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.