Orchids spring 2008

[Anthony Darby]

Here's a couple of pics of Anacamptis papilionacea flowering in the greenhouse now.

[Paul T]

Very nice Anthony. 

[Paul T]

Yep, and his pictures ain't bad either!! 

[Tony Willis]

some in flower now

[Paul T]

Tony,

All such wonderful flowers, particularly the Ophrys scolopax.  I hope to see Ophrys in person one day, just to see if they're as cool as they are in the pictures.  Fantastic pics!!  Thanks for posting them. 

[Iturraran]

We have Ophrys growing in the wild in some sections of the garden  . Also quite a few other orchids.

[Anthony Darby]

Interesting how your Ophrys spp. are out now, Tony? Mine are a bit behind but my Barlia (now apparently Himantoglossum) robertiana has been out a week. It got a Certificate of Merit at Dunblane on Saturday.

[Tony Willis]

Tony yours is lovely and deserved a prize.It was Himantoglossum longibracteatum before it was Barlia robertiana,so what does that say? Sometimes I think the lunatics have taken over the asylum, not that I think of botanists in those terms ever.
Mine are grown in a cold greenhouse but it has ben a very mild winter and spring so they are well ahead

[Anthony Darby]

Cold as in unheated Tony? I maintain mine at a minimum 4^oC.

[Tony Willis]

Sorry a bit of a misleading post. Cold similar to yours.I have a heating cable under the sand in the bench and a box made of bubble wrap over the top I only cover them when a hard frost is threatened and so most of the time they are in the open greenhouse.I find that if I keep them covered then botrytis is rife,and if let get to cold they are miserable.On frosty nights the thermometer under the box shows about 2 to 3c.

Here are three more

[Paul T]

Tony,

Isn't the Orchis italicus beautiful!!  Wonderful flower setup to it. 

[Tony Willis]

It is good but can be even more wonderful in the wild where in quite damp areas it grows in huge numbers and is very robust ,upto 12 inches tall. it is perhaps not apparent but most of these orchids particularly the ophrys are very small and can be quite diffcult to see in the wild amongst other vegetation

[Paul T]

I had realised they were pretty small.  I'm sort of used to it from photographing my own stuff.... some of the flowers look so impressive in the pics, but you can barely see them in person.  One good bonus of digital photography!!    I would still like to see some of these in person. 

[Lesley Cox]

I remember at a big international rock garden plant conference in NZ some years ago, one of the speakers was Brian Mulloy, expert on NZ's native orchids, the flowers of which are almost all small to tiny in the flesh. On screen was something that looked enormous, just about filling the whole screen, with amazing detail and beautiful colouring. Then Brian remarked that the flower was about 3mm x 5mm in size and a deeply offended German gentleman seated behind me, leapt to his feet and shouting that he had been mislead and cheated, rushed from the auditorium.

[Paul T]

Oh dear, some people ARE highly strung aren't they?