming cycle. The flower was just okay, not very different from the E tampensis parent.

The second plant sat there and did nothing, it never advanced yet it never decline, it just sat there. This spring I decided I was going to give it one finally chance to do something or pitch it on the compost pile.

I don't know that I did anything different to it than I would normally do to an Encyclia but low and behold it bloomed last week and I can't get over how beautiful the color is. It has gotten better over the few days that it has been open.