not impressed - Orchid Board

dennis · #1 05-10-2007, 08:31 PM

well after listening to everyone on the net rant and rave about sharry baby and it's fragrance phooey. either it is to early, i get home to late i dont know, all i can say is unless you cram your nose in it that is the only way you can smell it. i want something that when i walk into the room that is all i smell.guess i will have to wait for the Brassavola nodosa. or go cut some lilacs

Ross · #2 05-10-2007, 08:37 PM

I reserve my judgement till mine finally finishes blooming (in spike now.) But I hear ya. Heard this about Haraella oderata (notice the species name?) and others and still wait to be blown away with any blossom that has nice fragrance except Encyclia tampensis. Now we have something there!

Elena · #3 05-10-2007, 08:45 PM

How disappointing! I saw some people mention that the smell will vary among individual plants, apparently there are even Sarry Babies that have no smell at all. I'm yet to buy one but I'll want to buy it while in bloom so I can be sure it smells nice

What about Chinese Cymbidiums? I'm getting a sinense because I've read so much about its fragrance. Or Maxillaria tenuifolia

Den kingianum can smell really strongly too. My little guy only had one spike this spring but I could smell it half a room away especially on bright sunny days.

Lilacs sound good though!

Toddybear · #4 05-10-2007, 09:02 PM

If you want an orchid that smells like lilacs grow Burrageara Pacific Go. Mine is open now and the fragrance is great! I have it in my office next to the window and when the window is open, the smell wafts throughout the entire room.

cb977 · #5 05-10-2007, 09:06 PM

My absolute favorite fragrance is the one I get from my Iwanagaara Appleblossom! I can't help but smile every time I get a whiff! I wish we had smellivision!

My Haerella odorata has not ever treated me to any fragrance but Tin always gets it!

...and last but not least, my Sharry Baby only gives a fragrance mid-day.

Ross · #6 05-10-2007, 09:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cb977

My absolute favorite fragrance is the one I get from my Iwanagaara Appleblossom! I can't help but smile every time I get a whiff! I wish we had smellivision!

My Haerella odorata has not ever treated me to any fragrance but Tin always gets it!

...and last but not least, my Sharry Baby only gives a fragrance mid-day.

Thanks for the hint on Sharry Baby. Lookin forward to it.

Frdemetr · #7 05-10-2007, 10:53 PM

Well, I think 'Sharry Baby' has a good fragrance, but for sure not intense. My obvious (and completely biased) option is for Stan tigrina, Stan oculata or Stan nigroviolacea! The chocolate smell is absolutely intense (even obnoxious) and fills a big room! In my parent's home you can smell the vanila/chocolate scent of a big oculata 50m (~54 yards) away.

justatypn · #8 05-10-2007, 11:30 PM

Quote:

My Haerella odorata has not ever treated me to any fragrance but Tin always gets it!

Slight fragrance, Tindo's is in a viv

: could be reason huh. Sharry Baby, filled the room with a great aroma, bought it in slight bloom, sniffed it and brought it home...

Another great one with a fragrance Ctna. Maui Maid 'December Bride'.

Dorothy · #9 05-11-2007, 12:20 AM

Bc Little Stars x Maikai 'Hawaii' .. spicy .. I love it... it scents at night!.. early evening on ..
I hear Bc Maikai "Mayumi' is the similar .. it is a child of nodosa ..
Yes, Apple Blossom is devine! .. but it needs a lot of sun to scent longer .. mine starts in the morning and will go to about noon or 1pm .. when it's out in the sun, days later it will scent into the late afternoon.
mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm
aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah
oooooooooooooooooooooh

smweaver · #10 05-11-2007, 11:01 AM

I agree that Stanhopeas (and particularly nigroviolacea) are wonderfully fragrant. You could also (if you have the room for it) try Angraecum superbum or any of its closely related cousins (eburneum, longicalcar, etc.), all of which put out lots and lots of great-smelling perfume after the sun goes down (and don't be put off by the idea of growing the less-well-known Angraecums if you've experienced the more-widely touted fragrance of Angraecum sesquipedale which, in my opinion, has a fragrance that's not all that great--kind of like Noxema skin cleaner). The superbum flowers remain in perfection for a couple of months (at least mine does in the winter when it blooms), and if you come home to a darkened house or apartment, you'll immediately notice them long before you turn on a light and go put your nose in one of the many waxy flowers. The price you pay for this show is that the plants get very large. Picture a couple of well-grown standard sized cymbidium plants lumped together in the same pot and you'll get a pretty decent idea of what you're in for if your superbum likes the care you're giving it. Neofinetia falcata is also a great plant for putting out lots of perfume at night--and since it's tiny you can easily accomodate it on a windowsill--or on the nightstand next to your bed. And someone mentioned that you might consider the Asian cymbidiums. I have a Cymbidium ensifolium that flowers during the late summer, and it has a wonderful smell--it's quite popular with the ants in my backyard, all of whom need to be gently brushed off of it before I can bring it inside to enjoy. And like Neofinetia falcata, Cym. ensifolium stays nice and relatively compact--even a specimen-sized plant won't grow into the monster that its more popular standard-sized cousins will become. So my friendly advice is to throw the Sharry Baby away--or give it to a relative or friend as a nice introduction to the orchid-growing hobby. There are lots and lots of species out there that, in my opinion, are underappreciated and produce very nice fragrances that would make anyone with a good sense of smell ignore any Sharry Baby they sat next to while in bloom.