some beauties just flowering

[fredg]

Nice Darren 

How hardy is that?

[Darren]

Hi Fred,

Note I've just changed the ID to S. longicolle.

No idea how frost hardy it would be - I grow it just frost free with my other Cape plants. It has certainly tolerated -2 or -3C for a short time.

[mark smyth]

very nice Darren

[Tony Willis]

some different dactylorhiza plants
The first five are self sown and one of the ones by the pond is fasciated this year. It could have been caught by a bit of weedkiller at some stage. There are over 100 self sown ones flowering this year.

The next is Dactylorhiza Eskimo Nell. Not very exciting and I see from other comments it may have virus. It is not a good plant and I thought perhaps it either was a poor thing or been grown badly,I had not considered virus.

The last two are Dactylorhiza saccifera and the second of these has very large bracts and small flowers,not worth growing (perhaps a new species !!)

[Hristo]

Hi Tony,
Is there a whole poulation of these small flowered forms?
Probably it's just an aberant form, like hyper and hypochromic individuals?
D.saccifera is local to me and has established itself rapidly in the garden
one of its homes is a drain outlet!

[Tony Willis]

Chris  I do not know if others are small flowered but the first one is from the same area and has more'normal' flowers. Probably just a one off.

Cypripedium reginae in flower today

[Maggi Young]

We're not so sure that Eskimo Nell is virused.... here at lkeast. As is often the case with white versions of plants, this one is not always so robust, though when growing well it does a pretty good job of making big stems and flowers. The foliage can appear superficially "dodgy" because it has all the markings of a spotted Dact. but washed out, so to speak.... the markings are just ghostly remnants on the leaves.If the spots were the same colour as those on a regular spotted dact you would think nothing of it, but the marks on Eskimo Nell are like leftover marks after a stain has been washed out!  They are rounded and regular, not like the blotches and streaks typical of virus, though without a good close examination, one could be forgiven fopr thinking otherwise.

[fredg]

 PINK WARNING

Disa watsonii

[daveyp1970]

I'd like to point you all to this page, makes for good reading http://www.albiflora.eu/blog/

[Maggi Young]

I'd like to point you all to this page makes for good reading http://www.albiflora.eu/blog/

Thank you, Davey, a very useful link.

[Maren]

Hi,
this will probably be my last lot of flowers, except for the Spiranthes later on.

Bletilla striata;
Cypripedium, a cross made by Jan Moors, can't remember the parents;
Cypripedium kentuckiense, 90cm tall, wish it were 50cm with lots of growths instead;
Cypripedium reginae, I liked the pouch;
Epipactis mairei, a great favourite, especially the form with bordeau coloured stems; not that easy to grow I find;
Epipactis Sabine;
Pleione chunii;
Pleione hookeriana;
Pogonia ophioglossoides, a sweet little number that grows with my pleiones and likes to sit in rain water all year round.

[angie]

WOW.. love Pleione chunii
Angie

[KentGardener]

I'd like to point you all to this page makes for good reading http://www.albiflora.eu/blog/

Fantastic link Davey - many thanks.

[Graham Catlow]

I thought this was never going to flower. Its been in the bud stage for ages.

Bletilla striata 'Soryu' Blue Dragon.
The first picture was taken in the shade and it looks quite blue. The next were taken in the sun and shows the true colour. Not quite the blue I was expecting but a lovely Bletilla all the same. Perhaps I will have to look at it in the shade all the time.

Graham

[mark smyth]

Tomorrow I'm going to N Irelands orchid heaven. I've known about it for years but have never gone. Hopefully I'll have lots of photos to show.

Mustnt forget the trowel only joking