Pleione formosana in flower

[RosieC]

I'm really pleased with Pleione formosa this year. I have 8 bulbs and have got 8 flowers so far with a further 7 buds

I started with one bulb from Heratage Orchids in 2011, and it's doubled every year, but this year is the first time that almost every bulb has two flowers.

[nutgirl]

Beautiful plant and good pictures!

Definitely on my wish list.

Maureen

[s.kallima]

Stunning! When you get 2 flowers per bulb it is a sign if excellent culture!

[terracotta7]

Beautiful! Rosie...I was just looking at these in a catalog last night and wondering whether I should get one. I would grow it in a pot like you do, but I was not sure what the culture was like, i.e. if my home would be warm enough and have high enough humidity. What is your culture like?

[tuvoc]

Awesome.

Kim

[RosieC]

Thanks everyone

Terracotta, these go dormant and need cold over the winter. I keep the dormant bulbs in my greenhouse which has a 5C minimum over the winter.

Once they are starting to show signs of growth I pot them up and bring them in and they get a min of 15C but more often closer to 19/20C. I've heard some folks in the UK grow them outside for the rest of the year but I keep them back in the greenhouse once it get's warm enough. The UK is not massively hot, probably ranges between 15C and 25C over the summer.

I've never bothered about humidity, it's not that high here and I don't think it matters for these.

[upnorthorchids]

Absolutely wonderful, Rosie! I've read about pleione since my first orchid books, and it's great to see a classy plant like this one. Beautiful photos, as always!

[terracotta7]

Thanks, Rosie!

I think that I would like to give these a try. I have a great place to winter things over, even if it is not a greenhouse. The catalog I saw them for sale in was a regular flowerbulb seller (dahlias, begonias, etc.) but I was wondering if it would be better to get them from a different source.

What would you (all) suggest?

[flexdc]

Originally Posted by RosieC

Thanks everyone



Terracotta, these go dormant and need cold over the winter. I keep the dormant bulbs in my greenhouse which has a 5C minimum over the winter.



Once they are starting to show signs of growth I pot them up and bring them in and they get a min of 15C but more often closer to 19/20C. I've heard some folks in the UK grow them outside for the rest of the year but I keep them back in the greenhouse once it get's warm enough. The UK is not massively hot, probably ranges between 15C and 25C over the summer.



I've never bothered about humidity, it's not that high here and I don't think it matters for these.

Thanks Rosie, very nice flowers!
I am waiting with anticipations for mine. I ordered them in October and had to put them in the fridge for two
Months (it never gets cold enough here). Now it is sitting in my porch with little buds sticking out!
I need to write to you for advice on what to do after flowering. This is my first try to grow these. Hope mine will be as nice as yours!
Andrew

[isurus79]

Wow, these are just great!