BLUE - Some Thelymitras

[estación seca]

Many South African winter-rainfall bulbs are more available than is Thelymitra. They have very similar temperature and light requirements. Consider practicing with these for a year or so first.

A good source for species bulbs is Telos Rare Bulbs. I suggest starting with genera Albuca, Ferraria, Gladiolus, Ixia, Lachenalia, Moraea, Oxalis or Romulea. Most of these are small. I grow many of them outside in 20 ounce foam cups, for insulation in spring when it starts warming up. These cups are 6" tall and 3" / 7.5cm wide. The genera I don't mention are either harder to grow or can be quite large plants. Note that most of the ones I mentioned aren't dormant yet, and won't be shipped until summer, for growing next fall.

[MateoinLosAngeles]

Originally Posted by Lil Duck

Well if you ever divide your plant….. sign me up

Lil Duck if you get the permit I'll join the group order.

[sam1147]

Roberta-fantastic !!

[Leafmite]

Those are very pretty! I grow a few other types of flowers that are blue and quite enjoy them. I wonder why so few types of orchids are blue?

[Roberta]

Originally Posted by Leafmite

Those are very pretty! I grow a few other types of flowers that are blue and quite enjoy them. I wonder why so few types of orchids are blue?

That color is very rare in orchids - actually, fairly rare in flowers in general. Someone in Japan created a truly blue (not dyed) transgenic Phal where the gene from an unrelated blue flower was inserted into the Phal. But in general, the gene or genes for actual blue just doesn't exist in most orchids.

[Leafmite]

It is far easier to find the blues in other flowers...I have creeping myrtle from my grandmother and forget-me-nots. I have grown Delphinium and morning glories that were blue. My grandmother had a few others that all had blue flowers. I wonder from which plant the blue gene was borrowed for the orchids?

[Roberta]

Took a little digging, but in the June 2013 issue of Orchid Review there's a brief summary about this genetically-engineered blue Phal, introduced at the 11th Asia Pacific Orchid Conference. They exhibited both some deformed flowers, and some normal-form ones (the latter in in glass cases surrounded by guards). They used a gene from the Asian dayflower Commelina communis . It utilized a complex process of gene editing. Not likely to show up at Trader Joe's any time soon...

[estación seca]

Commelinas are a lot easier to grow than orchids.

[Roberta]

Originally Posted by estación seca

Commelinas are a lot easier to grow than orchids.

Combining them, however, is not a trivial exercise. Here, they had to modify the genome of teensy weensy orchid seed embryos, then nurture them through the (even normally) demanding process of propagation. Clearly, given the mutant ones that were produced, getting healthy plants with attractive flowers was really difficult.

[estación seca]

I meant if people want blue flowers.