My little Ecyclia-and-friends family.
 

Summer is blasting down on my part of Australia now, which means the same thing every year - my Encyclia/Prosthechea/Anacheilium/ETC group are going bananas.
These guys get 30-35C, (86-95F), during the day and 21C, (70F), at night. Full sun with 30% shade cloth from 8am 'till 2pm - heavy shade from then 'till sunset - every day. Humidity between 60-95%, usually around 75%.

One of the upside of growing orchids on the edge of the outback is we never lack for sunshine! :biggrin:

FÖTÖS !

First up is Encyclia adenocaula. As always, gigantic, heavy blooms that require me to cable-tie the pot to the bench to stop it toppling. Moderate scent, smells like a spicy honeyed perfume to me.

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This is this years newbie. I held off on Prosthechea cochleata for years because only some people found it fragrant - and as a general rule I only grow fragrant orchids - Happily it turns out that this one is indeed fragrant. It has quite a beautiful, cloying scent first thing in the morning that turns sour and kinda like latex mixed wityh hot vinyl as the day goes on.

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I was too busy to get to my Encyclia cordigera for photos, this is the last, remaining bloom, almost done, looking a bit sad. The variety is nice though. Dark chocolate and rosy-purple when in full stride. It has a maturing growth that I expect to get flowers off before the hot season is over, so proper photos then :)

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Another relative newbie for me, Encyclia polybulbon. It was mounted on one long tree fern piece when I bought it, growing up in a vertical line. I've split it into two and am hoping to get a more horizontal, rambling habit out of it.

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And last but not least my ever-hardy, ever-fragrant Anacheilium radiatum. Strongly fragrant of something between floral soap and black pepper. An absolute joy. This is a division I took last year, it grows like a weed under my hot, humid, bright conditions. One of my favourites of all time. Forgive my rather 'ghetto' pots. I buy cheapy plastic pots and take to them with a dremel for all my Encyclia family. They really seem to appreciate the air around the roots and allows frequent watering which they also seem to enjoy.

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Gorgeous, all, but I do really like your Anacheilium radiatum! I would definitely not mind to have one too:-))))

Awesome bunch. Well done.

Kim

Very nice bunch of Encyclia.

They all are lovely. Don't know which one I like best.

Great plants and photos. Thanks for posting.

I really can't recommend them enough. They are tough as old boots, but smell like heaven. The flowers are small and not especially showy, but I think they have a charm of their own, and they certainly compensate with fragrance. Two more plants have blossomed since that photo was taken - the wave of scent that hits me first thing in the morning as I open up the greenhouse is glorious.


As an interesting side note, I have been trying to figure out what the cochleata smells like early morning - the scent was very familiar but neither I, nor any of my friends so far had been able to put our collective fingers on it until yesterday!.

It smells like those frosted plastic toys that were common in the mid-to-late eighties. Scented 'My-Little-Pony' type toys. An odd, vanilla-plastic scent. I just wish it stayed nice all day.... By about 11am the scent turns really sour and rubbery, think latex hospital gloves meets old socks :Tdown:

Man thanks for that thought. Sounds like a wonderful sent........NOT!!!!!!!