The Plant Geek Chronicles

An introduction to Orchids as Houseplants

2011-09-30T00:25:00.001-04:00

Frequently I hear ‘orchids are just too sensitive’ or ‘I could never…’, but honestly orchids are not always as difficult as people think. With the number of orchid species estimated at as much as 30,000 species (not a typo, see also Kew: Science and Horticulture: Orchidaceae) and native species found on every continent and climate except Antarctica, plus countless man-made hybrids, finding something right for your house is just about knowing what to look for in an orchid plant. Keeping it alive is just about being well informed (and occasional watering).

How is an orchid different? While there are many answers to this question, what really matters to the home grower is that many orchids, and certainly most of the common types grown as houseplants, are epiphytes. This is a situation where the plants use a tree branch (or occasionally rock crevice) as a condominium. They are not parasitic, just opportunistic. What this means to you as the home grower is that orchid roots are accustomed to an environment where while there might be frequent rain, there is also strong air movement. Many types can even be grown on a wood plaque with no media around the roots (see article here). Similarly, if your nicely potted plant has a root sticking out of the pot somewhere you shouldn’t be alarmed – in orchids this is not necessarily cause to repot. Some orchids just don’t really understand the concept of a pot and so throw their roots in every direction.

Good watering methods are key to root health. Watering of some houseplants is accomplished by leaving them to sit in water for hours at a time. This is not recommended with orchids (with a couple exceptions of some Phragmipedium species that live on river side rocks) as it may lead to root rot. The easiest thing to do is water the orchid by running plenty of water through the pot from the top. Once the media is well wetted, let it drain, then return it to the window.

For best results, orchids are potted in a fluffy or chunky mix that gives a nice balance of holding moisture but allowing air circulation. To maintain root health, repotting your orchids into fresh potting media every one to three years is recommended. Here is a repotting article.

Ok, so all that is great, but how to pick an orchid??

The most important piece of advice is to purchase a plant that is well established. You certainly can have success also with that $5 seedling in a two inch pot, but you will likely find it easier with more immediate gratification to buy a plant that is at least within 1-2 years of blooming for the first time. When buying a plant in person, especially at a place like the grocery store, challenge the plant by gently grabbing the leaves and lifting or moving the plant back and forth to see how well it is rooted into that pot. Good roots mean a healthy plant and more likely success.

Second is to look for a plant that matches your light conditions. For up to a few weeks at a time during blooming you can stick an orchid where it won’t get much light (say, the kitchen table) to enjoy it, but the rest of the year you will want to find a window for it to live in. Here’s a handy guide for commonly available orchid types, based on an unobstructed window, plant sitting right on the windowsill:

North facing window: Rather weak light. You might be able to grow a Paphiopedilum (Paph) there, or some Phalaenopsis (Phal). If it doesn’t bloom for you, supplement with fluorescent light.

East facing window: Great spot for Paphiopedilums and Phalaenopsis.

West facing window: Also great spot for Paphiopedilums and Phalaenopsis. Frequently this is also enough light for some Dendrobium (Den or Dend) plants or certain miniature Cattleya (Slc. or Pot.) hybrids, as well as several Oncidium types.

South facing window: This is your brightest light, excellent for Cattleya hybrids (Slc., Lc., C., Blc., Pot., Sl., Lc….), many Dendrobiums, and Oncidium intergeneric hybrids.

If you aren’t sure what category your plant-of-interest falls into, ask the grower for more details. They want you to succeed too!

I always recommend if you aren’t sure, go with a Phalaenopsis (Phal.) or Paphiopedilum (Paph.). These types are easy to grow, adaptable, and you can always make a very bright window less so by setting the plant back from the glass a little or using a sheer curtain to filter the light. Other culture details are fairly similar for the two types. You can find an article on growing phals here.

UPDATE: IOSPE and Dockrillia bowmanii

2011-07-25T13:02:00.002-04:00

Hey folks, just a quick note to tell you I'm still alive and let you know there's a new photo of Dockrillia bowmanii on the Internet Orchid Species Photo Encyclopedia! Check it out here. You may remember this photo - it is one of mine. You can see more photos of the species on this older post.

I did at that time of that post introduce bowmanii and rigidum to each other, but they didn't really get along. There are no awesome seedlings to report. Not surprising. They're pretty different in terms of growth habit, and those weird Dendrobium alliance things can be picky about their dates. Pity.

Remember, if you have orchid culture questions, please feel free to ask. I enjoy chatting about plants, but also questions are usually the inspiration for some of my best articles, and I could really use a jump start! My blogging battery seems a bit dead here. Sorry about that, working on it...

2011 MOS Show

2011-03-13T17:42:00.010-04:00

The Maryland Orchid Society annual show was held this weekend at the state fairgrounds in Timonium, MD. I went for a look on Friday evening and brought back the following images for you. This year the show seemed smaller than in previous years, and at the risk of being critical, there were a surprising number of flowers in less than optimal shape. I rather think folks should only send their best. That said, there were still several gems to be seen at the show.

First, lets look at some exceptional Cattleya hybrids:

Rlc. Lebenkreis, exhibited by Fishing Creek, was awarded an AM of 80 points at the show. It had wonderful color, velvety texture, and pleasing shape. The plant is bred out of Slc. Circle of Life and at first, that is what I thought I was looking at. A very lovely little thing.

A very nicely grown Slc. (a.k.a. Cattlianthe) Hazel Boyd 'Apricot Glow' HCC/AOS. This cross is of special note for its extensive use in hybridizing. Hazel Boyd was registered in 1975, and since, 154 hybrids have been registered which used Hazel Boyd as a parent. I don't know offhand how many grandchildren it has, but I'm sure there are many.

Incidentally, Slc. Jewel Box was a parent of Slc. Hazel Boyd. This clone is 'Dark Waters' AM/AOS, and is very well grown and bloomed out.

For this group, we'll end with Slc. Memoria Alvin Beggman 'Poem', which I thought was devastatingly cute. In fact, if you know who might be offering these wholesale, please let me know. The plant was very compact, and the color was clear and bright.

From here, we'll move on to Cattleya species, which have become a fascination of mine of late.

First up is Cattleya intermedia var. orlata 'Crown Fox' HCC/AOS. The plant was wonderfully bloomed with more buds emerging. A wonderful show of a nice variety with excellent color. I have some C. intermedia v. orlata seedlings in the shop.

C. lueddemanniana 'Lovelei' is another nice, but likely overlooked species. It has the look of a generic "big purple cattleya," but still has some nice markings that set it apart. Look at the venation/striping in the throat - very striking.

Laelia jongheana 'Turnberry' AM/AOS is a species I see occasionally at shows, and possibly I'm even seeing the same plant or couple of plants making the rounds to the spring shows. It doesn't seem to be a commonly grown species, nor commonly for sale as far as I've noticed, but it does produce very nice, flat, pastel but color saturated flowers, making a very pleasing image.

Last in this group is a very tiny Laelia bradei, with several sunshine yellow flowers on a tiny little plant. The plant was perched up on the top edge of the display, almost out of my photographic reach. This is one of those rupicolous Laelias, typically found as a low-growing, fleshy plant on rocky areas.

Following the L. bradei, we'll look at a couple other miniature species found at the show.

Cadetia taylori is a species I've always thought was adorable. This is a tallish one at perhaps 4" tall, and grown into a neat porcupine on its little stick mount. Flowers are typically about half a cm with fragrance like anise, though I've always thought if I sniffed to hard I'd snort them right up my nose.

Leptotes tenuis, approximately a 2-3 inch tall plant.

And no miniature selection would be complete without a cute little Bulbophyllum species. This one was labeled pleuro-thallianthum, which I've never heard of and isn't listed in the ISOPE database, but that isn't hard to do with Bulbophyllums. There are so many. Its flowers remind me of a species I once had called macroleum, but I think the growth morphology was slightly different.

In closing, I'll leave you with my favorite Paphiopedilum of the day:
This Paph. haynaldianum x philippinense had beautiful markings with striking contrast and clear, deep color. I suspect it wasn't finished opening, though, and as it matures, the petals will probably twist and may elongate. The only thing that would make it more awesome would be a dark pouch. But even still, I'd really like to have that.

2011 Paph Forum

2011-03-06T22:15:00.004-05:00

Hi folks! This post is a couple weeks late, but hopefully will mark my getting back on track for more frequent plant-i-licious posts. It has been a winter of much knitting, working, and complaining bitterly about the lack of sunshine. I say, "Bring on Spring!"

This year's National Capitol OS Paph Forum was held at Behnkie's Nursery in Beltsville, MD, due to the typical meeting place at the National Arboretum being under construction. It was an interesting change, presenting some good and bad points. For one, it presented a brighter space. Better light makes looking at the plants and taking photos easier, though in some cases the light was so bright that it was difficult to get photos that weren't washed out, and the backgrounds were a bit busy in some cases. The Arboretum space is always rather dark; it can be difficult to get decent photos at all. However, the space we were in for lectures is of typical greenhouse construction. Between the wind whistling across the roof and opening and closing of vents there was a lot of background noise. But regardless, the event went off without a hitch.

For your entertainment, here are a few photos from the event.

Phrag. Mary Bess 'Holly Vhee'

Phrag. Richter x Pink Panther

Paph. richardianum

Paph. micranthum 'Thoroughbred' AM/AOS

Paph. haynaldianum 'Grace Botamy'

Hi Everyone!

2010-12-12T19:58:00.004-05:00

Haven't posted in a while, but I'm still lurking about. Last Friday I had a table at the University of Maryland at Baltimore craft show, where I got to meet lots of plant and knitting- interested folks. I enjoyed talking to you all. I'd like to remind you all that I'm happy to help, so don't be afraid to send me your questions. :)

I also got to test out my awesome new banner. Check it out there, all glossy and whatnot. Isn't it cool?

Pest control: Meet "George"

2010-11-26T01:31:00.004-05:00

Meet "George", my new pest control manager. George: Keeping our Cattleyas safe from stink bugs since... yesterday.

Notice the discarded leg on the petal below. George does a good job, but he's a bit sloppy at the table.

In Bloom: A Study of Dendrobium bowmanii

2010-11-20T09:07:00.005-05:00

These are Dendrobium bowmanii, synonym mortii, synonym Dockrillia bowmanii. I have five of these and four are currently in bloom. As you can see in the photos, they grow on long, spindly stems with needle-like leaves perhaps 3 inches long and very narrow, flowering from the nodes at the base of the fleshy leaves like other Dockrillas. Notice also the flowers are held up-side-down, another Dockrilla trait. The flowers are vaguely fragrant with a minty odor, matching nicely with their yellow-green color, and last about 2-3 weeks.

According to IOSPE, the species is native to mangrove swamps in Australia, and prefers warm to hot temperatures year round with a slightly drier winter rest.

I also have a Dendrobium rigidum blooming right now. I think I'll go off and introduce them to each other to see if we can't get something interesting...

In Bloom: Random Orange Stuff

2010-11-09T11:59:00.006-05:00

It's Autumn, and we here on the East coast have been enjoying the fall foliage. It is ephemeral, fleeting, beautiful but ever-changing and far too temporary. But believe it or not, with the waning of Autumn color marks an increase in the number of blooming activity at our house, especially orchids, but I've got some other things as well. In honor of Autumn color, here are a few orange selections.

Sophronitis cernua blooming out of season. Supposedly they are Spring bloomers, but this is not the first time I've seen one have other ideas. This species is native to Southeastern Brazil, in warmer and brighter locations than you would typically find the other Sophronitis species. Hence, this one may grow for people that have had trouble with its cool and shady -growing relatives.

This is Clivia x Crytanthiflora, a naturally-occurring hybrid between two species miniata and nobilis. I've shown you this plant before, but I rather like her so you get to see her again. I did a major repotting of most of my clivias (it was kind of like, "when did I get SO MANY!?") this summer, and attempted to repot this one. Note: "Attempted." I couldn't get it out of the pot. When happy, Clivias have a rather aggressive root system consisting of thick, succulent, tentacle-like structures, a style which is consistent with certain other plants of South African origin, such as Strelitzias, and bearing some similarity to the structure of certain beefy orchid roots. I had two options with this plant: Break it out of the pot or leave it be. I wasn't in the frame of mind to crack open a very thick clay pot, and if the root system was that dense I wasn't sure I had an appropriately sized pot for it to go into, so I took option B.

I love aloes, especially the little ones with cool leaves, but this is perhaps my favorite. This is Aloe bellatula. That is a 3 inch clay pot. I divided this plant this spring, selling one division, and keeping this one and one other. I had fully intended to sell another division, but they're just SO CUTE. Give me time, I'll either produce more divisions or will finally reconcile giving up my extra. Its like meeting a litter of kittens...I just want to keep them all. Anyway, its easy to grow and a reliable bloomer, though not as prolific a bloomer as some of the little Aloes, it does bloom at least once every year with these adorable bell-shaped orange-peach flowers. I'm not terribly knowledgeable on succulents, but I'll tell you what works for me. I keep the plant with my intermediate-growing cattleyas, meaning it lives in my unheated basement during the Winter and gets watered a lot less than during the Summer, but does still get watered a least a little bit every 2-3 weeks. In summer it gets watered every 2-3 days, especially when it is very hot and sunny.

How I got started

2010-11-08T14:54:00.008-05:00

The following is my entry for participation in the EtsyCREST Blog Carnival, Nov 2010. The prompt is, "How did you get started in your art/craft?"

As many of you are already aware, I'm involved in a variety of endeavors, but my main thing is still plants, primarily orchids. I've been interested in horticulture since I was a kid, dazzled by my Granddad's enormous houseplants and extensive vegetable garden. I grew a number of things, and still have a few of the Dracaenas I got back then as wee cuttings. They're shrubs now. By the way, if you have one of these and it doesn't do much for you, try moving it (gradually) to a very bright South-facing window. These things are trees in the wild.

But I digress. I would page through and read generic houseplant books, making lists of things I'd like to try. Orchids seemed the gold standard. They have that reputation of being a challenge, but the promise of spectacular success is unrivaled - large, long lasting flowers in a variety of shapes and colors. Little did I know just how much variety.

I received my first orchid as a gift, which died a spectacular death of rot as a result of bad advice. As a plant enthusiast, I had to try again, this time armed with better resources. As luck improved, so did the desire for more plants and information, as is so often the case. While in college, I joined AOS and began attending NCOS meetings, and you could often find me on the weekends at Arbec Orchids. Working at Arbec resulted in an exponential increase in orchid-growing experience and trivia, including some tutelage from Roger Cole in orchid breeding techniques and lore.

Arbec has since moved and become a smaller business selling only at markets and shows, but some of you will still see evidence of it in my plants as I still have a couple rolls of the outdated Arbec plant tags... I really should get my own.

My research projects in college and for several years after focused on plant gene expression, providing handy access to laboratories with quality equipment and the experience for sterile culture. Given that I always enjoyed growing things from seed, the next logical step then seemed to try growing orchids from seed.

These days I have moved on to work on bacterial pathogens, but the clandestine Friday night use of the labs for orchid seed sowing is simply accepted as one of my quirks. My house is crammed with plants, and these days, flasks and young seedlings.

Are you looking to get started with orchids? Here's some orchid culture articles to get you started, and always feel free to drop me a line through Etsy or by email!

See how my other teammates got started:
The Dragon Nthly
raine studios
Birch Tree Jewelry
Twisted Cow
CT² Designs
Sandi Volpe
Sew Artsy Amy
Purple Clover Art
Fripperie
Turquoise Angels
Of Cats and Crafts

The Rabbit Disaster of 2010

2010-11-07T23:59:00.005-05:00

This is Rosalind, born here at the farm New Year's Eve 2009. In addition to the photo at left, we have extensive evidence of her cuteness. But *do not be fooled!*

I was away a couple days, and I came home to mass destruction. Example below.

There was much munching on several cattleya plants, some blooming size, some compots, like this one. This pot was the worst of the compots, and one of the in-bud plants was reduced to a few growths from about 8. Needless to say, I was angry. Hairy monster.

Note to self: Do not keep rabbits and orchids on same floor of house.

I suppose in retrospect I should have suspected she was not the angelic fuzz-producer she passed herself off as. I did, after all, witness this chummy water-cooler discussion between her and the local daemons.

In Bloom: Happy Halloween

2010-10-31T20:16:00.004-04:00

What is it??? Dead things, hairy things, fake dead things with fake worms? Ew. It sure smells like dead things.

This is Stapelia gigantea, with flowers easily 10 inches across and up to 12 inches across. The buds take weeks to develop. By the time they're the size of a small lemon you think, "It's sure to open soon!" But alas, it will still have several weeks to go. They pop (litterally) open when they get to about the size of an average orange. Then they proceed to stink and attract flies.

Most people will grow these in well drained soil, but ever the oddball, my approach is to grow it in sphagnum moss, allowing it to dry out completely between watering. Obviously, you can't keep it in constantly wet sphagnum, but regular wet/dry cycles works out just fine. They'll want bright light to full sun, such as the conditions in which you might grow Cattleyas. This beastie was grown from a cutting rooted about a year ago, and during that time it has doubled in size (and weight! heavy plant). They're easy to grow and very interesting to look at. Certainly a plant worth having, just don't put it on the dining room table when you have guests.

In Bloom: Blue(ish) Things

2010-10-24T23:07:00.004-04:00

Hi folks! I'm still alive in my little cave. Been busy around here, but life with the plants keeps trudging on as well.

Today I thought I'd share two sort-of blue things in bloom. The first is Lc. Cariads Mini-Quinee (C. intermedia x Lc. Mini Purple). I bought a small group of these seedlings a little while back because I rather like Mini Purple, though my favorite clone is 'Tamami', which isn't blue. This was most likely bred from one of the many coerulea clones. For those of you checking your monitor color, no, it isn't blue as in cobalt, blueberry, or anything else of that nature. Blue in orchids is this funny purple way off into the cool color spectrum.

I'm rather pleased with this plant. It is nice and compact, like you would expect from that parentage. Higher flower count would be nice, but Mini Purple being L. pumilia x C. walkeriana, you can't expect it to be too high. It is also a first bloom, so maybe on the next we'll get two or three flowers. It is very lightly fragrant.

While taking pictures of it, I realized it has about the same colors as my current weaving project. I'm going to pretend that was on purpose. :)

Our second plant only does the vague impression of blue, and is actually pink. It is Phal. Equalacea 'Leesburg Sky' x violacea v. coerulea 'Nancy's Gift'. It could have been blue, but it isn't. I've decided I don't care. This one opened kinda funny, but in general they're cute, novelty type flowers with sweet fragrance, and it intermittently throws flowers throughout the summer. I tried to breed it earlier this Summer but it didn't take. In general it hasn't been a good summer for breeding orchids for me - lots of failures which I'm rather cranky about. So instead I have some flasks on the way from Florida. Nothing beats instant gratification.

In other news, I've got ten overgrown compots of cattleya seedlings to plant out. Heaven help me. That's a lot of untangling...

Foliage in the News: Fighting off a 'Case of the Mondays'

2010-09-29T16:33:00.001-04:00

A study published in Feb 2008 cites keeping plants at your desk may result in more satisfaction with your job. Based on surveys, the study finds that employees with live plants or windows in their offices had more positive and mellow responses to a range of questions vs. those who lived in a basic cube. Basically, they tended to feel more like people with good jobs rather than rats in a maze with bad food.

This makes me wonder if the move Office Space would have gone differently if the plant on Milton's desk wasn't dead. (check out this clip on YouTube, upper right hand corner)

Moral of the day: fix up your desk with a snazzy new plant and have a better day!

Read more about it:

The original journal article:
Dravigne, Andrea, Waliczek, Tina Marie, Lineberger, R.D., Zajicek, J.M. The Effect of Live Plants and Window Views of Green Spaces on Employee Perceptions of Job Satisfaction HortScience 2008 43: 183-187 [link]

Science Daily Report

LA Times Article

Pocket Guides for Bugs & Healthy Foods

2010-09-26T16:43:00.001-04:00

Just wanted to share a couple useful pocket guides.

The first one is the Organic Essentials guide to help you with your grocery shopping by showing which foods pose the greatest risk of high pesticide concentrations. Some plants absorb various toxins differently, and may hold more in the tissues than others. Other plants may not absorb toxins, but may be constructed such that washing away the pesticides is more difficult. Still others may require higher application of pesticide for good crop set. Regardless of the reason, this guide will help you make educated choices for your family when you can't always choose organic. (Please note, you should still wash all fruits and veggies, even organic ones.)

The next one is an indispensable guide every gardener should see. It identifies various predatory insects that will help clean out any pests that may be attacking your flowers and veggies. I heart predatory insects! :)

Armchair Traveler - Photos of the Longwood Estate

2010-08-31T15:15:00.008-04:00

Longwood Gardens, Kennett Square, PA.

Although I usually go to see the plants, and mainly those in and around the conservatory, occasionally I wonder the grounds at Longwood as well, and I always wonder what it would have been like to live on the estate. While specimens like this Dogwood tree in fruit are spectacular in their own right, there is much more to the place than the cultivated portions.

Here is a virtual tour of just a few of the highlights.

A lovely Italian style portico off the pump house at the main fountain garden, one of a few enormous fountain systems on the property built in the early 1900's. The portico includes built in benches, were you might sit and rest from the sun, while considering the peace of the trees and birds.

Also part of the Main Fountain Garden, these fellows are getting on in years. Currently they are not in use pending restoration, but the surrounding fountains are still in operation. This garden includes colored lights, used in flashing patterns set to music during their Festival of Fountains. According to the Longwood website, the most powerful jet in this garden reaches a height of 130 feet.

Imagine having a picnic here on the grass, complete with a bottle of Chianti and gentle violin notes on the breeze. Perhaps after you might retire to the portico to relax against the benches and discuss the day's events, or the upcoming evening.

Among several architectural and foliage wonders, the conservatory includes a large ballroom, lavishly appointed with (walnut?) parquet floor, fabric paneled walls, marble trims and etched glass ceiling (above), not to mention its breathtaking views of the conservatory (below). The conservatory also houses an Aeolian Pipe Organ, with the console instrumentation in the ballroom itself and the pipes behind one wall of the ballroom. The wall has openings into the pipe chambers, hence the fabric wall coverings. It is...nothing short of spectacular. The custom-built monster consists of over 10,000 pipes and is the largest of its kind ever constructed. It is currently being restored. You can see the pipes but they do not play it. Personally, I would love nothing more than to hear it played, and can't wait for the opportunity.

Perhaps after attending the ball, you may take a stroll through the Conservatory...

...And then out into the grounds. While pausing to admire the Chinese anemone (A. tomentosa), you might look up to discover you have left behind your European vacation, only to find yourself in a fairy tale.

Rapunzel would have been proud of this tower. The Chimes Tower houses the Longwood estate's Carillon, which was also fairly recently restored. For more information on the history and construction of the organ and carillon, check this page.

Perhaps, though, you may find this tower is not Rapunzel's home, but home to the mythological beings. Whatever am I on about? Well, the place seems to be infested with nymphs (see below).

I suppose hemlock trees attract them.

Ironweed and Lobelias

2010-08-29T22:47:00.006-04:00

How often do you take time to look at the "weeds"? Most likely, if you were to pass a patch of Lobelia cardinalis (Cardinal Flower) (left) you would take notice. They are shockingly red, and in a colony they are exceptionally striking. There's almost no way you wouldn't notice them. But oddly, before this patch I don't think I've seen live ones before - only photos. According to the USDA Plants profile, the plant is native to wetlands across most of the US and Canada. It is only listed as under watch in a few states, so perhaps I have just not ever been at the right place at the right time. This particular stand, in partial shade in a mildly swampy, low lying area right next to the road, was quite breathtaking. They are attractive to hummingbirds, and an interesting variety of uses recorded in the Native American Ethnobotany Database.

Nestled in with the Lobelia were a few plants of Ironweed (left). This is another very common genus throughout the USA and Canada. Some species have restricted range. Based on the Plants Profile maps, I think it is most likely Vernonia noveboracensis, but could also be gigantea. Either way, I think most folks would consider this member of the aster family a weed, but it is actually quite attractive with its royal purple color and compliment of butterflies. Once again, the species (assuming correct identification) has several medicinal uses listed.

Seedy Action

2010-07-16T16:46:00.006-04:00

Pardon my blurry cell phone images. Doing this post in the quick and dirty style.

I took a little time this afternoon to surface sterilize a ripening seed pod and to sow seeds today. The cross was Paph (victoria-regina x lowii) x fairrieanum (I'll post a photo of the fairrieanum at another time, it was a nicely marked, slightly fragrant one) made January 31st. I thought the pod should stay on the plant another 1-3 months, but it started to dry out, so I harvested it. I somewhat expected the pod to contain nothing, so I decided to use some nearly year old media I had stashed in the lab rather than making fresh. Much to my surprise, the seeds actually look reasonably decent. They have a nice dark umber color, but weren't very 'fluffy' in the pod, making me think they weren't quite mature. Possibly the heat caused the plant to abort development early. Hopefully they'll germinate anyway and be FABULOUS.

And here's another fuzzy cell phone pic of some intermediate stage Lc Green Veil x June Bug seedlings. To see these guys as wee seeds, see this post. I'll need to space these out onto new replate media soon for their final flask development stage. If all goes well the flasks will be ready next Spring/Summer. Green Veil is a bright lime green with a white & purple lip and great flower count, and June Bug (as you can see from the link above) is yellow with a red lip.

I also did a quick "spread plate" of some recalcitrant Phal taenialis protocorms which have been refusing to develop. Hopefully this will kick start them.

If you're interested in learing more about orchid hybridization, flasking, and seedling development, join me at the Susquehanna Orchid Society meeting this Sunday at 1:30PM in Camp Hill, PA. If you can't make it, ask your society's officers to schedule me to give a lecture in your home town! :)

In Bloom: Huernia and Fire Magic

2010-07-05T10:39:00.003-04:00

Before you get offended, we're not talking about embarrassing personal products today. :P

Huernia are among the Stapeliads, a jungle cactus type succulent group. They like approximately phalaenopsis type light and temperatures. I basically grow mine just like a phalaenopsis, but remember I grow on what most of you consider 'the dry side,' so maybe water a bit less for those of you who grow more wet. It can take cooler temperatures in winter but doesn't seem to require a dip in temperature to bloom. I do water them a little bit less in winter, but don't let them get dessicated.

This came to me unidentified, but I believe it to be H. schneiderana. Nevertheless, these are easy to grow and cute. As they get longer and start making branches they become great plants for hanging baskets. Often the lower branches are programmed to come off naturally, as a pre-programmed propagation method. When that happens, you can root them into the original pot to make the basket more full, or into a separate pot and share with friends! I have one such rooted plant in the shop.

Slc. Fire Magic is a great cross. It has pretty much everything I like to see in a mini-catt cross. It is small and compact, easy growing, can be bloomed under fluorescent light (but you have to grow them fairly close to the tubes for best results) or in windowsills of course, and they have wild colors and patterns. The one shown is even lightly fragrant. It might be better if they were more strongly fragrant, but I can be satisfied with lightly fragrant, and not everyone always likes the style of, "nice perfume, must you bathe in it?" that you often sniff in Cattleyas.

I bought a good size batch of these seedlings a while back, but they've been selling well. Everyone seems to agree that they're exciting, so I only have a few left. See the listing for more examples of Fire Magic flowers.

Lewis Ginter Botanical Gardens

2010-06-29T23:13:00.009-04:00

My sister and I recently visited the Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden in Richmond, VA. According to the garden's website, the place has a slightly unusual history. The property started as a club, progressed to a convalescent home then eventually a private residence, from where it passed by will to the city's possession in 1968, with the stipulation for it to be developed into a botanical gardens. In 1981 this was finally realized. (see LGBG website for more details)

All that's lovely, but what does it mean? The garden and its collection is young and still in development. They have, however, done quite a nice job with the modest grounds. I would also point out, they have a lovely library on premises, which is open to the public and full of books and periodicals on plants, gardening, and birds. Not to mention a fantastic place to escape from the heat. Richmond might as well be Savannah for the weather they get there.

But I digress. Here are some highlights of their collection.

One of the first areas you pass through in the garden is an herb garden display, showcasing some well known as well as less known plants of medicinal interest. Washington Hawthorn (Crataegus phaenopyrum) for example, at left. Hawthorn species are native to the United States, and the berries were/are used to prepare a heart tonic, but due to my lack of experience in the matter I couldn't tell you if all species are used or only certain ones. There are ~200 species. Washington Hawthorn, despite what the name suggests, does not originate from the Pacific Northwest. According to the USDA PLANTS profile, this species is found all over the Eastern half of North America, from Florida into Canada.

They do have a modest conservatory, with a few orchids of mainly rather ordinary selections from the view of an enthusiast. Enough, though, to be educational to the novice, however. I thought this Paph. Lynleigh Koopowitz was rather attractive.

While they may have little in terms of unusual orchid species, they did, however have this nicely executed glass sculpture of a 'ghost orchid' (Dendrophylax lindenii, a.k.a. Polyrrhiza lindenii). This endangered leafless species is native to the Southwestern reaches of Florida. The plants have been under propagation for several years now, and laboratory-propagated stock are often found for sale on eBay. If you by one, please make sure it is laboratory-propagated.

There is a picturesque pavilion, no doubt frequently rented for weddings, surrounded by a variety of roses in varietal blocks. The most unusual to me was this Polyantha rose, 'Orange Morsdag'. I don't recall reading about Polyantha roses before, but if this one is certainly worth note with its adorable multitude of blossoms reminiscent of the Old English style. Googling it I find the shape of flowers varies among Polyantha roses, though floriferous nature and compact size is common, and they vary in their hardiness. Investigate varieties of interest before planting them in your landscape.

There were many other things of interest in the garden, including a nice variety of Japanese Maples and other trees, carnivorous plants, and woodland perennials. Overall, worth the visit when you're in the Richmond area.

Upcoming Events

2010-06-19T12:43:00.004-04:00

Fellow plant geeks: Just a quick note to let everyone know I will be speaking at the Brookside Gardens Orchid Club tomorrow, Sunday June 20th at 1PM on the topic of hybridization, flasking, and seed development.

Some of you may have caught the talk last month at the Maryland Orchid Society. Those of you who did, thanks for coming & hope you enjoyed it.

For those of you who have or will miss both of the above, I will also be giving the talk to the Susquehanna Orchid Society soon.

Baltimore Wildlife: Fledgling Kestrel

2010-06-11T15:24:00.005-04:00

For a densely urban area, Baltimore has a pretty decent diversity of wildlife. Much of it is likely owing to the tree count and proximity to water, but just as many critters have adapted to the city itself. From our building in downtown Baltimore there is just such an example. For two years in a row, we have witnessed pairs of kestrels nesting in two different locations within 2 blocks of our building in the nooks and crannies offered by the old architecture of the city. I have on several occasions sat on this very balcony and watched them come and go, tending their chicks, sometimes witnessing one passing within ten feet as it buzzed past the building.

Yesterday evening, I got to meet the next generation. This handsome young fellow, a fledgling chick by the look of his still visible downy feathers peeking out all over his head and body, rested his wings for a while on the very balcony from which I often watch his parents. From inside the building I watched and snapped some cell phone photos to share.

Good luck, little buddy, and thanks for stopping by!

In Bloom: Dendrobium hercoglossum

2010-06-02T00:08:00.003-04:00

Today's in bloom is a Den. hercoglossum. I purchased this plant a couple years ago at the SEPOS show from Andy's Orchids, and although for some reason I sometimes kill stuff I buy from him, this plant has had no problems. Likely because it likes a drier winter, so my cycle of abuse & good care suits it just fine. Oh, wait, did I say that out loud?

Yes, well, Den. hercoglossum does indeed enjoy a slight rest in Winter, with less water and fertilizer, and slightly lower temperatures are also acceptable. In the Summer I put this plant outside in a medium bright location, and water nearly daily as it is mounted.

2010 ASM Conference in San Diego

2010-05-29T22:24:00.006-04:00

I recently attended the ASM conference in San Diego, CA. It was a good conference, I attended several interesting lectures both related and unrelated to my own research, and also enjoyed just being in San Diego in the few off hours I had. My traveling companion and I stayed at the Hilton in the Gaslamp Quarter, which had the lovely advantage of being directly across the street from the center point of the massive conference center, making for easy access. The hotel was, sadly, otherwise rather ordinary and middle-of-the-line at best. If you go, swanky places to stay in the area seem to be the Marriott on the North end of the conference center, the Hard Rock hotel (which you can see in the photo), and the Embassy Suites.

Incidentally, we could see the terrace of the Hard Rock hotel from our room in the Hilton, and on Sunday night they had a raucous party up there, complete with loud music, not very talented go-go girls, and grid of these large queen sized beds for people to chill out on. Might have been some fire pit action as well. It really looked like fun. Then, while milling around town that afternoon looking for Gluten Free food, we heard that the Gaslamp Quarter used to be a red light district. Don't know if its true, but I fond it amusing, so now I refer to the Hard Rock terrace as "the den of iniquity". (Note to folks of the Hard Rock - I mean that in the nicest/most fun way. :P )

Anyhow, I have lots of photos to share with you, most of them plants.

This is a mall we stumbled across on First Street, I think it was. It had an odd feel, multilevel with haphazard construction sort of jammed between two other buildings. I thought I was walking around in an Escher print. Very fun!

This is, obviously, the Dole cargo ship. It was hanging out in the bay behind the conference center. I wanted to grab a bottle of rum and storm the boat for pineapples, but nobody else seemed interested.

As far as plants go, about the strangest thing I saw were these three very large Platycerium ferns (sorry kids, not sure which, possibly superbum?) hanging on the side of a building. I was totally weirded out by this, since it seems like (a) too bright a spot, (b) too dry a climate, but there they were. There were also a couple smaller ones just by the door.

On the front side of the conference center, near the atrium (or whatever they called that giant, permanent tent-like room), the stairs were decorated with an array of what I think were very nicely grown Aloe ferox.

Some random succulents from the same area. Incidentally, they had whitefly.

Strelitzias were a common sight in the area, along with cycads and palms. This is a very nicely grown Strelitzia nicolai that was on the back (West) terrace of the conference center. I basked in the sun for about an hour one day back there, while watching the birds repeatedly land on the flowers. I assume they were after the copious amount of sap that always seems to be all over strelitzia flowers.

I don't know what this is, but they were lovely. I assume based on the flowers and plant form that they're in the Amaryllis family. Please leave a comment if you know what it is. Note: They were purpleish, not blue, my camera doesn't seem to understand that particular shade. I fixed the color balance as much as I could, but it might still be a little off.

NOTE: This has been identified as Agapanthus africanus by Beverly. Thanks Bev!

As above, I don't know what this tree is, but they seemed popular in the area. Please leave a comment if you can identify it.

I'd like to go back sometime and experience more of the area. The weather was phenomenal, 65 and sunny every day (glad I checked the forecasts before leaving, that's a good 20 degrees F less than MD!!), and it just seemed like a quiet, easy going area. Incidentally, Sammy's Woodfired Pizza, located on Fourth Avenue in the Gaslamp Quarter, has the BEST GLUTEN FREE PIZZA EVER!!! Sammy, when are you opening a shop in the state of Maryland!? I miss you already.

Advice for the Lazy Gardener: Radishes!

2010-05-16T21:09:00.003-04:00

Some of you may recall my approach to lettuce. It just so happens, I take a similar hippie approach to radishes. I don't always plant them, but I always have them owing to the fact that I usually let a few bloom and drop their seeds everywhere. This year I was delighted to find that I finally have some hybrid radishes. The crop is long, like a white radish, but have a slightly milder flavor and some color on them like the little red radishes. I like this because (a) they're bigger than the teeny red radishes, and (b) the horseradish-like flavor of those white radishes is a bit much for me. Not that I don't like spicy, just not that type.

Another reason I let my radishes go to seed is they young seed pods are a right tasty snack as a fresh munchie of salad topping. But here again, the white radishes produce a very strong seed pod, that while lovely pickled, is not to my taste fresh. Hopefully these hybrids will find a nice balance somewhere in-between.

Flowers are a standard brassica-type shape and color (yellow), held on a big, bushy inflorescence. To store seed, let the pods mature and dry, and select branches with no evidence of mould. Then crush open the dry pods and sift out the seed. To let them do their 'thing' in the garden, just knock the seed pods off the dry stems or let them fall on their own. The seeds may or may not actually come out of the pods, but they often still manage to germinate through them. I never put any effort into that part, that's why its called "Lazy Gardening."

2010 SEPOS Show, Tiny Things

2010-04-14T22:37:00.007-04:00

Today's selections are all miniature plants, defined as less than 6" tall, though many are well below that. Among miniature orchid species you will find a microcosm of delight, though you may require a magnifying glass to truly appreciate some.

This first selection, labeled Gehis. japonicus, has sprays of wee flowers of no more than 5mm in height. I take the label to indicate Gastrochilus japonicus, and the flowers do look similar to gastrochilus, but the foliage is all wrong and the flowers and plant are too small even for the species Gastrochilus japonicus. Perhaps I have misunderstood the abbreviation Gehis?

***UPDATE: Orchid Eric wrote to tell me that this plant is actually Omoea philippinensis. Thanks for the identification, Eric!***

Next we have a nearly microscopic Dendrobium, Den. toressae. Again with this, flowers (and also leaves!) are up to a whopping 5mm. I have to assume based on the plant habit and flower type and bearing that it is related to Den. lichenastrum. It may even have some odor associated with it, if you care to risk inhaling the entire flower.

This Masdevallia ferrusii was nestled into Andy's Orchids wardian case display, along with today's last selection Pleurothallis asaroides 'Walter'. Both of these had flowers in the 3/4 to 1 inch range, and as you can see, both with unusual forms. I really can't tell you much else about either species. Masdevallias are typically from new world Alpine cloud forest areas, meaning cool, damp, and buoyant air. Pleuros have a range of environments, especially in temperature, so it pays to do your research and ask questions when buying one of these guys.

In Bloom: Miniature Dendrobiums

2010-04-12T01:01:00.005-04:00

Today I'd like to share two recent acquisitions, purchased from Andy's Orchids at the SEPOS show. First is Den. pugioniforme, a species with a curious chain like habit, and fragrant, apple-green flowers. According to the Andy's folks, the chains of leaves, which seem to grow in the fashion "stem, leaf, branch from leaf axil -> new stem, leaf...", can reach several feet in length.

Dendrobium lichenastrum v. prenticei, sometimes just Den. prenticei, is another of those nifty succulent-type species. This one has 1-2 inch long, fleshy leaves. Flowers are typically cream to yellow, though once I had a very nice one that was white with pink stripes. Their fragrance falls into the category I like to refer to as 'little dead things', as they typically smell like fish, but it isn't terribly strong, so its Ok. Even with, its a very cute little species, best grown mounted with phals or a bit brighter.

In Bloom: A jungle cactus

2010-04-08T12:55:00.004-04:00

Today we have something a little different - a jungle cactus. A few years ago I talked a cutting out of a friend of mine. I rather liked this one because of that really neat purple-pink outline on all the segments. They are easy to root, you just break off a an oval segment or two, let the broken end dry a couple days, then pot it in damp media such that the lower third of the segment is in the media. I have used both sphagnum moss and regular potting soil for this. Eventually it will just root.

Succulents of this type are typically referred to as Christmas or Easter cacti, as they tend to bloom at those times of year. Blooming is induced by a short day. This is an important point. If you are keeping them under artificial light for 12 hrs a day, they will NOT bloom. This guy lives in an East facing window on a lower shelf, so is 'shaded' from any overhead lighting. My mother used to induce blooming in her Christmas cactus by moving it to the North-facing basement window for several weeks during winter to induce blooming. Other than these points, I pretty much grow it like a Phalaenopsis.

The problem I'm having with this plant is that I stupidly set it on top of a basket containing a Bulbophyllum phalaenopsis seedling, and it promptly rooted into the media. I have two choices: Leave it, which will most likely result in it slowly overtaking the entirety of the basket, or wait until flowering is over and rip its pot off the surface of the basket. I will most likely do the second, and it will recover. The probability of damage long-term to that Bubophyllum is too high, and replacing a seedling of that age is not an option. They're too hard to find. But in the mean time, the cactus is pretty to look at!

2010 SEPOS Show, Nifty Dendrobiums

2010-04-05T19:28:00.005-04:00

Today I'll show you a few of the Dendrobium selections at SEPOS this year. First off, we have two color varieties of a very cute, compact species: Den. kingianum 'Karl Marx' and Den. kingianum 'Big Foot' AM/AOS. Den. kingianum is typically fragrant and the plant compact in stature, but with spikes height is up to about 15 or 18 inches perhaps, and they can form large clumps. A large clump is of course rather impressive when in bloom. These two guys were exceptionally lovely. As much as this is often considered a 'common' species, not many people seem to grow it around here. Perhaps the appearance of these two at the show professes a coming increase in popularity.

Next, a most interesting small species, Den. lingueforme displayed by Andy's Orchids. By the flowers I wouldn't be surprised if this one has been moved between genus' a few times. It was displayed in one of his trademark Wardian cases, stuffed to the gills with interesting little bits. Leaves on this guy are about an inch long, succulent and multicolored with the tactile characteristic of very fine grit sandpaper. He had a couple for sale. I snatched one up - couldn't resist such a weird looking thing.

We'll finish out today with a Den. johannis. This is a rather tall plant topped by a spray of twisty, earthy flowers.

In Bloom: Phal (braceana x venosa) 'Beef Jerky'

2010-04-02T16:48:00.003-04:00

I just love spring. So many things in bloom and glorious, warm and sunny weather make a fantastic combination. This seedling of Phal (braceana x venosa), one of Al's crosses, started opening flowers a few weeks ago and now has several on it. They're cute, round, glossy and deeply colored, held on a spunky stem from a very compact, dark-leafed plant. However they've inherited the venosa fragrance, rather than braceana's fruity-sweet scent. For those of you who don't know, Phal. venosa doesn't have a very appealing scent, but it isn't altogether offensive either. Suspicious, might be a better descriptor. I often describe it as 'not very good bacon.' This seedling, I've decided, smells exactly like beef jerky. Its about the right color as well. Regardless, I think its fantastic and have already distributed its pollen around the house. I hope something takes and gives us something fun!

2010 SEPOS Show, Cattleya Alliance Selections

2010-03-28T20:07:00.007-04:00

I'm going to break up my selections of photos from the South East Pennsylvania Orchid Show again into a couple installments. I came away this year with >150 photos after curation. I started with over 300 photos, as I generally take multiple shots per plant, keeping the best one or two, as well as a snap of the plant's tag, which is deleted after renaming the photos. Since I don't often talk about Cattleya alliance plants, I'll start with those this year.

Cattleya schilleriana has long been one of my favorite species (though, admittedly, I have many "favorites"). It is a medium sized bifoliate species with heavy, glossy flowers of rich color and, like many Cattleyas, heavy fragrance. I thought this one was very nice - it was quite dark. If I remember correctly it was in the Fishing Creek exhibit. Fishing Creek got an FCC on one of their cattleya hybrids, I was unable to get a good photo of that plant. It was perfectly flat, very round, and had a most unusual near solid watermelon shade. I'll bet it shows up in Awards Quarterly.Also in the show (in a different display) was this schilleriana hybrid, Cattleya schilleriana x Enc. cordigera. See a photo of the species Enc. cordigera at ISOPE for reference. Obviously, as both parents posses dark petals, the offspring does as well, but the spots are gone and the striping of schilleriana comes through on the lip, while the size of the lip comes from cordigera. Schilleriana has flattened it out a bit as well. And of course, thanks to both parents it is sweetly fragrant. I'm going to have to seek this hybrid out. If anyone knows of flasks or compots for sale, please point me in the right direction!

As expected, there were several examples of Cattleya walkeriana to enjoy. This is a very compact species, generally between 6 and 8 inches tall, and in my opinion, best grown mounted, but I almost always see them in pots so likely I'm the one of the few who thinks that way. C. walkeriana is always a lovely thing, available in pink, white, white with pink lip, and "blue" (which is really a weird purple shade), and always with a rose fragrance. The most interesting thing about the species is the unique way the flowers are borne. Most cattleyas and relatives of cattleyas bear their flowers from within the leaf axil at the top of a mature pseudobulb. C. walkeriana, however, sprouts the flowers from an odd little growth with no other purpose from the base of a mature pseudobulb. The third picture shows this if you look closely - you'll see the mature growth center-left, with its papery protections, and center right the flower stem with bracts. The exception to this rule for walkeriana is the clone C. walkeriana v. alba 'Pendentive'. Pendentive is believed to be a tetraploid, because the flowers and growths are exceptionally thick and hard (like heavy cardboard), and suspected by some to not actually be walkeriana because it bears its flowers like any other cattleya.

There were many other species displayed as well. One I was particularly impressed with was this enormous Laelia purpurata var. venosa 'Bella' AM/AOS. This variety is unique in the striping of the lip. Last year I purchased a flask of Laelia purpurata (v. venosa x v. schusteriana), and have recently made the youngsters available in my shop. I'd never actually seen either variety in person, so this was doubly exciting. The babies have several years of growing to do before they're quite that large, but hopefully they'll be convinced to at least bloom for the first time in 4-5 years.

While I could prattle on about all the other Cattleya alliance species we saw - there were several very attractive examples - I think I'll round out this image-rich post with a photo of one of my favorite hybrids. This is Slc. Fire Magic 'H&R'. I like Fire Magic for the variety of patterns you see in the flowers, as well as their compact, easy-growing nature. I got a batch of seedlings myself last year, and I'm waiting to see many of them bloom for the first time. I hope this summer will be it for many of them. Unbloomed seedlings are available from my Etsy shop.

Clivia show at Longwood Gardens

2010-03-20T14:02:00.003-04:00

Last weekend, a clivia show was held at Longwood Gardens. I did not attend, but my buddy Ogecko did, and has shared his photos with us. He reports that there were only Clivia miniata plants on display, no other species, but there were at least a variety of color types. He also got a chance to see the Longwood clivia house, not normally open to the public. There are two photos at the bottom of this production house.

In Bloom, Office Edition

2010-03-17T16:07:00.003-04:00

Please forgive the less than fantastic images. These were taken with my cell phone. The plant you are squinting at is Phal. mannii v. flava (this plant is for sale - click here), a variety of the species mannii that does not produce the red pigments, most likely a carotenoid pigment, but I'm not sure. If you look closely at the actual flower (in person), you can still see the markings where the red pigments belong. The leaves also are devoid of any red pigmentation.

This is my office window in Baltimore, MD, facing due west. I also currently have there a Dischidia ovata (almost always with buds or flowers), Clivia manata (in the darker corner), Dend. Maiden Charlotte, and a equitant oncidium in the brightest corner for the cold season only - that will go outside at the earliest opportunity.

In Bloom: Phal Fantasy Musick seedlings

2010-03-14T20:57:00.003-04:00

These are three adorable little Phal. Fantasy Musick seedlings, blooming for the first time. Fantasy Musick is a hybrid of (Micro Nova x equestris). Micro Nova can be traced back to Phal lobbii, and both it and equestris are compact species. These guys are blooming in 2" pots with multiple flowers and several pairs of leaves. They'll always be small, cute plants. The downside is as lobbii offspring, they can be expected to not breed well. I hold out some small hope that the infusion of equestris genetics will make them more compatible with general phalaenopsis population. We'll see.

USBG Production Facility Tour

2010-03-12T22:54:00.006-05:00

Once again, we took the annual opportunity to visit the US Botanical Gardens production facility this past weekend. They have an open house every spring, and it is a wonderful opportunity to see parts of their collection that you may not otherwise see. You can see photos from last year here.

This year, not as much was in bloom, likely due to the cooler winter, or perhaps much of it had just been moved off-site for use in the conservatory or participation in various plant shows. As always, we were treated to several nobile-type dendrobiums and their lovely bank of Paph. victoria-regina specimens (upper left).

The Dend. loddigesii, one of my favorite dendrobium species (of which there is an increasing number) were in bloom. These are sweetly fragrant, like roses. It is a delightful species to grow and they bloom fairly young. There are variegated clones of this species as well.

They also have a succulent collection with an interesting variety of this & that. There were a number of Euphorbias there I don't remember seeing before, and a few miniature Aloes. Aloes are a new fascination with me. I am especially fond of the miniatures.

Euphorbia horrida var. striata

Aloe humilis

Aloe aristata

And finally, because I think its cool, some liverwort. (Although, The Larry accused me of being weird for taking this photo.)

Orchid Photographic Resources

2010-02-14T09:28:00.002-05:00

Although I'm a big fan of Google image search, sometimes it is more practical to go to specific databases. Mainly I use these to search for species photos and culture specifics, leaving Google for hybrid images. I've recently learned of the London Orchid Society's photo database, which covers species and hybrids, but works a bit differently from other internet resources in that it returns a list of book and magazine references where photos of any searched name can be found, rather than the photos themselves. Useful for anyone with an extensive library, but maybe not so much for the rest of us. I thought now would be a good time to share some of my favorite online resources.

Internet Orchid Species Encyclopedia (amazingly comprehensive cross-referenced list of species, including some varieties, with photos, basic culture information, origin and other information; Please consider giving a donation - he does a fantastic job!)
Phalaenopsis Primary Hybrids (click on Phalaenopsis species and you'll get an array of photos of the species as well as a list of the primary hybrids made with it)
RHS International Orchid Registrar (not a photo database, but useful none-the-less for finding hybrid names and parentage)
Paphiopedilum Primary Hybrids (Click on a section of the chart, arranged by genus sections, to get a page containing primary hybrid names, photos of the hybrids, and photos of the parents)

Do you have a favorite resource that is not on this page? Please share in a comment!

In Bloom: Paph. lowii cross

2010-01-31T18:48:00.004-05:00

On the top is my Paph. (victoria-regina x lowii) which has actually been blooming off and on for a few months. P. lowii is multifloral, and P. victoria-regina is a sequential bloomer related to glaucophyllum, liemianum, and moquetteanum. The hybrid, registered in 1997 as Paph Sandy's Wild Turkey, seems to have inherited the sequential blooming aspect of VR, along with the giant plant aspect of lowii. Although, I suppose VR isn't exactly a mini either, but the plant looks more like lowii. I purchased it at Parkside Orchids in the summer of 2008 as a seedling. The second photo shows the plant that was the example plant at Parkside when I bought mine. I think I chose well - I like mine more. :) Score!

New and Improved CAT TV!

2010-01-18T21:31:00.005-05:00

....
Some of you may remember CatTV, the original.

Well, now we have the NEW and IMPROVED programming! IN HD (Hoppity Def)!

In the original series, we had Fritz, the German Angora (with really really bad haircut), and his sort-of nemesis, Hawkeye. In a not very exciting conclusion, they became friends and Fritz moved to a bigger cage.

In our new season, Fritz' kids are being observed by Hawkeye's compatriots.

Ha, ok. We have baby angora rabbits. For more on the babies, see November Air. They'll be ready for new homes around Valentine's Day! Please let me know if you'd like a little bunny! :)

Anthurium repotting

2010-01-10T20:35:00.006-05:00

Just for kicks, a few photos of a recent adventure in Anthurium repotting. The plant, named Anthurium 'Marie', has been in this pot for 2 or 3 years (since I bought it), and probably could have been repotted last year, but I procrastinated. The next two photos are what I started with. As you can see, it is looking a bit overgrown and under-potted.

In a fit of insanity, I thought I'd try to cut the pot away from the roots, without damaging the roots on the outside of the pot. That was slow going, and after struggling to pull back the first half of plastic on one side, I saw there was more root than media in the pot. That's about when I skipped to ripping the pot off the plant. Below is what I ended up with.

So I lost those stray roots outside the pot, but I'm not really convinced it will set the plant back any! Also, needless to say, I did not attempt to remove old media from the root ball. I then found a pot several sizes larger and reset the root ball, back-filling with a large size cattleya-type mixture of coconut husk chunks, charcoal, sponge rock, and diatomite. Results below.

It looks so happy now!

As a side note, DiatomiteUSA has shut down all sales through its website! ::GASP:: They have a note on their site that DiatomiteCanada.com will continue to serve our needs, but that of course will probably mean higher shipping. At least there's still a supplier.

In Bloom: A lip-less wonder

2010-01-02T13:33:00.003-05:00

This is Phrag. (longifolium x Barbara LeAnn). The first flower to open on this plant had no pouch, and no peloric petal either. I waited for a total of three flowers on two spikes to open before taking a photo, to see if this was a developmental mistake. But each of the flowers is the same: No lip! I've never seen anything like it. I think I'll call it "Frank Burns" after the MASH character described as being a "lip-less wonder".

Plant P0rn

2009-12-05T12:52:00.007-05:00

Some of you may have already guessed this, but I love growing things from seed. This is why it is a natural progression for me to have advanced to growing orchids from seed. This is also why I covet seed catalogs. Full of beautiful photographs of obscure or heirloom varieties and ripe with possibilities, they captivate my imagination every winter. I know many other plant geeks out there can relate to this, and it was a fellow plant geek that coined the term "plant porn" for plant catalogs, seed or perennials. It also helped that she kept all her catalogs in the bathroom.

The flood of seed catalogs has begun for me. I got these three recently and I expect several more over the next 6 weeks. Every year I know a new set of gardeners will be looking to get started or advance beyond hardware store offerings. Below you'll find links to some of my favorite companies.

Seed Savers Exchange
Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds
Pinetree Garden Seeds
Territorial Seed
Vermont Bean Seed Company
Amishland Heirloom Seeds (*online only, small, woman-owned business)
Johnny's Seeds
Totally Tomatoes

There are many other seed companies, small and large. Explore and have fun with it.

Photos of the Nursery

2009-11-22T10:27:00.005-05:00

I've been keeping busy lately, making lots of crosses and flasking. The photo at the top here shows a shelf full of jars housing the 'infants'. Some of these are crosses I made, some are species grown from purchased seed.

Here's a little secret for you - most crosses fail in some way or another. Out of 26 hybridization attempts in the past two years, twenty failed to produce seed. Mainly this happens by just not making a mature pod, failing very early, but there were a couple that carried a reasonable looking seed pod for months only for me to split it and find it was empty later. Of the 6 remaining, one failed to germinate, two were contaminated (@$#! fungal spores in dry seed), and three grew nicely.

Among these three that grew nicely is Paph. (Pucks Apple x gardineri). There are 8 pots of these among the group of flasks recently potted out to community pots. This cross has been growing so fast. If they continue to do well, I'll begin making seedlings available in the spring, though I may make a small flask available before then. I'm hoping they continue to be speedy, so that we can see them bloom in a couple years.

Micro-Jungle

2009-11-16T22:08:00.004-05:00

This is a peek inside a flask of phalaenopsis seedlings, just before deflasking to community pot. These plants are living in a quart size mason jar (size of a standard spaghetti sauce jar).

Shipping Plants

2009-10-31T12:27:00.007-04:00

One of the most common questions I get, after "how do I grow this" of course, is about how I ship plants. I've been shipping and receiving plants through the mail for so long, I forget that there are many people out there for which this is a new concept. But its actually rather straightforward.

The first step in hot weather is to water the plant, generally the night before packing, to reduce stress during transit. In winter when it is cold I usually prefer to ship the plant dry, to avoid clammy, cold roots. Spring/autumn can go either way. Exception: in winter when it will be below 30F both here and at the destination I generally do not ship. Some growers do ship during such conditions with either the aid of a 60hr heat pack or overnight shipping.

Next is to arrange some newsprint or glossy ads on top of the pot and tape or rubber band it down. This will keep the media and plant secure in the pot.

Then the plant is wrapped in newspaper. I usually use two sheets or one sheet folded in half for smaller plants, and set the plant on the diagonal. The sheet is wrapped securely around the pot, and then the upper portion of the plant makes a stiff, triangular package the protect the foliage.

Finally the plant is set into the box and secured with packing peanuts (and before anyone gets unhappy about my use of packing peanuts, they're always reused ones from other packages!) or more newspaper. The plant is shipped by priority mail, clearly marked as perishable.

Other details to consider: Certain plants cannot be shipped to certain states due to USDA regulations aimed toward protecting local agricultural cash crops and/or protecting the local ecosystem from invasive species. Your local USDA extension office should be able to provide you with a list of restricted items. Shipping plants outside of the USA also entails extra paperwork, I believe, so I don't do it.

Other types of plants may require other packing systems, and plants in bloom may require more creative stabilization to protect the flowering stem.I've seen African Violets, for example, shipped nicely by dropping the plant into a plastic drinking cup (after securing the plant in the pot of course) and sticking one or two short bamboo skewers through one edge of the cup to keep the plant inside. This prevents crushing of the foliage, which can be a big problem with mature African violets. Be creative, but avoid packing so securely that the recipient gets trapped by a tape octopus trying to get the plant back out.

That's Not Lint

2009-10-24T01:38:00.004-04:00

Friday I lingered at work, quietly making use of the tissue culture hood for some clandestine seed sowing. (makes it sound spicy, doesn't it, like James Bond was involved) In actuality, I'm almost always there late, and doing my seed sowing late on Friday means I'm neither in anyone's way nor taking up valuable time I could be using to dissect genomes.

Today I split open and sowed Paph (Hsinying Alien x wardii), a cross I made mostly for awesome foliage. The seeds were a lovely dark brown and rather large on the orchid seed scale. There were a good number that looked viable. Hopefully they'll germinate.

While struggling to get them out of the pod and into a tube for sterilization, I once again had that realization that they look like dust or lint. They act like it, too. They fly every which way, get stuck on paper, stick to the inside of the tubes by static. This, combined with losses stuck to tubes, pipettes, and lost in washes during sterilization can result in loss of what seems like a third to a half of the seed. In actuality, I'm not going to count and find out, even if I should by some miracle catch them all.

The photo attached is of a set of seeds which were sown late spring/early summer (Lc. Green Veil 'Dressy' x Sc. June Bug 'Venice Sunshine'). This bunch was actually rather well behaved, perhaps because I split the pod when it was still green. The little pile of seeds in the bottom left were sown on three plates, one of which was contaminated. The remaining two are now covered with protocorms. The rest of the seed is in storage.

Also today I split open a pod from a Nobile dendrobium x Dend tetragonum, made for "what ifs". The pod had developed very nicely. Unfortunately, it produced no seed.

USBG Visit

2009-10-18T20:02:00.007-04:00

Last week my plant cruising buddy, The Larry, and I went downtown to the US Botanical Gardens. A lovely place to visit if you are ever in the area. I go there at least once per year with Larry, and we ogle all our favorites and whatever is new, and engage in nerdy plant discussions.

Every time I'm there I lust after their staghorn ferns. I do the same thing at Longwood Gardens. The fine, imposing specimen here is Platycerium willinckii. I absolutely love staghorn ferns, but though I can keep them alive they have never flourished for me. In all likelihood I don't water enough.

We also admired their nicely grown specimen of Zelenkoa onustum, a.k.a. Oncidium onustum. Yes, that's right, its mounted on a live cactus. This is a species I like to mention to people who are convinced all orchids live in the tropical rain forests. The fact is, there are orchid species from all kinds of environments - warm to cold, wet to dry, temperate to tropical. As you might guess, this one comes from the deserts of Ecuador and Peru, where it grows in full, blazing sun. If you ever get one, make sure you respect that or it will rot clean away!

They always have a little corner with Gesneriads, as well. These are Sinningia eumorpha (top) and lineata (bottom). You may be more familiar with the family through the 'florist' gloxinia and African Violets, but the more obscure species are also quite rewarding to grow. For more information on Sinningias and other Gesneriads, you can get started with this site.

In Bloom: Dendrobium rigidum, again

2009-10-04T22:59:00.007-04:00

I know I already posted a closeup photo of Dend. rigidum flowers, but I realized today that I should have also posted a photo of the very unique foliage. So since the plants are in bloom again (which they do intermittently throughout the year it seems) I took a few new shap shots. Here it is in all its pebbly, succulent glory.

In Bloom: Orange Things

2009-09-27T20:00:00.005-04:00

Ok, these aren't actually in bloom right now, but instead bloomed earlier this summer and I didn't post them then. But both are very neat species I think you'll like. First is Ascocentrum miniatum. This is a compact growing Asctm, with shockingly orange flowers densely packed on usually multiple inflorescences. They're equally at home in a basket or pot, but we prefer to grow them in an aggregate (hydrocorrels or "cocoa puffs", as Al calls them). For a Vandaceous thing they're very easy to grow. (For this & some newly added Civias, please check out my shop!) :)

This second species is Dend. unicum. This is something that was all over the place several years ago, to the extent that I actually overlooked its charms initially. Only recently did I learn that it is fantastically fragrant! It smells somewhat like peaches or other fruity substance. flowers are borne singly or in small clusters along the leafless canes. The plant tends to go semi or fully dormant in winter and will look rather shabby until spring, when it starts to grow and send up buds. Then suddenly it looks smashing again. Plant has a slightly sprawling habit for me, with the canes sticking every-which-way.

In Bloom: Dendrobium wassellii

2009-09-19T21:16:00.004-04:00

Hi folks! Yes, I'm still alive, its just been a tough summer for me. But we're not here to talk about that. No, we're going to have some orchids! yay!

This is Dendrobium wassellii, also known as Dockrillia wassellii. A really awesome species with thick terete leaves approximately 4 inches long and, as you can see, a really high flower count. The flowers are somewhat fragrant. Inflorescences arise rather suddenly and develop quickly. Like most terete leaved species, it likes rather high light.

(Remember, you can click on the photo for a larger version of the image. Take a peek at those nifty flowers!)

How to dispose of cauliflower greens

2009-07-09T17:05:00.002-04:00

Option 1: Chickens.

The girls had a good time tearing up these leftover greens from our cauliflower plants. When they were done, I moved to-

Option 2: Horses.

That was a speedy step. Didn't take any photos.

Market Day this Sunday!

2009-07-07T23:06:00.002-04:00

July 12 is our next market day! Come out and hang with the plants from 10AM to 1PM at the Clarksburg Farmer's Market! While you're there, you can get some veggies, coffee, crepes, and maybe some crab cakes, crafts, and BBQ!!! How awesome is that?

In addition to some interesting plants, I'm planning on also bringing some potting mixes and will bring a couple plants for potting demonstrations.

Hope to see you there!

A variety plaque

2009-07-03T18:08:00.004-04:00

Like container plantings with all their variety? Interested in plants other than orchids? Interested in something sure to be a conversation starter in your living room window? Why not setup a little community plaque with a variety of interesting little plants?

This is an example I just started recently, so the plants are not established yet. We have a bromeliad (Cryptanthus bahianus), a Dischidia ovata cutting, and the runts of the litter for both Phalaenopsis (lindenii x pulcherrima) and Dendrobium Maiden Charlotte (all other plants I have of those are more mature). The trick is matching up a variety of plants with similar requirements for light, water, and temperature. I've also selected for this plaque four plants that will stay relatively compact and not overwhelm each other, although that dischidia could one day have many vines, but they're easy to pull off things and send off in another direction.

I'd really like to make another community with a Dend. tetragonum, but can't decide what would work well with it. Dend. tetragonum is a semi pendant species. I wouldn't want it to get visually lost among its companions. Perhaps something squat like Sophronitis cernua would work, but their water requirements are a little different. They might adjust though. I'll have to think on it.

If you make one, please send me a photo!!

In Bloom: Two Miniature Species

2009-06-29T16:23:00.003-04:00

Growing miniature orchids is a very worthwhile adventure. Not only are there so many to choose from, each with their own unique features, you can fit so many more into a small window. You can also sneak them in here and there around and on top of your larger plants if your space is getting slim. Today I'll showcase two cuties for which I have a couple plants available to share.

The first is Neobathiea filicornu, an angraecoid species with a leaf span of around three inches topped by a cute white flower with a long nectary and nice large lip. This is a rarely seen species for all you angraecoid enthusiasts out there. I keep this plant in our cool to intermediate basement under fluorescent light year round. Blooming seems to coincide with humidity peaks (i.e. foggy windows) in our basement, but I don't know if such a humidity spike is required to induce blooming.

The second is Dendrobium rigidum, or at least that's how I know it. If you lookup rigidum online you'll find some other images. But these plants came to me as rigidum, and I have a friend who has been growing a few plants of this for several years also with the name rigidum. So we're sticking with rigidum for now. Anyway, the species has the neatest succulent foliage. Leaves are 1 to 4 inches tall, and very thick with a rough texture. These are adorned occasionally with slightly fragrant cream flowers with red markings. The plants are fairly easy to grow in an East or West facing window and make great mounted specimens.

Diagnosis: Root Rot

2009-06-28T18:35:00.006-04:00

Recently someone came to me with a problem. Their orchid lost its buds soon after purchase, and hasn't bloomed or really done anything since. Since there are many many reasons for bud drop, we started discussing what might be happening. Fortunately, the owner sent me this photo of her plant. Immediately I could tell the plant has root rot, which is ultimately the cause for its listlessness.

Photo provided by Tatyana.

Root rot is one of the most common diseases with orchids. Pretty much everyone has had to deal with it at some point or another. The most sad part is that new orchid growers, who are often not even at fault, mistakenly believe they "can't grow orchids" because they have simply purchased a hardware store plant that already has root rot without knowing. Today I am going to teach you how to diagnose, treat, and prevent root rot.

SYMPTOMS:

* Floppy, listless leaves. Although phalaenopsis leaves can be healthy and still bend or flop over in order to take the most advantage of the light, they should still be pretty tough and thick. These leaves, if touched, would feel withered and soft. Notice also the wrinkles on the leaf top-most in the photo. This plant has not been able to absorb enough water into its little body.

* Exposed roots, while healthy, are also withered and possibly brittle. Exposed roots are normal with phalaenopsis plants. However, they should be plump and active. (its OK to have some that are shutting down, since getting rid of old parts is normal for plants). This plant has been sacrificing water and sugars in the roots and other parts of the plant to live.

* Many to all in the media will be black and squishy - dead and rotting. This is the defining characteristic of the disease.

OTHER INDICATORS AND RISK FACTORS:

* Media appears to be a normal potting soil, which with a few exceptions is not really an appropriate potting mix for orchids. Exceptions include true terrestrial orchids (e.g. "jewel" orchids like Ludisia discolor), and people with experience using a media like this. There are some top growers who use a chunky coarse peat-based mix with great success, but for most people it stays too wet. It also requires regular repotting, since as it breaks down it will hold even more water. Staying wet too long leads to root rot, just like walking around with your feet wet might lead to foot fungus. Note also that this type of media has been popular with large nurseries growing plants for the "pot plant" trade, where plants are expected to be purchased just for the flowers and then tossed.

* In some cases, media may also just be a very degraded typical orchid mix. As noted above, rotting media starts to hold more and more water, increasing the risk for root rot if adjustments in the watering regeme are not made or the plant is not repotted.

TRIAGE AND TREATMENT:

* Pull the plant out of the pot immediately, removing all old media and dead roots. Dead roots will be squishy or papery and black. Leave any firm, healthy roots. Hose off plant.

* Cut or break away the base of the stem if it appears to be infected. Dust cut surfaces with cinnamon or sulfur.

* Optional: Spray plant with fungicide. > I generally do not do this for root rot as fixing potting problems are generally all that is needed to stop the spread of the problem.

* Leave to dry overnight.

* Optional: Soak entire plant in a warm solution containing a low concentration of sugar, a few drops of Superthrive (B vitimin / NAA coctail), and a low concentration of chemical fertilizer. > I have only tried this approach a few times. I cannot say if this actually confers an increase in survival rate, but am providing it for completeness.

* Repot plant into appropriate media. For rehabilitation of difficult cases I suggest using sphagnum moss, which has mild antibacterial properties. Prewet it and pack only loosely around the roots. Wetting any existing thoroughly will help them be more flexible. In this case, the only remaining roots were the surface roots. These were placed in the media so that they can better serve the plant during its recovery.

PROGNOSIS:

Plants with root rot can survive. Minor cases generally always survive. A case such as this will, not surprisingly, have a lower survival rate. Expect the more severe cases to take a year or more to recover fully.

PREVENTION:

* Repot your plants regularly to keep the media fresh. This will be approximately every 1-3 years depending on plant type, media type, and your watering habits. Repotting means removing old media and replacing with new. It does not always mean moving up in pot size. In some cases it can even mean a reduction in pot size.

* Know what is an appropriate watering regimen for your plant. This will depend on what type it is. If it is something unfamiliar to you, ask the grower you're getting it from. Also, hang on to your plant labels in case you have more questions down the road. Being able to tell other growers exactly what you have will make it easier for them to help you. Note that watering amount is not the issue. Watering frequency is. When it is time to water, water heavily and let it drain well. Letting a plant sit in water is generally not a good idea.

* If you buy from a non-orchid grower (such as from a perennial specialist) or hardware store, repot it immediately or as soon as possible. If it comes in "dirt", repot immediately even if the plant is in bloom. At the very least it is a good idea to pull a plant out of the pot and look at the roots and condition of the media when you get home with any plant.

DIFFERENTIAL:

* Watering too little can give the plant the same appearance. Definitive diagnosis here lies in the condition of the roots. Watering too little will of course not cause rot.

* High salt buildup can also cause a similar appearance, again minus the root rot. This essentially would be a dessication case. Salt buildup rarely reaches critical levels, however. You can identify it by a peculiar appearance of the media, including crusty deposits. This can generally be fixed by repotting, then prevented by watering occasionally with rainwater or RO water if fertilizer (or by fertilizing less!), or occasionally with Epsom salts (Magnesium Sulfate) solution if the cause is hard water.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:
Other helpful articles on this blog you may find helpful-
Basic Phalaenopsis Culture
Reasons for Plant Collapse in Phalaenopsis
How to repot a Paph Orchid

In Bloom: Smelly Things!

2009-06-16T19:51:00.005-04:00

Many orchids are fragrant, but a few really stand out. Right now on our back porch we have two that are absolutely yummy. The top photo shows Epidendrum (alatum x bractescens), also known as Encyclia (alata x bractescens), has a strong but very pleasing sweet rose-like fragrance most noticeable in our environment midday. Simply step out on the porch after lunch and inhale, and you'll smell the plant 4 feet away. Like most Encyclias, the plant has a high flower count and fat, round pseudobulbs.

The second photo shows Maxillaria tenufolia. This species always shows up whenever there is a fragrance class at a show or meeting, since it has an unmistakable and irresistibly yummy coconut fragrance. The plant likes medium to high light and is something of a climber, so is a great plant to grow mounted. You can also grow it to a nice specimen size in pots or just divide it every few years to share. I've recently divided up one plant and as soon as they seem happy in their new pots I'll be listing them on Etsy.

In Bloom: Paph. acmodontum and a Yellow Brachy

2009-06-14T20:34:00.006-04:00

The top photo shows Paph. acmodontum, a very nice species with bright coloring and a vigorous style. Foliage is green-on-green variegated with a lot of gloss.

The second photo shows a selectively bred yellow Paphiopedilum from the brachypetalum section. This striking individual is Paph. (S. Gratrix 'Luna Amarillo' x Biplane 'Canary'). There are a few top notch breeders out there who are selecting for stronger color in brachypetalum hybrids, which all tend toward white. Al has a few seedlings of these breeding lines in his greenhouse and I just couldn't pass this one up. (There was another I snatched for me, but the flower was on the way out and I didn't photograph it.) This one has good size, its pretty flat, a clean pouch, pale sunshine yellow color. But the neatest feature is a little white spot on the top center of the dorsal sepal - its difficult to see in the photo. Hope it shows up again in future flowerings.

Featured Artist: A.W.E Shop

2009-06-09T22:42:00.010-04:00

Hey fellow plant nerds.

We did the Clarksburg Farmer's market this past weekend. It was an enjoyable market - food, veggies, herbies, crafts, live music, and more. We'll be there again selling orchids on 7/12/09, 8/9/09, 9/20/09, 10/11/09, and 11/1/09. The market is there every Sunday, but events vary. I really liked the music, wish that more of our days co-insided with live bands. Maybe they'll schedule some more to fill in the gaps.

Anyway, while we had plenty of plants to be shopped, what we lacked was a tent. Not for lack of ordering one though... Without the generosity of Deb at AWEshop we and the plants would have fried! That's right, crispy, crispy critters. Deb saved the day by lending us her tent. THANK YOU DEB!!

Deb is primarily a jewelry designer, with some very nice work. She has a number of wire/metal work pieces that have a sleek and powerful, yet very feminine aire. I always admire the wire work because, having tried it, I know it is much harder than it looks. Overall style is organic, fluid, honest. Let me show you some of my favorites from her shop. Just click on the images for more information.

To see more about Deb and her work, check out her Etsy shop and blog.

In Bloom: Clivia nobilis

2009-05-28T23:17:00.004-04:00

I have been quite pleased lately with a flush of blooms from my resident blooming size clivias recently. Among these was this first bloom Clivia nobilis, which was a gift a while back from my favorite plant cruising sidekick, The Larry. I remember it well. He said, "Do you want this?" To which I replied, ::SNATCH:: "Yes, thanks."

The plant is a little different from other clivias in terms of leaf texture - darker green, sturdier, more strap-like, with a hint of serration like texture on the margin, and very orderly and upright. It is quite attractive. The inflorescence is stout and bears a good number of tightly arranged flowers. And what's better? It is now sending up a second inflorescence.

We also recently had a vising black snake. Well, he was black, and he was a snake. I assume therefore, a "black snake". Quite an attractive young fellow. Lucky too. He narrowly missed being stomped by one of the horses. We hope he eats lots of field mice.

Dendrobium species culture

2009-05-27T12:27:00.003-04:00

Hi folks, just ran across this page giving an overview of Dendrobium species culture based on group, and wanted to share. There are a lot of cool Dendrob's out there, but they can vary greatly. This might give you a good starting point, from which you can research more individual species and groups. The one thing it says that I'm not sure I agree with is "medium to high light" for Latoria species. Even here on the East coast I've seen latoria hybrids burn in higher light. I keep them in phalaenopsis level light with no problems. Latorias are great by the way! :) The photo above is one I currently have available in my shop. (There will be more soon if they don't all sell at market!)

2009 SEPOS Show, Fantastic Dendrobiums

2009-05-17T23:00:00.005-04:00

In line with my increasing fascinating with Dendrobiums, I spent a good deal of time examining the selections at the SEPOS show this year. There were many interesting and well grown plants, what follows is just a selection of highlights. We'll start with this beautiful specimen of Dend. lindleyi. This is a fairly compact growing species, but as you can see, does increase in overall size dramatically at flowering time.

Another densely flowered specimen was this Dendrobium (a.k.a. Dockarilla) Oliver Jack "Gerard". A very attractive tuft of a plant.

A very adorable Den. Tie Dye.

Dendrobium discolor, a rather tall species with very unusual twisty, ruffled, rusty-color flowers on long sprays.

Dendrobium harveyanum, with very cool fimbriate flowers.

This Dendrobium Julie Skillicorn was quite fascinating. It was hung in a spot where I suspect it might be overlooked by some, but it is something certainly worth admiring and probably growing if you get a chance. I'd like to get one! It was in a rather small basket that was overflowing with long, needle like leaves arranged in a chain fashion, with a generous seasoning of upside-down flowers.

In Bloom: Two Dischidia Species

2009-04-07T22:04:00.001-04:00

Top: Dischidia hirsuta 'Red Leaf'.
No fragrance that I can detect, but it only has one open flower right now.
Bottom: Dischidia nummularia (variegated).
Flowers on this one smell like a cut rose that is past it's peak.
Flowers on both are approximately 1/4 inch.

Dischidias are generally easy, rewarding species to grow, and may be kept easily among your orchids in low to medium light. These plants have been kept among the phalaenopsis seedlings under fluorescent light (2 bulbs, approx 8 inches from plant). They are epiphytic vines which are easily rooted in pots of sphagnum or frequently watered mounts. Most of them are also very quick growers, twining around all kinds of things, but the variegated nummularia above has been a little slower for me.

2009 SEPOS Show, Paph Installment

2009-04-05T23:28:00.011-04:00

Last weekend I went to the South East Pennsylvania Orchid Society Show at Longwood Gardens. I came away with hundreds of pictures and two dead camera batteries. I still haven't finished weeding through them (though, admittedly I've procrastinated a bit) and don't know how to pare it down to a few highlights for the blog. Thought I'd do a few installments of highlights instead, so you can see more photos! Today we'll be starting with some paphs, focusing on species, although there were also plenty of hybrids of interest.

Paph. sangii 'Suzanne' HCC/AOS
Sangii is a rather rare species in cultivation, and a fantastic flower, so deserves top billing.

Top: Paph. villosum 'Lloyds' AM/AOS
Bottom: Paph. villosum '#1'

Top: Paph. hirsutissimum 'Buffy Lynn' HCC/AOS
Bottom: A different Paph. hirsutissimum

Paph. bulleniamum var. tortipetalum

Paph. lowii 'MacLean' AM/AOS - a rather nice and unusual lowii due to the dark color, especially on the dorsal.

Next time: Exciting Dendrobiums

How To: Detach Sticky Roots

2009-03-28T22:37:00.009-04:00

Once in a while you come across an orchid that seems to be able to attach itself to anything, especially things you'd rather it didn't. Some actually have a special talent for this. Phalaenopsis schilleriana and philippinensis are two excellent examples. Recently I wanted to photograph a Phal. schilleriana (left) from a tray containing a few plants of each of the mentioned species plus a few other plants. To do this, I had to extract it first.

Most of the plants came out easily, leaving me with a firmly attached handful of plants. The three you see in the image were the worst. Now obviously you can just grab and pull at this stage, but that results in several torn roots. While there are times when there isn't much choice, I like to avoid that if I can, especially on youngsters like the two on the left. So what to do? Well, the first step is to wet the roots. Wet roots are more pliable, less brittle, making it easier for you to manipulate them. (This is also a great trick when repotting!)

Next, simply use your thumbnail or other smooth, flat object to pry the roots loose. Starting at an already loose spot (usually at the end closest to the plant), push your thumb under the root and gently wiggle forward under and along the root.

Pretty soon, you might actually be able to lift your plants! Here are all those roots, now hanging free but still intact.

Root characteristics vary somewhat among phals. These two species have a very particular root type that is flattened with an extra pebbly texture. They can stick to anything, and will do so at every opportunity. Incidentally, this detail make both species, as well as other species and hybrids with similar morphology, excellent candidates for mounted culture as they tend to establish very quickly.

Update: Germinating orchid seeds

2009-03-19T22:47:00.009-04:00

More spectacular microscope adventures, starring a gazillion orchid seeds!

This series of photos was actually taken last Sunday, placing the time line at 4 weeks post sowing. This first one shows the Laelia tenebrosa 'Coast Ovelins' AM/AOS x self, first shown in this post. You'll see some are much further along, some are starting to swell, and some are just sitting there thinking about it. The forming protocorms (green) have now shed their seed coats. This you can still see on the top right green mass - there is the empty husk along its bottom right side. Magnification is about 38x in this photo.

This one is Encyclia mariae, OSP #2769, magnification ~29x in the top photo, 144x in the bottom two photos, which were taken with blue light and a red-green filter. Here again you see a variety of developmental stages. The higher magnification photos also gives you a better look at the cast off seed coats, to the top right of each large protocorm. (Remember that chlorophyll naturally auto-fluoresces red under blue light, that is why they appear red in these photos) Possibly the most interesting thing about these two photos, however, is that on the bottom of the center protocorm you can see the beginnings of two nearly transparent root-like structures. I do not believe they are actual roots, but a simpler, more primitive structure. As protocorms develop, they form their first leaf and several fuzzy hairs on the other side. I suspect these are most similar to root hairs in structure, probably formed by one to a few cells each with no differentiation in terms of cell function, for the express purpose of improving water absorption over short distances. A true root has many cell types, each with its own function, shape, and location. Can anyone confirm for me the nature of the little hairs in the photo?

I also have plates of Cattleya leopoldii v. alba, OSP# 1383 which were sterilized and plated at the same time. Unfortunately these show no definite germination at this time, only an obvious difference between viable and not viable seeds. Not all seeds will germinate as quickly as the ones shown above. Hopefully these will start to germinate soon, too.

Report on the USBG Production Facility

2009-03-15T11:04:00.031-04:00

Once or twice per year, the US Botanic Gardens offers the opportunity to tour their production greenhouses which are on a separate location from the public greenhouses. This is where they maintain collections and produce things like the bedding plants you see around the facility. They have a wonderful collections of orchids, succulents, and more.

They have a great variety, but also may have multiples of the same thing - usually because they've had it long enough to divide it many times. But sometimes, they keep the plant together and just pot it into a giant milk crate, like this Isochilus major. The plastic basket it is in I'll estimate to be approximately 30 by 18 inches, maybe a bit bigger, with the plant spilling out of it in every direction.

There was a nice assortment of Epidendrums, but due to their octopus like nature I had a hard time identifying source pots and therefore names. So these are just interesting pictures.

There was also quite a crop of dendrobiums, especially a large number of classic Nobile hybrids. They were all above my head so I can't give you a name on them, but they all looked rather like the old style hybrid that is slightly larger and needs colder temperatures in the winter to set buds. Still very nice of course.

Among the dendrobiums of note were Dend. caryicola on the left, which was labeled as a CITES seizure. If you fancy it there are a number of quite similar species available, such as Dendrobium aphyllum. I'm not sure I can tell the difference between them. The photo on the right shows Dend. speciosum. This is the first time I've seen one of those in person and the plant is massive. The canes were about 2 inches in diameter and about 2 feet long topped with a pair of thick, one foot long leaves, generally looking like a large Cattleya type thing. The plant was not very attractive, but the flowers are quite nice.

Of the many lovely paphs and phrags in bloom, there was one Paph. De Witt Smith which I was quite smitten with. I'd like to get some seedlings of this, but I suspect I'll not be able to find any. The plant is large so they've had it a while, and one sad thing about paph hybrids is that often you only see them for a short period of time and then you don't get an opportunity to buy that one ever again. With few exceptions they just don't get remade. Fortunately there are plenty of other exciting things to be growing.

These two closely related species are Paph. glaucophyllum and Paph. victoria-regina. These and related species and hybrids are great things to grow because they produce multiple flowers sequentially over a period of months.

A very adorable Pleuro. circumplexa. This is a small species about 5 inches tall.

Gongora scaphephorus, like all Gongoras, was well flowered on an elegant, pendant spike. These flowers were also nicely fragrant, but I can't remember what it smelled like. Citrus-ish, perhaps?

I will leave you with a couple photos from the succulent house. Above is Pachypodium succulentum, an interesting caudiciform species. I've never grown this one but have been pleased with the other Pachypodium species I have tried. They seem hardier than the more commonly seen Adeniums in my opinion.

A violently red-orange Echinocereus triolochidatus in full bloom.

They have many other plants in other greenhouses - gingers, anthuriums, bedding plants, cycads and more. Visiting the main public complex located next to the capitol building in DC will give you quite a display and impression of the variety of their collection. I highly recommend it!

In Bloom: Bulbophyllum ambrosia

2009-03-10T12:30:00.001-04:00

The miniature species Bulbophyllum ambrosia is reported to be sweet smelling, some say 'like honey', but I must admit I found it more 'smelly' than 'sweet'. But it was at least fragrant.

This poor little plant gets a fair amount of abuse from me. Its a species that wants copious amounts of water and I just don't water it enough for it to be really happy (trying to change that, honest), but it muddles along and occasionally blooms for me. What a dutiful little plant. I divided it into several pieces after this blooming so hopefully will have some to share in a few months. Many bulbophyllums and cirrhopetalums are moisture loving. At the same time, most of them like lower light conditions, like phalaenopsis light, so are easy to accommodate in many homes. If you like to water a lot, you might consider trying one of these species.

Portrait of a Plant Stand

2009-03-09T21:03:00.006-04:00

This is a new plant stand I recently completed. It will considerably shorten my daily watering routine by allowing me to water many of the mounted plants with a watering can rather than taking them in batches to a sink.
It consists of hard wire cloth affixed to a simple pine frame with a plywood base. There is plastic sheeting in the back, simply attached so that it will be easily replaced if it develops an algae coating. There is a plastic bin on the bottom to catch drip and to house a few phrags and some ferns. Also, there are wheels on the bottom to easily allow me to move the stand around as needed for watering.

Temperature Sensitive Pigments

2009-03-04T22:04:00.007-05:00

This is a first bloom seedling of Dend. Himezakura x Super Ise, a relatively compact and warmth tolerant Nobile Dendrobium hybrid. I have a batch of them and this is the first to bloom. I'm pleased with it, it is quite cute. Also, it is quite well flowered with 5 short inflorescences each carrying 2-3 flowers about 2 inches across.

The most interesting thing about it though, is that it seems to have temperature sensitve pigment production. I brought it up from our unheated basement (~55F this time of year) to a cool window in the living room (room ~67, window probably a bit less, especially at night). At the time, it had a few open flowers, several buds that opened soon after, and two buds at the top that needed to develop a bit before opening. All of the first flowers to open are white with a pink blush toward the edge. The last two younger buds are the ones you see above with the strong pink edges on the petals. The anther cap is also pink in these flowers. This must be a response to the warmer temperatures during the critical stages of bud development for these two. I think next year I'll bring it upstairs earlier, or just keep it up here permanently, so that all the flowers will be this vibrant!

Growing info for these plants:
These are dwarf nobile type, reaching perhaps a height of ~18 inches (currently ~10 inches tall in 2.5 inch pots). Nobile group plants are deciduous, meaning they generally shed their leaves every year. Don't worry when the leaves start looking a little blah in winter than fall off as long as the canes look good.

Grow like a phalaenopsis in Summer, but increase light and decrease temperature somewhat in Winter. If they don't flower for you they're not cool enough at night. I keep my plants on a screened porch in Summer, leaving them out in the fall until it is quite chilly at night, then put them in my unheated basement under artificial light. Great for rooms with extra drafty windows or little to no heat in winter.

Germinating Orchid Seeds

2009-02-28T21:45:00.006-05:00

Creatures from the Black Lagoon!!!

Yeah, maybe not, but just as rarely seen by the average human.

What you are seeing here are orchid seeds just beginning to germinate. They are Laelia tenebrosa 'Coast Ovelins' AM/AOS x self, OSP stock# 1071, 12 days post sowing (FAST!). Orchid seeds are tiny, dust like things (see also this post), so images were taken using ~30x magnification (if I remember the lens magnification correctly) on a dissecting 'scope. The first really obvious sign of orchid germination is the presence of tiny little green balls of undifferentiated tissue. From this the first leaf and first root arise. But before any of that, if you have a sharp eye you'll notice the seeds get "fat" and more noticeable on the plate. This is the stage you are viewing now.

The seeds with the opaque mass in the center are the ones that are growing. The ones that are thin and transparent are not growing. These may germinate at a later date, but more likely they will not germinate at all. The extra fat one is a little further along. In another week or two it should be obviously green and enlarged. The image above was taken with 'normal' light. The one below was taken using blue light and a red/green filter. With this setup, you can see the presence of active chlorophyll under this setup as evidenced by the red color of the fattest seed. Chlorophyll pigments naturally fluoresce red under blue light.

They're alive!!! Eek! :)

In Bloom: Clivia x crytanthiflora and Phal. cross

2009-02-23T01:16:00.006-05:00

Hey plant fans! I'm still up, should be sleeping. (details!...)

But I do have a lovely Clivia xCrytanthiflora to show you. This is a natural hybrid clivia between the two speices miniata and nobilis. I must say, I'm quite partial to the tube shaped clivia flowers. I've had this plant for a little over a year. It gets pretty low light (as in, equivalent to what an African violet might enjoy), and rather infrequent waterings as I grow stuff on the somewhat dry side. It is in a large clay pot with a media consisting of a high percentage of coir fiber, my preferred component for Clivia plants.

Also happening this weekend is the first of the Phal. (San Luca x Minstral's Pixie Prelude) plants finally opened a flower. They say "A watched pot never boils." Similarly, a watched orchid takes FOREVER to bloom. ::shakes fist:: I'd say my first impression is its quite a nice hybrid though. Those in spike have nice, stout spikes with fat buds. I don't know yet if they'll all follow this one with crystalline white background and a fine purple-pink netting overlay, but I suspect they will be similar. Great young plants!

Photos from the 2009 Paph Forum

2009-02-15T23:06:00.018-05:00

Saturday marked the 29th Annual Paph Forum in DC, and what follows is a selection of photos from the well attended show table. At the time I was taking my last photos, though, a number of plants had already been removed for judging, so the table shots are not as filled out as they would have been first thing in the morning.

The left side of the auditorium was mainly populated by complex hybrids sorted according to color/markings, or teacup and novelty groups.

The right side of the room contained the Phragmipediums, and Paph species and other hybrid types (maudiae, multifloral, etc.).

Paph. hookerae

Paph. bellatulum

An alba Paph. philippinense

A basket of brachy hybrids

And a contestant from the "Ugly Slipper" class. Clone names in this group were fantastic.

We were also treated to four talks and many lovely photos. The last of the speakers was John of Parkside Orchids. He gave a very interesting talk about what impact the pot plant market has on the hobby market. If the majority of sales worldwide of orchids are in the pot plant market, this then is what supports the business of the large breeding houses. This has different production rules and goals than the hobby market - fast production of strong and uniform plants that will appeal to a customer with a somewhat different set of requirements than an average plant geek. That isn't to say that the pot plant market does not produce good plants, because they in fact do. But the needs of this market largely dictate what the large breeding houses do with their time. For example, fewer phrags are produced by production breeding now because they can't sell enough of them fast enough to make production worthwhile. This is why we see fewer Phrags on the market today than a few years back. Food for thought.

To close, two photos of a nicely variegated Paph. insigne. Now that is a rarity!

In Bloom: Dendrobium Nobile hybrid

2009-02-13T19:09:00.007-05:00

That's right, yet another 'in bloom'. :)

This time it is a first bloom Dendrobium (Himezakura x Super Ise) seedling. Recently I've been having a mild love affair with dendrobium species, so I just decided it was time to give the Nobile's a shot. For a very long time now I have coveted noblie type dendrobiums, but somehow got it into my head that they were hard to grow. They really aren't (see below for culture information). I bought a batch of these Himezakura x Super Ise seedlings almost a year ago and they've been doing quite nicely so far. This is the first of the seedlings to bloom, but a few of the others also have buds starting. Very exciting - maybe we'll get to see a few more soon if they don't get bought up (they're listed in my shop, in bud goes first!).

Growing Nobile hybrids:
These are dwarf nobile type, reaching perhaps a height of ~18 inches (currently ~10 inches tall in 2.5 inch pots). Nobile group plants are deciduous, meaning they generally shed their leaves every year. Don't worry when the leaves start looking a little blah in winter than fall off as long as the canes look good.

Grow like a phalaenopsis in summer for light, temperature, and water, but decrease temperature somewhat in winter. If they don't flower for you they're not cool enough at night - especially if they make keikis instead of flowers. I keep my plants on a screened porch in summer, leaving them out in the fall until it is quite chilly at night (perhaps 50F at night), then put them in my unheated basement under artificial light. Some of them had already started to initiate buds when they came in for winter. They would also be great for rooms with drafty windows or little to no heat in winter. You'd be surprised how much cooler it is in your bay window than your house in the winter.

I also increase light in winter in accordance with recommendations from other growers, but given that they drop their leaves I'm not convinced that even matters. Also be aware that cooler temperatures in winter means a less frequent need for watering.

In Bloom: Phalaenopsis Zuma's Pixie 'Taida'

2009-02-09T23:23:00.006-05:00

Ahh...I think we can officially declare phalaenopsis blooming season "open". While I have a couple plants in bloom most any time of the year, February through April is usually the peak season. There's stuff in bud just everywhere and new flowers opening every day. I just love spring!

Today I have a classic miniature to show you - Phal. Zuma's Pixie. This is the clone 'Taida'. The cross is one of the greats of miniature or sweetheart phalaenopsis breeding. Bred out of Carmela's Pixie and equestris, it has masses of ~1 inch flowers, usually on branched spikes, all on a compact plant. This is a youngster, but even this one has a little branch on its spike (but you can't really see it in the photo).

In Bloom: Phalaenopsis amabilis

2009-02-01T10:33:00.004-05:00

I think Phalaenopsis amabilis (aka rimestadiana) is an under-appreciated species. I assume it is overlooked due to its similarity to the over produced "big white phalaenopsis". My plant is a compact, stout growing plant with lovely, shiny, and thick leaves and strong roots. The species produces a strong inflorescence with tiled flowers, and on occasion you might find a plant with fragrant flowers.

The species is easy to grow either mounted or potted. It is adaptable to a wide range of light conditions and therefore an excellent houseplant, appropriate for all levels of orchid growers.

In Bloom: Paph. wardii and Hsinying Alien

2009-01-25T16:03:00.007-05:00

I'll admit this Paph. Hsinying Alien has lovely, but actually somewhat average flowers. They have good size and clear markings. The real charm of the plant is in foliage, shown in the next photo.

The foliage has striking contrast between a light yellow-green background and a lovely emerald green foreground. I honestly purchased the plant just for this wonderfully marked foliage. I'd like to breed some paphs specifically for striking foliage. I think they would make great windowsill plants, looking fancy year round. Many paphs have great foliage, so I should have no problem putting together a good genetic palette.

At the moment, I have a couple Paph wardii plants in bloom as well. They also have lovely foliage, they are not high contrast, but do have interesting markings. As an added bonus, they are compact, have wonderful color and shading in the flowers, and great lasting power. I have one listed in my shop that has been in bloom for two full months already, and its just a first bloom seedling! I think I might cross the wardii onto the Hsinying Maru. It should yield exciting foliage on vigorous plants, and flowers with stronger color. I'm also tempted to take the other pollina from this wardii and stick it on my Paph. primulinum flavum, for no particular reason, so probably won't do it.

In Bloom & Update on Paph Protocorms

2009-01-04T17:57:00.004-05:00

Hi kidz! Sorry I've been out of touch. New job, still workin' old one on a part time consulting type basis, and trying to survive the lack of sunlight that is December. I think I might be a little photosynthetic. I hate short, cloudy days.

Anyway, I'm trying to get back on track. So for today we have an in bloom:

This is Blc. George King 'Southern Cross' AM/AOS. Yeah, I knew I kept that plant around for a reason. Such a lovely flower. There are actually several nice clones of George King. It is compact growing, and fragrant like cheap liquid soap.

Now, I didn't take any photos, but the paph protocorms mentioned in an earlier post are doing well. A week or two after that post, the protocorms in the light started to look a bit more green. I moved the ones in darkness to light and they greened up too.

Now, someone on OGD suggested they would be too difficult to transfer them at a young age, but its actually not that bad. Also, lets remember that my germination media had no complex sugars added, so there was not really enough there for them to grow any more. (Frequently germination media has a small amount of some complex ingredient to get them started, but not so much that it might stunt them, but I did not have the appropriate stuff for paphs). They couldn't stay on that media for long or they would die.

But for anyone interested, it is not actually that hard to do. Using a sterile spatula like this one, I simply scrape little piles of protocorms off the mother flask media with the spoonish end, then spread them onto replate media. I have done this before. Its a great opportunity to spread and thin out your protocorms so they are not so stacked on top of each other. In this case, I transferred each of the 10cm petri dishes onto 2 or 3 pint size containers with the media on the long side (like the photo in the previous blog post that shows the phals, but with a LOT more protocorms).

Later on down the road, when they have itty bitty leaves, I'll pluck the paph seedlings with forceps to another set of flasks for them to grow up large enough for deflasking. In many cases, this three stage system results in bigger, happier seedlings anyway. I have high hopes for a quality output here.

Update: Hippeastrum reticulatum seed pod

2008-12-21T23:16:00.004-05:00

Back in October I reported on the blooming of my Hippeastrum reticulatum var striatifolium, which I hand pollinated at that time. Fortunately one flower took and managed to produce 4 fat seeds (top). I find this interesting because other Hippeastrum seeds I have handled are flat and papery. You can tell by looking at the seed pod, which is rather lovely inside, that there are ova for many more seeds. I'm not sure why we didn't get more seed, but it could have been poor self-compatibility, not ideal timing for pollination (ova or pollen getting old or not completely mature), or maybe its just not very fertile. But at least we got a few! I'll pop them in pots tomorrow morning and we'll see what happens.

Sing Along!

2008-12-12T21:41:00.002-05:00

You know the tune. Sing along with me!

My rabbit has a first name, its F-R-I-T-Z!
My rabbit has a second name, its C-A-T-T-V!

In Bloom: Phalaenopsis hieroglyphica

2008-11-28T10:27:00.003-05:00

Phal. hieroglyphica, first bloom. The flower is a good size, maybe 3" across with nice heavy substance. The species was considered a variety of lueddemanniana at one point, and may still be by some folks. I can't tell if this one is actually a hieroglyphica or if it is actually a lueddemanniana. Its markings look more like luedde., as hieroglyphica generally has faint markings that do not extend all the way to the edges of the petals, but actually color and markings have little, if anything, to do with species identification. For times like these, it would be great to have a copy of Christenson's book, Phalaenopsis: A Monograph, which has a compilation of technical descriptions. Why does it matter, you ask? Well, if I breed a plant its important to know what it is so that the hybrids are correctly identified, and all recipients of seedlings get what they're expecting. I don't want to slap just any name on a plant.

Success! I think.

2008-11-27T09:04:00.005-05:00

These are new protocorms of Paph (Puck's Apple x gardineri). And so many! I have 4 plates like this. It's a little odd that they're not green, but maybe this is normal for paph protocorms. At least I hope it is. I had not checked them for a while, so I hope they weren't green to start with then turned brown because they're going to die!! This is actually my first experience with Paph protocorms - any words of wisdom out there? I suspect they're fine.

For comparison, (although not easy to see) the second photo shows a more advanced stage of Phal (Newberry Snowdrops x (Neon Spots x Soroa Wild Thing)). Germination rate was low on these, but they were harvested as a split pod and perhaps the bleach killed some. They looked like the paph protocorms to start with, but green, then they expand and start producing a first leaf. These are at the stage of having their first proto-leaf, and will soon have wee little roots starting.

The real test, of course, is to see if any survive to other stages of growth - no contamination in the replate flasks where they'll get bigger, survive through the community pot transition, then grow to flowering size. Let's hope for a real success of fun and exciting flowers down the road! :)

How do I know if my orchid is in spike?

2008-11-23T21:52:00.010-05:00

If you're new to orchids or just don't have too many, you might not yet know the early signs of flowers to come. Let me give you a short pictorial of how to tell if you Phalaenopsis is in spike with promises of blooms to come.

When the inflorescences ("spikes" in orchid geek slang) first emerge on a Phal they look like the top photo. Usually one, sometimes two protrusions, somewhat flattened on the apex and a bit upwards facing. Here you are looking at a Phal. mannii v. flava with two spikes just starting to emerge. They are marked by the red arrows. At such an early stage, it will still be a couple months before there are flowers.

Spikes of this age can easily be mistaken for young roots. In this second picture, an emerging root is circled. Notice the difference in shape and orientation. The emerging root is rounded along the length, and points slightly downward. You may also notice a difference in surface texture. Please note, however, not all emerging roots are purple. Many are green. By the same token, not all emerging spikes will be green - some are purple.

Soon enough the spike will show above the leaves. Generally it will grow in the direction of the best light source. The young tissue is pliable, so if you plan on staking it to train the spike straight now is the best time to start, adding new ties as it grows up. This is not a necessary action for most plants, and is in fact impractical for some species and hybrids that have naturally short, horizontal spikes (like Phal. bellina or violacea and some other waxy star types).

After what will seem like a FOREVER wait, you will finally see wee little flower buds start to emerge from the bracts (joints) on the inflorescence. It is very exciting. :) There's still a bit of wait for flowers, but it is SO worth it!

In Bloom: Paph wardii ...and seeds!

2008-11-22T22:38:00.007-05:00

This is the first of a group of Paph wardii seedlings to bloom. They're cute little guys. The flower has a natural spread of around 3 inches and great dark color on the petals and clear stripes on the dorsal sepal. Also has great foliage. I think it looks sorta like a Muppet though. I don't know what it is, just needs a couple eyeballs and it's all set.

Also today I did time at the table separating seeds from fluff. When you're in the right mood its not bad work. Just space out a little and it can be quite satisfying.

I cleaned seeds of Passiflora capsularis, edible chrysanthemum, and Thai basil. There are already P. capsularis seeds listed in the shop, but I'm deciding if I should keep the others or share. Have a little hair-brained idea of broadcasting assorted herb and wildflower seeds in a section of my yard to make a meadow.

Also, Fritz got half a haircut. Notice how much hair there is vs. how much rabbit there is. He looks kinda like a sea slug doesn't he?

In Bloom: Dendrobium gonzalesii

2008-11-16T16:35:00.005-05:00

I recently picked up this nifty little guy from Al Pickerel. It is a miniature species named Dendrobium gonzalesii. Its a skinny plant about 6 or 7 inches tall with nobby stems (photo below). My plant is a seedling blooming for the first time on a leafless cane, so it may actually get little taller in the coming years.
For more info, check out the ISOPE page.

In Bloom: Dendrobium tetragonum v. giganteum

2008-11-10T13:12:00.007-05:00

In the past year or so I've developed an obsession with dendrobium species that is gaining in momentum. Toward the beginning of this phase I purchased several seedlings of Dendrobium tetragonum var. giganteum. This is the first of them to bloom. The flowers are maybe 4-5 inches tall and vaguely fragrant, but not in a sweet and yummy way.

The plants are about 8 inches long - semi pendant in a pot. Possibly their coolest feature is the square pseudobulbs. The flowers are neat too.

I grow this species along with Phalaenopsis plants in small pots with a mix that is essentially the same as my paph mix. It would also be an appropriate choice for mounted culture since the canes want to grow in a pendant fashion.

Several dendrobium species and hybrids with thinner leaves seem susceptible to mites, so keep an eye out for the little buggers. I actually believe that mites come as a result of having African Violets around, as my infestations always seem to begin in the areas where I'm keeping AV's. So I now suggest preventative spraying of the violets to avoid mites.

FRIIITZ!!!

2008-11-04T15:08:00.003-05:00

Meet Fritz, our new German Angora rabbit! And before you say, "he's huge!!", please keep in mind that he is covered with several inches of poufy hair. He's just a giant cotton ball. His favorite activities are rearranging the bowls in his cage and freaking out the cat by sniffing it.

Featured Seller: Dottyral

2008-11-03T09:46:00.004-05:00

Etsy
Buy Handmade
dottyral

Dotty is a fellow Marylander who makes adorable pincushions in often fanciful shapes. Look for her peapod cushion both in her etsy shop (above) and her very easy to use website! She is also an active member of the Capitol Region Etsy Street Team, and is participating in their team sale. But that sale ends today, so check out what she has and maybe buy some gifts!

In Bloom: Phalaenopsis equestris 'Keiki Monster'

2008-11-02T23:54:00.003-05:00

Sorry I've been a bit incommunicado folks, busy busy! Thought I'd take a moment to pop up an 'in bloom' for you, so you'd know I was still alive. This is Phal. equestris 'Keiki Monster', one of Al Pickerel's clones. Its a typical form of equestris. You may also recall the equestris alba of a few weeks back. Why 'Keiki Monster'? Because equestris is a notorious weed that produces lots of keikis. There's one listed in my shop here, that is in spike!

UPCOMING EVENTS!

2008-10-13T14:55:00.003-04:00

DC CRAFT MAFIA SHOW: Saturday Nov. 1
Come & see me - I'll be selling orchids at this event.

________

Montgomery Village Holiday Craft Bazaar

Saturday Nov. 8
Come & see me there too! I'll be offering hand-made luxury for any budget, including hand knit and hand dyed scarves, fingerless mitts, and a few sweaters. For more preview on that, please check out my new Etsy shop, November Air Boutique, but keep in mind I have much more to bring than is currenty listed - I'm just getting that one started. I'll also be sharing space with Drag'n Rags. Check out her offerings below.

Etsy: Your place to buy & sell all things handmade
DragonRags.etsy.com

A trip to the USBG

2008-10-13T14:18:00.009-04:00

I did a couple things this weekend. One was to attempt to sell plants at the Old Town Village Marketplace in Fairfax, where a large crowd was anticipated for the Fairfax community fair. It didn't work out very well because the large crowd at the fair didn't know we were in that building. This was another lesson learned in selecting a venue and why I shouldn't do a show last minute - I wore myself out preparing. Oh well. On Nov. 1st I'll be selling again at the DC Craft Mafia show in Bethesda. Come out & see me!

The more exciting news was a trip to US Botanical Gardens adjacent to the Capitol Building to genuflect at the plants. It was a very nice day for it. The NCOS show was this weekend too, but for the first time in years I skipped it, so I can't report on it for you.
In one room they trotted out a number of succulents and put up cards with a list of their traditional uses. As you might expect this display included several aloes with their well known uses. However, some had some interesting details I'd never heard of before. For example, this A. ferox apparently is used to make snuff. ??? Thats a new one by me!

I also took a moment to muse about how a clone name can identify the origin of a plant. This Paph. Transvaal 'Orchid Loft' is a fairly obvious example, in that the original plant must have been owned by Orchid Loft at the time it was awarded.

This Phal. Valentinii 'Harford' is a little more subtle, but anyone familiar with The Little Greenhouse will recognize Harford as their location and a name they use quite frequently with their clones. Incidentally, if you've never been to Little Greenhouse, which is North of Baltimore, make the time to visit the next time you're in the area. It's a charming greenhouse with lots of little goodies tucked away all over the place.

I think I should pick some names to tack to all my plants. I'll have to think about that one.

There were lots of other interesting things there as well. For example, this Globba winitii, which is in the ginger family. I used to have an alba form of this species. They're pretty easy to grow as long as the bulbs don't stay too wet during the winter months.

Finally, I'll leave you with a photo of a nice cactus-mounted Oncidium onustum (a.k.a. Zelenkoa onustum). I don't remember seeing the plant there last time I visited, but that doesn't mean it wasn't there. In any case, its nicely bloomed out!

In Bloom: Hippeastrum reticulatum var. striatifolium

2008-10-05T23:58:00.006-04:00

Hippeastrum reticulatum var. striatifolium is an amaryllis species with a white stripe down the center of each leaf. Flowers are smaller than typical hybrids, and the foliage is not necessarily deciduous for this one. I keep it with my young clivias, so its in pretty low light, but as some of you recall from my previous posts all other amaryllis are kept in near full sun. I don't actually know if this species can handle that much light, but given that it has flowered for me with two spikes on one bulb I'm betting it isn't necessary. I pollinated the two open flowers. Let's hope for seeds!

In other news, I gave the safety of my fingers a substantial risk today by man-handling the sour puss. I was trying to get him to hiss for the camera but it didn't work. Looks funny but needs an 'lolcat' caption...

Bahhh!!!

2008-10-03T23:16:00.004-04:00

Fungus attack is not fun! These are some Phal seeds I sowed one week ago. I found the pod had split earlier than I expected at a couple weeks shy of 6 months. Seems to me the previous pods have all gone to 6 or 7 months with no trouble. Must be the stuff I'm breeding now. Although, most of my previous years' efforts have used plants heavy with section Zebrinae (violacea, luedde., tetraspis, etc.) genetics as pod parent. Maybe they take longer to bake.

I don't know how long the pod was open, but certainly a good 30% of the seeds fell out. I gave them a 24hr sugar soak, but admittedly I've never worked out what a good concentration of sugar is for that approach. This was followed by a bleach treatment, then the seeds were sown on a pretty standard germination media. Three days later there was one fungus colony on each plate. I carefully excised them off. Either they had already sporulated, or there were just unused spores in the mix. I hate contaminated seeds.

For kicks I'm going to try a last ditch attempt to save them. One plate will get a Daconil spray, and I'll have a go at the other one with oxidative stress (hydrogen peroxide...it'll probably kill the seeds but I'm going to try it anyway). w00t.

*BUT* there is some good news today. In fear that another pod would split early, I snatched it off today and sowed it. Its a cross of Paph (Yellow Butterfly x fairrieanum), pollinated back in March. Sounds fun, yes?? It was a smallish pod, but it really came through with a lovely crop of dark sable brown seeds. I've got one plate in the light and 2 in the dark as I do not know which this cross will respond better to. Next week sometime I'll be taking the Puck's Apple x gardineri for sowing. You may remember those contestants from March.

Phalaenopsis for your health

2008-09-28T10:32:00.004-04:00

(Left: Phal. violacea v. alba at The Little Greenhouse)

Recently a news article was cited on the Orchid Guide Digest by Viateur, who finds all the interesting stories for us. The article makes two claims that are interesting, but unsupported (references are not cited). Do any of you know if these are accurate statements?

"Translucent pots allow light to reach the roots and algae to form on their
surface [is that desirable ?] ? this helps with moisture and nutrient uptake.
...
Moth orchids are effective in removing xylene (chemical emissions from
adhesives, computer VDU screens, paints, photocopiers and varnishes) from
the atmosphere [really ?]"

Gluten and Camelid Fiber

2008-09-21T11:46:00.010-04:00

Observe the tastiness...
Last night I made a gluten-free pumpkin spice cake using a recipe I found through a newly discovered blog, called the Gluten Free Blog of course! It might be my new favorite blog for a while!

Modifications I made to the recipe:
(1) Used Rob's Red Mill gluten free flour blend instead of the individual flour types listed
(2) Omitted the nuts, didn't want
(3) Substituted 1/2 cup of the plain sugar for brown sugar

It is most tasty served with ice cream or cream cheese. It would also be wonderful with a cream cheese buttercream frosting. mmmm...

The texture of the cake is wonderful. You'd never know it wasn't a "normal" cake. Mike Eberhart over at the Gluten Free Blog really knows his medium. Its much better than the gluten free zucchini bread that I made last week using the recipe on the back of the xanthan gum I purchased. Either I did something wrong or the recipe is poor, but the stuff did not rise. It sayed as flat as when I put it in the pan. It tastes ok, especially with liberal application of creme cheese, but the texture is flat and a little gummy. The cake on the other hand - fabulous! I think I'll have to buy a copy of Mike's book.

In other news, I've had a small milestone with my spinning activities, thanks to some nice mostly camelid fiber. This is "little bunny", the finest 2-ply yarn I've ever spun and I'm quite pleased with it. The fiber was prepared just right and so was quite willing to be spun fine. The result is 50g of ~16wpi yarn, making it fine or sport weight. It is a blend of llama, baby camel, silk, and flash. The name is simply based on the way the pile of yarn in the photo looks like a perky little bunny sitting on his haunches.

And so that we are not without flower photos in this post, here is Lc. Green Veil 'Dressy', currently in bloom with 2 flowers on each of 2 growths. Its a wonderful shade of green with a delightful contrast in the lip, don't you agree? I'm going to pollinate it with my Sc. June Bug 'Venice Sunshine'. Not that I really have any business making cattleyas, but you know, they really are easy to grow. I think they're about the easiest thing to grow from seed next to phals.

In Bloom: Kingidium deliciosum

2008-09-17T22:32:00.003-04:00

Kingidium deliciosum, also known as Phalaenopsis deliciosa, is a miniature species. The name 'deliciosa', which means "delicate", refers to the appearance of the flowers. They have a very crystalline, thin appearance. They are typically born singly or twos on an inflorescence in sequential fashion, much like Paph. Pinocchio, and can have more than one inflorescence at a time. Individual flowers don't seem to last long, but the plant does produce many over time. Also, the leaves are interesting thanks to a slightly ruffled margin.

I find it to be easy to grow and flower. This one lives on a cork mount and seems quite tolerant of the occasional drought.

RHS uses the name Kingidium for registration purposes. Only a few hybrids are attributed to the species. Many of the small species have been left behind for hybridization, probably because of a combination of size (little ~ not impressive or easily overlooked?) and in some cases difficulty of growing and breeding them. For this one, there is also the somewhat undesirable characteristic (for a Phalaenopsis) of not carrying many flowers at once. I have no idea how easy this one is to breed, but I'm going to give it a shot using the Phal. equestris alba from my previous post. If it works, we'll get little plants perfect for windowsills, and more flowers than deliciosum, though maybe not as many as equestris. That's ok, equestris does produce an obscene number of flowers! I pollinated the plant today. Let's all cross our fingers!

In Bloom: Phalaenopsis equestris alba

2008-09-15T20:14:00.005-04:00

Main reason why Phal. equestris is cool: TONS of flowers. This is a first bloom seedling with a 3-way branched spike. I've seen some make 2 spikes like this. And they just go on and on, making new flowers. Many of the 'multifloral' hybrids have equestris somewhere in there history, contributing the multitude of flowers characteristic. This plant is about to join the ranks of pollen donors in my house.

They are also a species that is prone to making keikis. An individual fan of leaves will stay relatively small, but as they mature and produce a mountain of keikis the plant can become quite impressive. Alternatively, you can remove the keikis and share them with your friends like so many summer squash! For more information on growing phalaenopsis, see this post.

In Bloom: What is this?

2008-08-31T09:06:00.007-04:00

A weed that I neglected to remove all summer has finally come into bloom. It is quite attractive. The flowers are pea shaped (= legume family associations?) and small, less than half an inch. Its not a bad looking critter overall.
Do any of you know what it is?

UPDATE: With fluffnflowers comment plus a few from the Orchid Guide Digest I now believe the plant to be either Lespedeza cuneata or bicolor, both of which look very similar to my plant, are found in the whole of the Eastern half of the US, and, unfortunately, are listed as invasive weeds by one or more states. Hm.. I don't suppose anyone would want seed from my pretty little friend then.

In Bloom: Passiflora capsularis and sanguineolenta

2008-08-30T22:03:00.005-04:00

Passiflora capsularis is a wonderful species. As you can see it has lovely white flowers, approximately 2 inches across with a strong scent of warm vanilla. It is wholly easy to grow, even flowering in comparatively small pots (4") in partial shade, so would be an excellent prospect for a hanging basket. I find they're slow to start from seed though, at least with the one batch I tried. I tried to start them in early spring with a heating mat from seed that came from my plant last summer. They absolutely refused to come up until mid-summer, by which time the pot had been moved outside. I'm lucky I hadn't dumped the pot in the compost heap.

Passiflora sanguineolenta is closely related to capsularis, and indeed their leaves and flowers are very similar in size and shape. Obviously the flower color is different and sanguineolenta has very little scent (at least this is true of my plant). In my more limited experience with this plant I'd find it is also similarly easy to grow, but I have not as yet tried to grow it from seed. I'd like to self pollinate my plant, but I seem unable to catch it at the right time of day to find it with ripened pollen still on the plant. The flowers change so quickly!

Blueberries!!!!

2008-08-26T16:28:00.002-04:00

I was looking through my images today and found this one, taken July 4th, when the blueberries stared to ripen. I had intended to post it to the blog but never did. I have a 'Sunshine Blue', which is a self-fertile dwarf blueberry, who I keep in a large pot. It is an easy to grow variety. Its not a very big bush (and is not very mature at that!) but it had a good crop of berries this year that were most tasty.

Now and then I fantasize that I'd like to plant my whole yard in blueberries and make dry blueberry wine. Two years ago while vacationing in Bar Harbor, ME, we picked up a bottle of locally made, oak aged, dry blueberry wine from the Bartlett estate. mmmm...good stuff. Unfortunately you can only get it in Maine. Wish I could get it here in Maryland. Unlike many non-grape wines, it wasn't cloyingly sweet. Instead it was more like the best Merlot ever. If you're ever in Maine, do yourself a favor and get a case of the stuff!! (and drop one off at my house! thx!)

Contents of an Orchid Seed Pod

2008-08-19T23:44:00.008-04:00

This is a phalaenopsis seed pod that recently split on its own. Fortunately I found it before it sent its charges to the wind and there was plenty of seed remaining. The pod was only about 5 months, but the seeds are a nice straw color, which suggests that they are ripe and viable. I didn't inspect them any more than that though. the remnant of the pod is there on the left. It is still very green as you can see. The contents come easily out, maybe with just a little coaxing.

The fluff shown here is what remains of the pollen tubes. It serves just like the silks you see on corn. In the photo you can see there is a darkened area of the fuzz, which is where there are seeds trapped in the matrix. To give them "the red pill" and free them from the matrix, I just grasp them in the forceps and rap sharply on the metal. They fall free easily onto the paper.

Here you can see the fuzz is free of seeds now.

And finally below, my nice crop of seeds ready to be sterilized and plated on a nice, rich media.

Dry seed sowing has some challenges. A split pod allows a chance for fungal spores to get into the seeds. Spores are rather difficult to kill. So as an added measure with dry seed I use the trick of soaking the seeds 8-16hrs in a mild sucrose solution with a little wetting agent. This can encourage the spores to germinate, essentially bringing them out of their protective shell, making them much easier to kill with a quick, low concentration bleach application (I use 7% of a high strength bleach (~6 or 6.15% hypochlorite) for 7min). This is followed by several washes with sterile distilled water and then the seeds are ready to plate on media. Too high a concentration or too long an exposure will kill the seeds, so you have to balance between the best sterilization you can get with the least collateral damage.

Protocorm Proliferation

2008-08-17T21:11:00.006-04:00

For those of you who have heard the term, but never seen the animal, this is what protocorm proliferation looks like. For those of you who are no confused, I shall define as best I can.

Protocorm: This is the primordial bit of tissue that forms as an orchid seed germinates. The initial thing is a little ball of undifferentiated tissue (tissue who's function is undetermined and can generate any part of the plant) that after a couple months starts forming wee leaves and then roots.

Protocorm proliferation is a phenomena where the protocorm replicates itself like a stem cell forming what is called a callus in plant tissue culture. I can't explain why it happens as I don't know. Generally in tissue culture we make them with application of excess hormones.

Personally, I've seen this most often in Phalaenopsis flasks, but it can happen with any genus. Such structures will not survive outside the flask. However, they can be divided and continued in flask until they grow normally. This results in clones since the replicated protocorms from a clump are identical. This is generally how the only successful paph clones are made. The downside is since you're starting with seed, you might find later that you've propagated a plant that has dopey flowers.

Veggie Folk has reservations about this.

Veggie Folk comes from gobbledygookdecor. Check it out!

Spiderman, Spiderman!

2008-08-12T01:28:00.007-04:00

Kids! Soup's on!

This nifty wasp, decked out in spiderman colors (her wings are metallic blue at the correct angle) isn't doing battle with that wolf spider who is three times her weight. That spider is paralyzed. He will be dinner for several youngin's. Blech. Creepy thought - getting eaten alive.

I don't know where exactly she was going with her prize, but he was certainly in a hurry. She was also quite flustered when she dropped the meal, but soon found it again and resumed the climb. Soon there will be little eggs destined to eat that spider.

By the way, I think what you are looking at is a Spider Wasp (Tachypompilus ferrugineus or related) with Rabid Wolf Spider prey.