Visit to the Pleione nursery of Ian Butterfield

[Paul Cumbleton]

It is worth mentioning that Ian says this variegated clone of Captain Hook is not stable - some years it comes variegated but other years the leaves are plain green. I have occasionally had variegated seedlings arise in my breeding programme, but they are often weak and don't live long or unstable and unreliable in producing their variegation just like this Captain Hook of Ians. At present, as a result, I have just one tiny variegated bulb on its last legs and not expected to last the season, and a clone of P. scopulorum that sometimes produces leaves with a single white stripe down the leaf.

Paul

[Maren]

Hi Paul,
thank you for pointing that out. I bought a variegated form of formosana some years ago and they did just what you said. I thought it was due to my bad cultivation. Feel a bit better now. Cheers.

How are your pleiones doing? I hope they are in fine fettle. Mine just seem to want to go on and on. A late season, I expect. I have had to take some out of their pots because the new bulbs were getting too big for them and the pots were being deformed. Bit of a nuisance but good news all the same.

[Maren]

Hi Luc,

Pleione magelik "Black..." (sorry, missed the rest of the name...  )

this is called Pleione Mageik 'Black Kite'.

[Luc Gilgemyn]

Thanks for pointing that out Maren - it really could have been named "black magic" : it's superb !

[giorchids]

prova

[Maren]

Scusi?

[Maren]

Hi,

just passed Ian' nursery and took a rather inferior pic of Pln. scopulorum, two flowers on one bulb and another one behind, and losts of buds showing. Droooool.

And he also showed me some enviable pots and bowls of Pln maculata, one in flower and the others budding nicely. He grows these in a room upstairs all year round. What a plantsman!!

[karel_t]

I'm sorry Maren to disappoint you, but that is P. saxicola not P. scopulorum. However, very nice!!!
Karel.

[Slug Killer]

Simple slip of the tongue I think by Maren.

Have done the same on many occasions writing labels for these two.

[Maren]

Pln saxicola indeed, slip of the tongue (or brain), sorry, my mind was elsewhere, thanks for putting it right.

[Maren]

Ian brought a bowl of outstanding beauty to an orchid society meeting last Thursday, which prompted me to pop in to take another look and a photo. To my delight, he brought along two more bowls, equally stunning. These plants are natural and artificial hybrids; all have Pln maculata in them and therefore they require warmer temperatures than your 'normal' pleione. Ian grows them on a bedroom windowsill during the colder part of the year (October to May) and in his pleione house for the rest of the year.

Pln Lagenaria (maculata x praecox) natural hybrid
Pln Confirmation (maculata x praecox) bred by the late Jan Berg
Pln Liz Shan 'Pretty Girl' (Lagenaria x maculata) also bred by Jan Berg

[Maggi Young]

Pleione maculata is such a gorgeous flower it is no wonder these hybrids are so pretty with those great markings. A treat to see them, Maren..... thanks to you and to Ian B!

[Luc Gilgemyn]

Stunning flowers Maren !  These pans look out of this world ! 
Thanks so much for showing them ! 

[karel_t]

Maren, thanks for showing these amazing Ian’s plants.
The lip marking of P. Liz Shan is really very nice.

However, one thinking:
As we can see, P. x lagenaria, Confirmation and Liz Shan are looking very similar because they have a same parents. I discussed with Ian about his hybrid P. Lassen Peak (P. praecox x P. x lagenaria) and he was very disappointed with result of this crossing. So I think we should better choose the parent for hybridisation and our aim should be to obtain new shape, colour, flowering time, etc. I think, make the next hybrids like this is a little bit unneeded.
K.

[Maren]

Hi Karel, I guess it's: some you win and some you loose. I have noticed that one doesn't always get what one expects or would like.