My growing order of Phals...
 

So, I placed an order at Schwerter, a German vendor, like a month ago but since they do not ship at the moment due to the cold temperatures, I have had to wait like a good girl.

Unfortunately, I'm not good at being either 'good' or a 'girl' for that matter, instead I usually go for 'half crazy weirdo' which works much better for me. This has led to my order mysteriously...swelling, or maybe increasing is a better word. From the original three Phals I ordered a month ago, I think there have been an addition of...oh...seven more. The theory so far is that the original three felt so lonely that they asked the others to join them, and somehow the word spread and the Phals destined for my home increased.

I think I'll stick to this theory instead of facing the truth of me being completely Phal obsessed and equipped with low self restraint as well as being way to clicker-happy when browsing online vendors...
:rofl:


This is my order so far:

Phal. equestris 'Apari'

Phal. equestris 'Apari' pink

Phal. equestris aurea

Phal. equestris var. coerulea

Phal. philippinensis

Phal. stuartiana

Phal. stuartiana var. nobilis

Phal. violacea var. Indigo x Phal. equestris var. alba

Dtps. Liu's Berry

Dtps. Purple Gem 'blue'

I don't need to mention how much I look forward to receiving these guys, do I? ;)
Also, some of them are only seedling and/or a bit more sensitive and were recommended only for the experienced grower. I'm not an experienced grower so I hope that with your aid, these guys will survive in my care. :pray:

Haha, what an awesome haul!!! I do think there is still plenty of room for more! :evil: Your lucky to have access to Schwerter in Europe, but be thankful you don't have access to Big Leaf Orchids in the US, or I'm sure you'd be broke!

Ah, yes, the phals. I have less than 50 named orchids and five are phals.
1) Phal violacea (Malaysia x var. Borneo)-- whatever this means
2) Phal ambionensis
3) phal shillerina (var. Purpurca (4n) x 'Pink Butterfly' AM/AOS)
4) phal tetrapsis
5)*Phal bellina

I also have two unnamed box store phals, a white and a purple. I never mean to buy phals but they somehow come to live with me anyway. *

Quite a few years ago, violacea var. borneo was reclassified as bellina. The Malaysian variety of violacea is what they called what we simply know as violacea. So, what you have is Phal. Samera (violacea x bellina)

Thanks! I am very happy to have the proper name. The place where I bought it is a wee bit behind on nomenclature.

Awesome! I just increased my collection by 3 this weekend. The bottom three and the stuartina ones will be pretty for sure.

Quite a few years ago, violacea var. borneo was reclassified as bellina. The Malaysian variety of violacea is what they called what we simply know as violacea. So, what you have is Phal. Samera (violacea x bellina)
Malaysia is lavender colored. So that's bellini crossed with a lavender of like shape.

I now feel like I need to get violacea to have the complete set. I appreciate very much having the proper name. I have already changed it! : ) Thankyou!

Oh I AM grateful I don't have access to BLO. I've stumbled across them a dozen of times and drooled over their Phals... I would be more broke than I am already if I lived in the States, that's for sure. :nod:

If only spring would come so I could get my chids home...:blushing:

Very nice set of equestris. It is one of my favorite phal species.
Order swell always happens to me. I started my show pre-order from Ecuagenera with 4 plants, but will be picking up nine at the end :)

I don't need to mention that it's mine as well, do I? ;) Just love those little buggers! I have five at the moment (six if I include the dying aurea) and two more will arrive this week! :dance:

Unfortunately, only two of them are working on spikes and buds, the third one is too young to bloom and the other two bloomed right before I bought them...

As long as Schwerter doesn't add anymore equestris or interesting equestris hybrids, my order shouldn't swell anymore...I hope...:whistling

It will feel like a holiday when they all arrive! All the 'presents' to unwrap and see!

Ah yes, the joy of "travelling companions"... :biggrin:

You're lucky you're sticking to phals, because that vendor has tons of great things...!

Geez your order is getting large! And I'm happy to have played a part in its increase. :biggrin:

At this point I really really don't think it's the cold that's keeping them from shipping. They'll ship down to freezing usually, and it's been quite warm the past 2 weeks. Something else must be going on.

My order is also getting a bit large, but I'll wait to officially order only after next weekend's show. Don't know what I'll buy there!

So far my Schwerter order is this:
*Dtps. Liu's Berry
*Pot. Chief Sweet Orange 'Sweet Orange'
*Phalaenopsis Mini Mark
*Cycmodes Wine Delight FCC/AOS
*Dendrobium antenatum
*Phalaenopsis Liodora (from what I read on internet this is a trade name of either Phal Sweet Memory or Phal Miva Fragrance)
*Phal parishii

I'm now facing a problem. It's an enjoyable one, but still a problem. Schwerter has finally removed their "No shipping due to cold temepratures"-announcement which means that they should send my early Christmas gift soon. I'm now debating whether I should add a Phal. celebensis and a Phal. lindenii to my order or not... I think the flowers are very cute on both species but the foliage is to either die or kill for. :love:

I have found both at another vendor but at a higher price than at Scwherter. And I figured that the shipping cost won't change since it seems set. I was also thinking that by placing such an enormous order I won't have to buy anything from them for at least five years. ;)

So, what to do, what to do... :hmm

ADD THEM, ADD THEM, ADD THEM!!! :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: (we're such great enablers, aren't we? :evil:)

Hmm... Why am I not surprised by your reply, Cody? ;)

Lindenii might be the pickiest of those two, but celebensis should grow just fine if you're doing well with your other phals. Try and stop yourself, otherwise you wont be able to pay for the fert to keep them alive

And don't forget that when you order the project plant next month, it can't travel alone, Project plants always need a few TCs!! (TC = travel companion) :evil: :rofl:

That's quite a few plants for one order, but I would totally do it if I had more space! there are sooo many plants I want! :biggrin:

By the way, I would be dying waiting for such order. :rofl:

Oh, the lindenii is picky? I had no idea... in general or in some specific areas?

*sniggers*

Yes, we can't have that! Imagine not being able to buy fert for my babies! The poor things...

Great idea! But then it's vital that the project plant will be available at Schwerter.

...

*bribes Camille with chocolate*

Oh, I still have space. I have filled one of my windows now I think (with approximately 15-20 Phals) and I have almost as big a window left to fill. Hurray for big windows! :biggrin:

I AM dying over here! But they've finally started shipping again at least so I should have them... Sometime... I have no idea and it's the uncertainty that's the worst part.

This is one that really likes to be mounted, and hates deep pots. It's also a cooler grower than most phals, further compounding the wet roots and evaporative cooling problem. Celebensis also likes to be mounted, but I've found it to be less finicky with having its roots in a pot, so I've had better luck with mine. It's also a warmer grower, which makes being pot bound easier. However, this is in my grow setup, and everyone is different, especially if you're willing to try a mount

Thanks for the info. Then maybe I shall try both of these species when I feel a bit more comfortable with more finicky Phals. I want to try mounting a Phal or two on clay pots. Do you think these guys would like that or do they prefer other mounting media?

Unfortunately for all warmer loving Phals, my flat is a bit on the cool side with average temps between 20C-23C (68F-74.3F). It gets warmer when the sun is shining directly on the window, but the temps decline rather rapidly after that. It will get warmer now during summer though and one window have higher average temperature than the other. How much, I don't know so I suppose I'll have to buy another thermometer. :)

Well, you'd have to bribe 25+ participants, they're the ones voting on the plant in the end!! :) And even if it's not at Schwerter, think of all the OTHER orchids other vendors have! You'll find plenty more plants that you NEED to have! :rofl:

As for shipping, they usually send packages early in the week, and at least for me it takes 5-7 days to get it. Last time I ordered on a monday, and got the box on saturday.

Oh, but you are a moderator which means you have the power to "fix" the election, right?

*bribes Camille with even more chocolates*

;)

I figured they usually ship at the beginning of the week so no plants are stuck in some depot over the weekend. This means I have the entire weekend to ponder about a possible lindenii and celebensis. That's good. I'll probably (impressively enough) wait with purchasing these two since they seem a bit more demanding. I don't even know if I can get any of the species Phals to thrive with my conditions yet (okay, the equestris seem to be doing alright but they don't count).

So, since your not getting those two, are you gonna be replacing them with anything else? :biggrin:

Schwerter must be going nuts with you changing your order every 2 days!! :rofl:

I know! I feel so bad about it but on the other hand it's not a small order I've placed so I hope they'll forgive me. :pray:

I replaced them... With a Phal. lindenii and a Phal. celebensis!
:rofl:

Oh dear, I think I'll never be allowed to order from Schwerter again... Talk about being a nightmare customer.

I asked about lindenii on the Swedish orchid forum, and it seems to be doing perfectly fine being potted and kept in the same conditions as other Phals so I'll give it a try. :biggrin:

If I fail I know one member that can take care of it, so it's not a doomed Phal. :nod: