Scottish Rock Garden Club Forum

Specific Families and Genera => Pleione and Orchidaceae => Topic started by: GordonT on January 04, 2022, 12:21:57 AM

Title: House Orchids 2022
Post by: GordonT on January 04, 2022, 12:21:57 AM
Happy New Year, everyone! We wish you a bountiful year ahead, full of botanical delights.

This recently acquired seedling of Cycnoches warscewiczii (isn't that a mouthful? "Sick-no-keys var-se-veitch-ee-eye") started off our year, with a sole male flower, filling the sun room with a scent like Pineapple, Vanilla and Guava). It isn't hard to see why members of this genus are known as the "Swan Orchids"

[attachimg=1]

With any luck, 2022 will see this plant grow large with food, and produce a chain of blooms in autumn (don't know if we'll be able to handle the fragrance of multiple blooms!). Until then, we are happy to enjoy its first effort.

[attachimg=2]

Title: Re: House Orchids 2022
Post by: Nik on January 04, 2022, 07:53:47 PM
That is so elegant looking, Gordon!

Here is my intermediate orange Cymbidium today. It is underperforming this winter. Only 3 spikes with 14 buds total. A bit disappointing.. it produced several spikes during the summer outside and those always fail to develop properly. I imagine most energy went into those.
I have very hard time capturing the velvety nature of the lip with my phone.
Title: Re: House Orchids 2022
Post by: GordonT on January 06, 2022, 12:47:30 PM
Nik, I like the colour of your Cymbidium. Sadly, Cymbidiums are not commonly available here anymore. There was a time when you could count on seeing a plant or two for sale at certain supermarkets, or big box hardware stores, but those days are long gone.

You might want to try adding some epsom salts into your watering for the plants. Apparently Cymbidiums and Phalaenopsis can benefit from the added magnesium, resulting in higher bud counts on flower spikes.
Title: Re: House Orchids 2022
Post by: Nik on January 07, 2022, 01:50:01 PM

You might want to try adding some epsom salts into your watering for the plants. Apparently Cymbidiums and Phalaenopsis can benefit from the added magnesium, resulting in higher bud counts on flower spikes.
Gordon, I think you must be right. This year I did not use any magnesium sulfate (in contrast to previous years). Interestingly, only my intermediate Cymbidiums appear to be affected by it. My standard ones are doing great… for whatever reason. Here is an example with one of the spikes of my standard yellow hybrid. It is almost 1 m long and has 18 buds which are about to start opening. I will also post a picture when they fully open.
Title: Re: House Orchids 2022
Post by: cristoff on January 12, 2022, 04:54:13 PM
Wow, great blooms everyone. Great start to the year.

I have here a first time blooming of Phragmipedium Acker's Lovely. You can see the heavy influence of schlimii in this cross.
A good candidate for anyone looking to try growing Phrags as the plants are quite small and don't take up a lot of room.

Title: Re: House Orchids 2022
Post by: Nik on January 16, 2022, 04:36:00 PM
Almost there. On a very cold winter day, they are like a spot of sunshine inside the room.
Title: Re: House Orchids 2022
Post by: GordonT on January 16, 2022, 11:14:58 PM
Nik, I envy your cymbidiums. When we first returned to Nova Scotia, we could find them seasonally at a few local sources (supermarket 15 minutes away, and a big box hardware store about two hours drive from home). Neither source carries them anymore, and specialized mail order nurseries rarely have them in stock due to their size. It is nice to see your plants blooming in the dead of winter!
Title: Re: House Orchids 2022
Post by: Nik on January 18, 2022, 02:03:02 PM
Same here, Gordon. All of my cymbidiums were purchased from grocery stores many years ago. I have not seen them anywhere in the recent past. I love that they bloom this time of year. January and February is the peak for our conditions. And they last about 3 months if not cut (about a month and a half when cut) to cheer us up during the coldest time of the winter.
Title: Re: House Orchids 2022
Post by: Nik on January 21, 2022, 10:19:53 PM
Finally fully opened. One more spike with 17 buds about to start opening on this one.
Title: Re: House Orchids 2022
Post by: Nik on January 22, 2022, 01:38:42 PM
My giant green one is also beginning to put on a good show.
Title: Re: House Orchids 2022
Post by: Nik on January 31, 2022, 06:13:22 PM
I accidentally broke one spike near the top. Salvaged as a cut flower without stem on the dining table.
Title: Re: House Orchids 2022
Post by: Nik on February 04, 2022, 06:27:53 PM
This one is almost in full display now. Individual flowers are more than 10 cm wide.
Title: Re: House Orchids 2022
Post by: Nik on February 09, 2022, 09:47:54 PM
Not the best winter in orchid blooming indoors, but not bad either…
Title: Re: House Orchids 2022
Post by: Maggi Young on February 10, 2022, 12:44:42 PM
Not the best winter in orchid blooming indoors, but not bad either…

  Not bad at all!!
Title: Re: House Orchids 2022
Post by: ashley on February 10, 2022, 01:53:19 PM
Fine plants Nik, beautifully grown 8)
Title: Re: House Orchids 2022
Post by: Nik on February 14, 2022, 10:04:18 PM
Thank you Maggi and Ashley!
They are the easiest orchids to grow in our house. They summer outside. We moved in about 10 years ago. Before that, I was strictly a Cattleya person. Here are some old pictures. I gave them all away to friends. They did not like the new conditions in our house.
Title: Re: House Orchids 2022
Post by: Nik on February 14, 2022, 10:05:40 PM
Some more..
Title: Re: House Orchids 2022
Post by: Nik on February 14, 2022, 10:06:49 PM
And some more.
Title: Re: House Orchids 2022
Post by: Nik on February 14, 2022, 10:10:09 PM
I miss the fragrance….
Title: Re: House Orchids 2022
Post by: shelagh on February 15, 2022, 03:01:56 PM
Can anyone help with identifying this Orchid. It was given to Brian and I last year for our Golden Wedding and is just coming into flower again.

It has these swollen stems at the base  but it had no name when it arrived.
Title: Re: House Orchids 2022
Post by: ArnoldT on February 15, 2022, 03:10:21 PM
Shelagh

I'm no expert but looks a bit like an Oncidium.

Happy belated Golden Anniversary.
Title: Re: House Orchids 2022
Post by: shelagh on February 16, 2022, 10:23:53 AM
Thanks Arnold, it'll soon be 51 years, I can't believe it.
Title: Re: House Orchids 2022
Post by: Nik on February 18, 2022, 04:05:23 PM
I agree with ArnoldT, it’s an Oncidium hybrid, possibly Colmanara (Oncidium x Miltonia x Odontoglossum). Looks very happy.
Title: Re: House Orchids 2022
Post by: xmpraedicta on March 01, 2022, 03:38:37 PM
New to this forum, and excited to learn! I mainly grow epiphytic orchids, focusing on Angraecoid and Dendrobium species. I’m just starting to get into terrestrials, and bought my first pleione last week. Thought I’d share a few of my current bloomers. From top to bottom: Angraecum conchoglossum, Angraecum corrugatum, Dendrobium sanderae var. major, and Coelogyne flaccida.
Title: Re: House Orchids 2022
Post by: Tim Harberd on April 12, 2022, 04:07:28 PM
Went to visit the old man today (95 this month!). He doesn't grow much now except Paphs and Daffs. This one Paphiopedilum Maudiae.

Tim DH
Title: Re: House Orchids 2022
Post by: Maggi Young on April 12, 2022, 05:31:47 PM
New to this forum, and excited to learn! I mainly grow epiphytic orchids, focusing on Angraecoid and Dendrobium species. I’m just starting to get into terrestrials, and bought my first pleione last week. Thought I’d share a few of my current bloomers. From top to bottom: Angraecum conchoglossum, Angraecum corrugatum, Dendrobium sanderae var. major, and Coelogyne flaccida.
Fun plants!
Title: Re: House Orchids 2022
Post by: Maggi Young on April 12, 2022, 05:33:30 PM
Went to visit the old man today (95 this month!). He doesn't grow much now except Paphs and Daffs. This one Paphiopedilum Maudiae.

Tim DH
  I hope you will give your Dad the very best wishes from Ian and I for his birthday.  Good to know he is still enjoying orchids!
Title: Re: House Orchids 2022
Post by: Anders on November 12, 2022, 11:39:17 AM
Cymbidium iridioides, one for the alpine house.

Anders
Title: Re: House Orchids 2022
Post by: Anders on December 29, 2022, 10:37:21 AM
With all slipper orchids dormant in the garden it is nice to have the reliable Paphiopedilum hybrids flowering indoors this time of the year. Here it is the old hybrid P. Maudiae gx (P. callosum x P. lawrenceanum) similar to Tim's picture above and three versions of the cross Leeanum gx x Pinocchio gx (see here: https://www.srgc.org.uk/forum/index.php?topic=15228.0 (https://www.srgc.org.uk/forum/index.php?topic=15228.0)).

Anders
Title: Re: House Orchids 2022
Post by: ian mcdonald on December 29, 2022, 12:57:33 PM
I have tried various orchids including Cymbidium and Pleione and successfully killed every one.
Title: Re: House Orchids 2022
Post by: MarcR on February 04, 2023, 08:41:26 AM
Ian,

The most likely cause of  terrestrial orchid demise is over watering.
Epiphytic orchids are somewhat more difficult.
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