Miltoniopsis phalaenopsis 'John Leathers'

[MrHappyRotter]

Miltoniopsis phalaenopsis 'John Leathers'

Miltoniopsis phalaenopsis is one of the cool growing Miltoniopsis. This species is supposedly a little more warmth tolerant than others. I only recently acquired this plant from Ecuagenera, so I can't take credit for the blooms. It is recovering from its trip to the US and was in bud when I bought it. I'm hoping it recovers from its trip to the US.

For those who are just beginning their orchid journey, I thought I'd point out that this is not related to the typical Phalaenopsis orchid, which is a completely unrelated genus. This is in the Oncidium alliance, closely related to the Brazillian Miltonias (which are warm growing). I'm taking a chance on this plant, since I live in a climate with hot temperatures from late spring through early fall. I will grow this indoors. These like high humidity, lots of high quality, pure water, bright light (but no direct sun), and moderate to cool temperatures.

I've always admired Miltoniopsis orchids, but they are notoriously difficult in my climate. This is something of an experiment for me, so wish me luck.

A "funny" little anecdote. When I bought this, I was under the assumption that it would be fragrant based on some prior research. I got it at the Asheville Orchid Show in March. After I purchased it, a woman at the show was talking to me about it. I mentioned one of the reasons I bought it was because it was supposed to be fragrant. She wasn't mean about it, but regarding the fragrance, she said "good luck", implying that the flowers aren't scented. Well, luck was with me. These smell great. It's not a strong scent, and it's mostly only fragrant when there's lots of natural light outside on a sunny day coming through the windows. The scent is absolutely and astoundingly beautiful. It's hard to describe, but it's a sweet floral scent. It reminds me of something, maybe Lily of the Valley, I just haven't quite figured it out yet. I love it for the scent alone and I do not regret buying it.

[Leafmite]

I am so happy that it is fragrant!
I grow many fragrant plants other than orchids and really prefer the orchids to be fragrant though I have added many, as of late, that are not.