Miltonia clowesii

Miltonia clowesii is a great example of the interesting patterns and designs nature can produce. When I first saw a Miltonia clowesii in bloom, I was sure it was a hybrid of some sort. I was shocked to find out it was, in fact, a species. The colors and patterns seem unreal, like something a fashion conscience person created. I am curious to find out more about its pollinators. Pollinators often provide clues as to why a bloom has a certain shape and/or color.

M. clowesii is native to Brazil. It is relatively temperature tolerant, but I grow mine pretty consistently in the intermediate range. I don't provide it with any special treatment over the winter. My general collection receives lower temperatures, less fertilizer, and less water over the winter. My M. clowesii is treated in this way over the winter. As for winter lighting, it is grown under lights or in an east window. It summers outside receiving bright light and generous water and fertilizer.

The blooms open successively, making the display last for well over a month. The flowers on the bottom of the spike fade before the buds on the top open. As the flower fade the white on the lip takes on a burnt orange color. Even though this signals the flower is dying, I still find it beautiful. I might need to expand my Miltonia collections.

Phragmipedium Sedenii

Phragmediums are pretty easy to grow... if your water has low TDS (total dissolved solids). I learned this the hard way. My first Phrag was a hybrid called Colorado Mission. I used a mixture of tap water and rain water. My tap water was about 380-420 ppm, which is pretty high. It is certainly too high for Phrags, even when diluting with rain water. As you may expect, my Phrag Colorado Mission slowly declined, and I finally had to toss it. Without access to pure water, I could not grow many sensitive orchids and has limiting the growth potential of many others. To address this concern, I purchased a Reverse Osmosis (RO) system. This filtration system removes just about every little particle from your water. Using the RO brought my tap water down to 0-10ppm which is perfect for Phrags. 

Later, I added a Phragmipedium Sedenii to my collection. Phrag Sedenii is a cross between Phrag. schlimi and Phrag longifolium.  It has thrived and bloomed well for me.

I grow mine intermediate in an east window. Its pot sits in a shallow container of water. This allows me to always keep it wet. I wait for the water in the bottom of the container to evaporate before watering again. Phrags are light feeders and salt sensitive. So I fertilize my Sedenii once a month or less with a very diluted fertilizer - about 1/8th strength. I allow the fertilizer to run through the pot then place the pot back in to the shallow container with clean water. 

They are successive bloomers and bloom for a very long time. This one has been flowering since May or June. One flower opens while another is developing. The first flower stays open for 3-4 week. Then it drops off while still in close to perfect condition. Next the developing bud opens, and the cycle repeats. I have seen some Sedenii carry more than one open flower at a time. I am not sure if this is a trait related to a specific cultivar or characteristic of a mature plant. Mine only has one mature fan and two developing fans. Maybe as it grows and matures it will be able to carry multiple open blooms at once. Time will tell. 

Paphiopedilum vejvarutianum

I received this small paphiopedilum from Andy's Orchids last year by mistake. I ordered a Paphiopedium charlesworthii so I was a bit surprised when the first bud opened to see this flower. Andy's identified my paph as a Paphiopedilum vejvarutianum. It is very easy to confuse vejvarutianum and charlesworhii when not in bloom. From talking with other, this mistake is pretty common. Andy's worked with me to correct the error. Side note: They are absolutely fantastic to work with and have the best customer service of any orchid seller I have done business with. 

Back to Paphiopedilum vejvarutianum! These seem to be pretty uncommon. I don't know of many places that sell them or many hobbyist who have them. Vejvarutianum is related to barbigerum. It originates from southwestern China and Thailand. I grow mine in an east window under intermediate conditions, and it has responded well. I had two spikes this year but one blasted before opening. I am pretty sure I allowed it to get too dry. Other than that little mishap it has been a strong grower that does not require a lot of fuss. 

The foliage is pretty compact with about 5-6" leaf spans. Based on what I have read, I am anticipating the leaf span to significantly increase as it matures. The flower is a little less than 3"  across and last. It is adorable.

Aerangis mystacidii - Updated

Last month I posted a picture of my Aerangis mystacidii blooming for the first time. The flowers were not characteristic of other Aer. mystacidii. My flowers opened with an uncharacteristic green hue and were missing the usual curl in the petal and sepal. So I wrote to Tom at Angraecums.blogspot.com. His suggestion was to take a photo again after the flowers had the chance to mature.

12 days later the flowers have lost most of their green hue. However, there is no real curl to speak of. I am not sure what to make of my little Aerangis mystacidii. 

Phragmipedium wallisii x Conchifera

I love the elegance of the twisted, long petaled Phragmipediums. When I see them I think about ballerina slippers pinned into a shadow box. These have been on my wishlist for a while. Unfortunately, these lovelies can get a bit large, like 3+ gallon bucket large. Recently I was browsing eBay and came upon a compact, long petaled hybrid that I decided to try out. Now introducing one of my summer additions: Phragmipedium wallisii-Conifera. 

It is 50% wallisii, 25% caricinum, and 25% longifolium and is very similar to a Phragmipedium Grande, just much smaller. It is about 14 inches tall with a 12 inch leaf span. So it fits nicely in my east window. It's pot is sitting in a shallow water dish. I water it once or twice a week. Once the water in the dish evaporates I water it again with pure water from my dehumidifier. I never allow it to dry completely but I don't keep it sopping wet.

The petals are continuing to elongate adding an increased the elegance to the flowers. It is a successive bloomer and has been in bloom for over two months. My one wish is that the flowers had more color. The color complaint is to minor I won't be looking for another clone anytime soon. Depending on how well I do with this one, I will get a couple of additional compact, long petaled Phrags. Maybe the contested Phragmipedium popwii or warscewiczianum is in my future. 

Coelogyne mooreana 'Brockhurst'

I recently started a small collection of Coelogyne species and hybrids. Although I have not seen all of them in bloom, I am willing to bet my Coelogyne mooreana 'Brockhurst' will be my favorite. I love the large pristine white flowers and the textured orange markings (keel) on the lip. It is an absolute show stopper. My only concern is its size. It is about 20 inches tall which is not a bad size. However the larger arching leaves eat into my limited bench space by constantly encroaching on its neighbor. Still, Coelogyne mooreana is worth the space.

This species originates from a monsoons climate so there are clearly defined dry and wet seasons. Considering this, here is how I grow it in my collection. Over the winter it experiences night temperatures into the high 40s to low 50s. Last winter, I reduced watering over winter but I went over board so now I have some accordion leaves. This winter I will provide more water. I am planning on once a weekly to every 10 days watering schedule. During the summer, I watered it pretty liberally, and it responded very well. I keep it in indirect bright light all year found. This orchid has great potential and I am looking forward to seeing in bloom again.

Encyclia bractescens

Most Encyclia species require a fair about of room due to their extremely long inflorescences. Some end up reaching over four feet. The plants themselves are generally very manageable on a windowsill or under lights until the inflorescences come. If you are interested in these tropical beauties but can not accommodate their flower spikes,  there are some options for you. Encyclia bractescens is a miniature to small growing Encyclia native to Mexico and Central America. The small egg shape pseudobulbs are topped with attractive grass-like foliage. As the pseudobulbs mature, inflorescences appear between the leaves. These inflorescences can reach about 12 inches and carry more than 12 two inch flowers. This small orchid puts on quite a long lasting show.

My Encyclia bractescens has been in bloom for over a month. I am very impressed with my first-time bloomer. The narrow, thin leaves indicate its ability to take relatively high light. So I grow it very close to a south window in the winter and in direct east morning light outdoors in the summer. It grows in warm to intermediate conditions year round. It likes to dry between waterings but its pseudobulbs will easily wrinkle when allowed to stay dry too long. Mine is growing in medium sized bark, charcoal, and perlite, and it is potted in a plastic basket.

Eventually I hope to mount a portion of it. It seems to be very tolerant of humidity levels between 40-50% and forgiving of slight under watering. In my book, that makes it a great choice for mounting  and displaying in windowsill or under lights. Plus, mounting would allow the flower spikes to hang in a graceful display. Hmm... maybe I will just buy another one and mount it.

Coelogyne ovalis

Here is another one of my recent Coelogyne additions. I purchased it in May at Windswept in Time's spring open house. Although Coelogyne ovalis has a reputation for having a rather dull flower, I find this one very captivating. Some Coelogyne ovalis can look a bit washed out. This one has a rich golden color to its petals and sepals. Plus a nice dark textured lip. So I think it is a very nice C. ovalis! But I am no expert so this could all be absolute non-sense. 

Coelogyne ovalis is known to be one of the tougher, more tolerant Coelogyne species. This one is living up to that reputation. I repotted it shortly after purchasing it. Most Coelogynes get really cranky about having their roots disturbed. Not this one. Three weeks following the repot, I noticed a small flower sheath emerging between the leafs. Arguably, the sheath was already developing. Still I was impressed it has not aborted. So I recommend this Coelogyne to anyone interested in growing Coelogynes. It seems to be a nice entry species.

I have been growing it evenly moist in an east window. Clearly, it has responded well. I water  it every 2-3 day. Anything less than this and the pseudobulbs start to shrivel. The east window is pretty warm (high 80s) when the sun shines in, but there is a fan close by keeping the air circulating. Soon all of my orchids will be moved to another room in the house, and this one will go under lights for the winter and experience cooler temperatures. My plan is to keep the orchids room between 75F and 55F over the winter. At that time, I will try to decrease its watering to better handle the cooler temperatures. I will see how it responds to the change and report back.

The only negatives I have noticed with this orchid is it rambling growth habit and successive blooming habits. Hopefully, my C. ovalis will branch to start to fill out the pot. Otherwise, it will become difficult to contain. Additionally, more branching will mean more flowers open at the same time. I have heard you can nick the rhizome of some species to encourage branching, but I rather have this happen naturally. Time will tell how it progresses. For now I will just enjoy the blooms and see what happens.

Aerangis mystacidii

I purchased three of these little darlings as small seedlings two years ago from Olympic Orchids. They all had cosmetic damage on their leaves so they were deeply discounted. I thought "Why not?!?" and bought them. I mounted all of them. Then I sold one at my local orchid society. The remaining two were kept on my growing shelves in front of a west facing window in the winter and under a shade tree in the summer. So far they have proven to be very temperature tolerant. I have grown them from 85F in the summer down to 48F degrees in the winter. Although I try to keep the humidity levels up, inside the house humidity averages around 50% most days. I try to water them every 2-5 days all year long. Most cultural notes recommend a slight winter rest. My version of a winter rest for this orchid is to decrease fertilizer and let it dry out completely between waterings, but not to allow it to stay dry too long. Regardless of the season, it is not allowed to stay dry more than 4 days.

It looks like my patience and hard works paid off with the first spike on the larger of the two seedlings. It took about 8 weeks for the spike to mature and the flowers to open. Aerangis mystacidii is a miniature African species in the Angraecoid alliance. Like other Angraecoids, it is fragrant at night. The fragrance is very light but it is there.

Six flowers on a small seedling is pretty good to me. However, a mature plant can carry up to 25 flowers on one spike. The flowers seem a bit small but that might improve as the plant matures. The flowers are cute and all, but the long spurs are what draws me in. These long spurs are common in Angraecoids and are specially adapted to suit their primary pollinator - a long-tongue hawk moth.

These blooms were definitely worth the wait. Hopefully, I am able to keep them happy and will get even more blooms next year!

Paphiopedilum niveum

This is my absolutely, adorable Paphiopedilum niveum! There is something extremely delightful about these perky 2.5" blooms. I think it is the burst of maroon freckles against the white background and the bright yellow staminode that gives you the warm and fuzzies. It is not the best form for a niveum. A better form would be much, more rounded. But as long as I like it, so what. Plus mine blooms about two to three times a year!

Paphiopedilum niveum is in the subgenus Brachypetalum. Members in this subgenus benefit from being grown in open, airy mixes and with a little more light than average for a paphiopedilum. Still an eastern window is more than adequate for these little beauties

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I have not found this Paphiopedilum to be difficult to grow or flower as long as I let it begin to dry a bit between waterings. I grow it under intermediate conditions with an occasional dip into the cool range in the coldest part of the winter. I don't think the dip into the cool range is desirable. It is simply a side effect of my growing conditions. 

  

 

Masdevallia oscitans

This little guy is one of my favorite Masdevallias.  Mostly because it blooms well at warmer temperates than most. Plus it blooms for a long time. The inflorescences (flower stems) have been active for over six months. Each flower hangs around for about a month and is then replaced with the next one. After several months there is a short rest, where no flowers are present. As long as the inflorescences is green more flowers will come. The flowers are small but look great in high numbers.

It has been outside all summer under moderate shade. The temperature gets into the low 80s in the day and mid 60s at night. I keep it moist but not wet. It is potted in sphagnum moss, bark, and charcoal. This one is definitely worth a try if you are interested in Masdevallias.

Prosthechea cochleata

This is a robust growing Prosthechea cochleata orginally from H&R. Since I purchased it last year,  it has had root die back from too much water, been desiccated by too little water, and been attacked by mites. And it is still going strong! A member of my local orchid society grows his damp in sphagnum moss. When I tried that method, the roots started to die. Next I tried to grow it dry  as a few forums suggested.  The pseudobulbs shriveled miserably. Finally, I landed on a bark based mix with a little sponge rock, charcoal, and sphagnum moss. I think the key is to have a mix the retains some moisture but dry in about 3 days. Between my mix and the clay pot it is in, this plant is completely dry in 3-4 days. I start to see pseudobulb shriveling in about that time so I water every other day.

One of the great thing about this orchid is that it will be in bloom for months. The buds keep on coming and the spike keeps getting longer. So if you have one remember not to cut the spike until it is brown. Also give plenty of water in an airy mix and provide with bright light and good air circulation.

So It Began...

I started growing orchids on a drafty windowsill in my apartment. During grad school, I grew orchids for the aesthetic appeal and the for the challenge. My first orchid was a cute little miniature Phalaenopsis hybrid that my then boyfriend, now fiance, gave me. Unfortunately, it had a little fungal or bacterial rot, and I was not knowledge enough to treat. It took a few months to die, but it eventually died. While waiting for the poor thing the die, we went to the Cleveland Botanical Gardens for Orchid Mania. After that I was hooked and I was determined to grow orchids no matter what. Five years later, I am still growing orchids. I have moved from a windowsill to a grow room and from five orchids to over one hundred. This blog is a simple way for me to share my venture deeper into the orchid hobby. Orchids are not my only hobby. From time to time, some of my other hobbies will make guest appearances. 

By the way, the picture above was the first non-phalaenopsis I purchased - a Miltassia Shelob 'Tolkien' from Trader Joe's. It also died... Clearly that did not discourage me.