Oncidium Sharry Baby, Heaven Scent , Green Valley Sweet and related

[Ispahan48]

I would like to revisit and discuss the various “chocolate-scented” oncidium hybrids so we can have all of the information available in one place. Please feel free to share your experiences and impressions of all of these plants.

Oncidium Sharry Baby‘Sweet Fragrance’—This is the most famous of the chocolate-scented oncidiums and is said by many to have the strongest and best fragrance of all. Descriptions of the fragrance range from chocolate to vanilla to candy-sweet, and some individuals find the fragrance to overpowering or even unpleasant in close quarters. The plant itself is known to be culturally forgiving and tolerant of abuse. If anything it is too vigorous and will quickly outgrow most windowsills. Spikes can sometimes be as long as 5-6 feet and the plant itself will quickly expand in girth, consuming a massive amount of space. Leaves are prone to getting small black spots (said to be harmless) in high light or high heat conditions.

Oncidium Sharry Baby ‘Red Fantasy’—Said to be shorter and slightly more compact than ‘Sweet Fragrance’ with shorter but often more numerous flower spikes. Scent is said to be lighter than ‘Sweet Fragrance’.

Oncidium Sharry Baby (other clones)--There have periodically been a few other clones of the Sharry Baby grex circulating like ‘Short Sharry’, ‘Tricolor’ or ‘Yellow Panda’ among others.

Oncidium Green Valley Sweet ‘Heavenly’—Marketed as a more compact Sharry Baby with foliage that is less prone to spotting. From what I can gather, reports of fragrance are mixed with many saying it is much lighter and more candy-like than Sharry Baby ‘Sweet Fragrance’. And although it seems like it might be more compact initially, it can quickly grow up to become a monster-sized plant.

Oncidium Heaven Scent (various clones)--Also marketed as a more compact Sharry Baby with foliage that is less prone to spotting. It is a hybrid of Oncidium Ruffles x Sharry Baby, so it is the product of crossing two highly fragrant types together. Several clones have been marketed such as ‘Redolence’, ‘Sweet Baby’ and ‘Sweet Pea’. Fragrance of these clones is described as generally being strong and pleasant, and possibly somewhat lighter and more candy-like than Sharry Baby. From what I can gather, these are very vigorous, easily flowered plants that do remain compact when small but also have the potential to grow up to be monsters.

Can anybody provide more information about these plants, especially to compare/contrast various forms? Which ones do you find most fragrant? Which ones do you find most compact?

Are there any other Sharry Baby-like hybrids available right now? Any that are in the pipeline?

[WhiteRabbit]

I have SB 'Sweet Fragrance' Great fragrance, but can be over-powering to me (fortunately it grows outdoors). It IS an EXTREMELY vigorous grower. Mine was in a 4" pot when I got it later in 2009, it's now trying to bust out of a 10" pot (bending the pot). Spikes have been 4 - 4.5 feet, with 100 - 200+ blooms each. This summer, all 5 recently matured pbulbs got 2 spikes a piece. T'would definitely require frequent dividing to keep it windowsill sized, tho the spikes could still prove problematic ...

[lotis146]

I have Heaven Scent 'Redolence' which I've only had since spring but it has endured much neglect while in spike & bloom. Three remained yet to bloom during and after the tremendous neglect and they still bloomed. After much improved care the fifth and final one grew taller with more blooms. (My little bit of proof that it's hardy.)

I find it doesn't smell like chocolate but more the sweet candy-like, sort vanilla like smell. Strong enough to enjoy but not overwhelming. Mine does have some spotting on the leaves. Seems to prefer pretty bright light and probably wants more water than I give it. (Not sure if this all is what you want...lol...)

While I don't have any of the others I picked mine out from Hausermann's where I got to see many Sharry Baby 'Sweet Fragrances'. Heaven Scent is definitely a lot more compact of a plant, thus why I chose it and not Sharry Baby. My tallest/longest spike was not more than a foot give or take I'd say. Oh and the pbulbs produced two spikes each (those that spiked) but they weren't two at a time.

That's what I know.

[wingplum]

I have an Onc.Sharry Baby 'Misaki', the tricolor one.

[Ispahan48]

Lotis146, that is awesome information. You provided a great comparison between Heaven Scent 'Redolence' and Sharry Baby 'Sweet Fragrance'! Thank you so much!

[NYCorchidman]

Misaki, Yellow Panda, Tricolor are all the same clone with different names due to marketing purposes.

I have had all the varieties mentioned.
The fragrance is basically all the same to me. I agree with a member who says no chocolate. I do not understand who started it but it's a marketing thing again I guess. I would say vanilla or cookie batter smell is more like it.

SB Sweet Fragrance is the largest. The spikes do reach easily over 5 feet. This plant is not suitable for home growers.

All the rest are about the same in size.
They are by no mean small plants (up to 2 feet tall although leaves do arch over to varying degrees depending on the conditions and individual plants), but compared to SB Sweet Fragrance, they are compact.

All varieties are vigorous growers and at an early stage, they begin to grow in multiple directions tripling (more or less) in size each year. So get ready for that.

SB Sweet Fragrance I had did not have any spotting issues. Oncidium Heaven Scent "Redolence" also had zero to very few spotting issues.
Other varieties (especially the red baby or red velvet whatever they call it) had terrible spotting issues.
The spotting issues are not due to high heat and high light, which is exactly what my plants were grown under in the summer.
I am not sure, but I read it's in the gene, but I doubt it. Like many other oncidiums, they are prone to fungal attack on the leaves. There are sun spots, which are tiny sunken black spots and these are different than fungal spots.

[lotis146]

Originally Posted by Ispahan48

Lotis146, that is awesome information. You provided a great comparison between Heaven Scent 'Redolence' and Sharry Baby 'Sweet Fragrance'! Thank you so much!

Thanks, glad I can help. BUT I have to revoke a previous claim I made (dunno why I even said it!). My Heaven Scent 'Redolence' actually has almost NO black spots (where was my head when I said it did?). And it was outside in bright light though a mild summer we did have some hotter days.


NYCorchidman, that's all very interesting. Good point too that Heaven Scent kind of grows in all directions. The traditional advice of repotting a plant so the new growths have the most room wasn't too much help because I've been thinking new growths are going to pop from all sides!

[NYCorchidman]

Oncidiums are best for greenhouses or for tropical yard where you can grow them on trees or in a giant sized pot, so you can leave them undisturbed for years and grow them into big clump.
They look much better in bloom that way and easier to maintain.

[Jungeoma]

I had just started a new thread when I came across your discussion. I have Onc. Twinkle 'Sharry Baby', it's about 8" tall, has spikes and a few flowers open, but they are miniscule. My question was: How large are the flowers going to get. In the pictures I have seen the flowers looked quite big. So far I don't smell anything.
Anita