Den. Hamana Smile 'Early Bird' - an early bloomer

[cbuchman]

This Den. is aptly named as it is a early bloomer. I bought this at SBOE 2 years ago. So this is really the first time it's putting on a display for me. I'm a sucker for brightly marked lips and this one fits the bill.

It's a complex hybrid with speciosum, kingianum, canaliculatum and bigibbum in its parentage.

The Aussie Dens seem to be the best for me, so my collection is growing.

[WhiteRabbit]

Beautiful! How big is it?

[cbuchman]

Originally Posted by WhiteRabbit

Beautiful! How big is it?

Right now it is in a 6" clay pot which it pretty much fills. It's about 10" in height excluding the inflorescence. The key is that it must be pot bound to bloom well.

My kingianum tends to create keikis at the top of growths which has a tendency to make it quite tall and a bit floppy, but this one does not.

[NYCorchidman]

How cool do you keep this during the winter?
I love Aussie dens very much but I can't flower them good. simply too warm here. lol

[cbuchman]

Originally Posted by NYCorchidman

How cool do you keep this during the winter?
I love Aussie dens very much but I can't flower them good. simply too warm here. lol

This one is summered outdoors and then is in my sun room for the winter. The sun room is attached to the house, but it is bit cooler. 58-62 at night and 65-70 during the day.

To me the key issue for flowering is good light. I changed it up and now hang the pot near the glass roof part of my sun room which it seems to like very much - though it makes watering a bit messy

[NYCorchidman]

Unheated sun room is my dream!!!
I could have my dendrobium nobile hybrids and Aussi dendrobiums and perhaps large cymbidiums blooming like crazy!!! oh, well...

[nikkik]

Very pretty!

[RosieC]

Lovely!