In bloom on 1/10/09
 

A few in bloom as of 1/10/09, from left to right:

Brassavola nodosa. First picture is the plant, second a bloom. I know this is just one of “the usual suspects” in the orchid world, pretty common in wild, in the greenhouse and in the “house” house, but it’s still a favorite of mine. I grow mine up high in the GH, lots of sun and relatively “dry”. It was in a pot for a couple of years, but seems to like its basket much better. Several spikes hidden in the picture, and it will probably have 50 or so blooms . . . its best performance yet.

Catasetum (I think maybe Clowesia now ?) Rebecca Northen. First the plant, then two bloom pictures. I wish the plant didn’t look so shabby, but the blooms are great. Not very large, but lots of them, and FRAGRANT.

Phaius tankerville (or grandiflora ?). First the spike, then the bloom. This one has had a tough life. I tried it outdoors for 3 years (I know that would work fine in some places, but in the Arizona desert ?). I had seen them growing in Costa Rica in some very “harsh” situations, and wondered if they were tough enough, so I tried. It did live and bloom, but just “wasted away” a bit each year. Finally it was just about dead, and I would have just tossed it, but my wife insisted that I pot it up and put it in the GH. I did, and still neglected it, but after a couple years of struggle it looks like it has taken hold again. Since it has “proved itself”, I suppose I’ll have to pamper it a bit. I do love the blooms, and wish I had room for some other Phaius and some of the Phaiocalanthe hybrids, but . . .

What with the nodosa and Rebecca, the greenhouse smells like the perfume aisle at Macy’s. I have almost zero sense of smell, but it even hits me in the face, especially in the evening.

Ed

Who cares how "common" it is -- that nodosa is spectacular. Great growing!

Ed, your clowesia's beautiful. What's the fragrance like? I don't have this hybrid (Rebecca Northern), but I do have one of its parents, Clowesia rosea, which is producing its first spike for me. Hopefully my flowers will look half as nice as yours. Congratulations.

Steve

Pardon my slight digression, but I have Gastrophaius Dan Rosenberg (P. tankervilleae x Gastrorchis tuberculosa). I've had this lovely plant for 2 years. When I purchased it, it had just lost its flowers so this is a rescue plant. I have it outdoors all summer (Michigan) in moderate light but no matter what I do, I can't get this to flower. Any ideas, please! OK back to the thread, thanks.....

Get it to flower?
 

Howard,

Sorry, but I probably can't help. My Phaius just blooms (except the year it was "dying", and the year it was recovering), and I don't really do anything special to it/for it. Seems like outdoor "summer camp" in Michigan should be good for it. Don't know what else you might do.

When mine was outdoors (year round), it was planted in "regular" soil, not any orchid-type mix. That wasn't the problem with it, the summer heat/dryness was the problem. When I potted it up for the greenhouse, I put it in soil (or maybe it was a "soil-less mix") again, a "cactus mix" with a bit of fine bark mixed in. It's done fine in this, it gets watered once a week (and stays moist enough), and fertilized "sometimes" (I'm not very good with a fertilizer regimen).

I hope yours blooms for you soon, the flowers should be really great when it does.

Ed

Enjoyed your pictures. They are all beautiful. Your B. Nodosa is making a nice specimen.

Love them all but especially the B. Nodosa. It might be a common one but it's the first time I've seen orchid flowers like that. They are georgeous :bowing:

Doc,
We have tankervilleae growing wild all over the place here on Oahu and they tend to grow in moderately shaded to bright areas with shallow soil (few inches deep) over lava rock. These guys are pretty hardy and free blooming, so you might want to 'abuse' it a bit. It looks like you have the vegetative growth thing down, now it either just needs more time to recover or it needs a some brighter light with dryer conditions when not in active growth.:goodluck:

Ed,
You plants are REALLY well grown! Congrats on some very nice sized plants! I think your plants are especially nice considering you grow in Tucson! Anyone can grow nice plants here in Hawaii, but I think it must take a real green thumb to grow orchids in the desert. Great growing!!

Your B. nadosa is fabulous. It's probably my favorite in my collection because of it's scent. I just love this plant. Your others look great too!

Howard, I have a Dan Rosenberg also and the trick is to keep it out of light...it likes shade and kept moist. Mine is in peat/sphagnum mix. It typically blooms around Feb/March. Hope you get good results this season. Here's a pic of mine from last season.