Orchid Show - Part 4

Cymbidium
A Cymbidium orchid is a great starter orchid to try your green thumb if you live in coastal California, New Zealand, Australia, South Africa or the Mediterranean. Originally from a higher altitude in Central and Southeast Asia, and all the way to Australia, the standard Cymbidium enjoys a cool climate and strong light with partial shaded conditions. But the smaller-flowered terrestrial and tropical species live in different environments, so even if you do not have perfect Southern California weather, you can still grow these beauties. Let me tell you a little bit more about the different types of Cymbidium.
Cymbidium has retained its status as a celebrity orchid for thousands of years since the time of ancient China. Why do people love them so much? Cymbidium orchid hybrids produce up to 30 flamboyant and sometimes fragrant blooms on a single spike, and the flowers last couple of months. The Cymbidium I received for my birthday (boyfriend, here’s your acknowledgment!) in January still looked pristine in April. But wait, there’s more! Even if you cut those spikes and put them in a vase, the flowers will last just as long. No wonder Cymbidium is one of the most popular orchids for corsages. And even though there are only 44 species, thousands of hybrids have been developed to satisfy people’s demand for variety.

Standard Cymbidium Orchid
“Standard” Cymbidium refers to the large-flowered species from the Himalayas and China. These well-loved plants produce large, attractive flowers that come develop plants that produce the fullest looking flowers. Even though they are tolerant of extreme temperatures, to thrive and to produce flowers, they require frost-free cool nights (below 53°F/12°C) and warms days.

Cymbidium demands a little more fertilizer than most other orchids, so be sure to apply fertilizer twice a month at half the strength that is prescribed on the instruction label. You can also use the slow-release fertilizer once a year and forget about it for the rest of the year.American Orchid Society provides a good one-page free culture sheet on standard Cymbidium, so you can print one out as a reference.

Lady Slipper Orchids
Paphiopedilum orchids are the most commonly grown lady slipper orchids because they are more adaptable to cultivation than other kinds of ladyslippers. People who love Paphiopedilum are truly nuts about them, and some even believe it should be considered a separate family of its own. That’s quite understandable. The bizarre pouch- like lips are nothing like other flowers.

The bottom sepals are merged to form a synsepal. The dorsal sepal is large and showy. In many slipper orchids, the two petals are quite flamboyant (imagine if Elton John were a flower); they can be so long as to reach 3 feet (1 meter) long in the case of Paphiopedilum sanderianum. It’s an awesome sight when the curly petals flow with the wind. Some Paphiopedilum even have warts and hair that are irresistible in a different way.

The 60 Paphiopedilum species are native to India, southern China, New Guinea and the Philippines. The first Paphiopedilum hybrid was registered in 1869, and now the genus is by far the single most hybridized orchid. These 13,000 wonderful hybrids are available in myriad colors, sizes and shapes. They can easily be grown at home, and each flower can provide you weeks, if not months, of enjoyment in many different colors.

Information supplied by Everything Orchids.

Orchid Show - Part 3

Cattleya
The Cattleya orchid is also called the “corsage orchid” because in the old days fashionable ladies used to sport an oversized Cattleya corsage to special events. Even though it is not so common to wear corsages anymore, the Cattleya orchid is still extremely popular among amateur and professional growers. They are perfect as cut flowers because they are long-lasting and come in an array of colors. The blooms are usually quite big; I’ve seen enormous Cattleya flowers that are as big as my face. (And I don’t have a small face by any standard!)
The discovery of Cattleya was an accident. In the nineteenth century, a moss and lichen collector just grabbed some random sturdy leaves in the forest as packing material to protect his collections en route from Brazil to England. A horticulturist, William Cattley, saw the strange packing material and decided to grow it.

Few years later, the strange plant produced some stunning blooms that rocked the world. The genus was therefore named Cattleya as a tribute to William Cattley, and the plant was then named Cattleya labiata. From then on, people started the crazy hunt for wild orchids in South America.

To this day, Cattleya orchids still define orchids; they are the benchmark of orchids. You may hear growers say “grow this orchid like Cattleya except a bit less light” or “this orchids need the Cattleya temperature.”

Because Cattleya species are founded throughout tropical Central and South America, these orchids like intermediate to warm temperatures (55 to 65°F/13 to 18°C in winter nights and 15°F/10°C or so warmer during the day) and medium bright light.

At home, it’s best to grow your Cattleya orchid by the southern, eastern or western windowsills. Provide as much light as it can take without burning the leaves; touch them to make sure they are not hot. When the plant receives its upper limit of light, it will show you a reddish tinge.

Since Cattleya orchids are epiphytes, they like their potting material to dry out between watering. Or if you live in humid area, you can even mount your orchid on a slab of wood or on the tree in your garden. That way, you would never over water your plant!

Information supplied by Everything Orchids.

Orchid Show - Part 2

The following text is from a wonderful site called Everything Orchids. Please click on the link for more information. It has all you want to know and more in growing and caring for orchids.

Growing Orchids for Beginners
Thank you for stopping by Everything Orchids! As the name implies, I want to show you everything about how to grow these cuties, such as how to take care of orchids, how to choose a plant, how to grow one indoors or outdoors and what to look for in cut flowers, plus much more!
There are myths about how difficult orchids are, but that’s totally not true. Most are super easy to grow. They have several basic requirements that can be quite easily satisfied. It does not take a high-tech greenhouse or a horticulture scientist to successfully grow and bloom these flowers. If I can do it, you can do it too! This website provides you a wealth of information on orchids and their cultivation.

I have been growing these beauties for about 10 years now. Since my first little baby from Home Depot, I have been so fascinated how interesting and beautiful they are. Each type is so different from another—you have Phalaenopsis that looks like a moth, Brassia that looks like spiders, Paphiopedilum that looks like slippers—yet they all belong to the same family.

Some of them have intoxicating fragrance, and some of them are so small that you have to use a microscope to see them. One thing you can be sure of—you will never get bored by them, because there are as many types as the number of stars!

I never have a greenhouse and never have a big area to grow, so I have to grow them by the windows, under lights indoors or in my small balcony. It all comes back to my point—orchids are easy to grow. You don’t need an elaborate and fancy environment to satisfy their needs! You CAN grow orchids!

Perhaps you just received a Cattleya as a gift and don’t know how to take care of it. Or you always like to grow plants and are interested in trying Cymbidium. Or you just want to grow a Phalaenopsis indoor to brighten the living space.

Whatever the reason, taking care of orchids is easy, and I would love to share my passion and knowledge with you!

Orchid Show - Part 1

Becky has made me want to get some orchids again as she is always showing us the spectacular ones she has.
They have to rank as one of the worlds most beautiful species of flowers

In my search for some on Saturday, I was told of a show they had on at one of the malls so I went there to see what they had and was over whelmed by the variety and colors on display.

What to choose? What to leave? I wanted them all!!

In the end, I restricted myself to just two, this one below was one of them, and a white one with a yellow lip which I will show you in the next post.

This has to be one of the most beautiful slippers I have seen.

I desperately wanted this orange one but they did not have a plant of it which they were selling so it is next on my list.

Orchids

The orchids are in bloom. This one has attached itself to a tree by the roots.
It is a large plant and I wonder that it is so secure there.
A few weeks ago it started to shoot out.
Now it is starting to open its flowers.
They are tiny, maybe one inch in length but pretty nevertheless.
These are some of the cultivated ones being sold right now.
They come in the most interesting colors.
This one unfortunately had a lot of watermarks on it but still lovely to look at.

Orchids 2 (Ochnaceae)

In South Africa, we do not have snow, mistletoe or any of the traditional things associated with Christmas, so I decided to post some of my favorite flowers to share with everyone

A VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS TO YOU AND YOUR FAMILY

May the day be filled with love, sharing and wonderful things.

Thank you for all your friendliness and support since I started blogging. It is greatly appreciated.