My Orchid Forums

To all my readers:

I am a member of Orchid Board (www.orchidboard.com) as slipperfreak, and Slippertalk Orchid Forum (www.slippertalk.com) as parvi_17. I encourage all two of you (hehe) to join these forums and chat with me and the other members. This information is now on the side panel.

Misc. Photos 2

These are also from July. The first is of Paph Norito Hasegawa (left) and Wossner Armenijack (right). The second is of Wossner Armenijack. The last is an unknown variety of Aquilegia (columbine). This was a little plant that wasn't doing much in a shady spot last year so I moved it to a brighter location and it flowered this year. It had been in the original spot since I was a little kid and my grandma worked the garden.

Misc. Photos

All of these were taken way back in July. The first photo is of Paeonia 'Moon of Nippon', a standard garden peony flowering for the first time. The second is Allium caeruleum (blue ornamental onion). The third is an unknown variety of Lilium martagon. The last is Lilium orientalis 'Casablanca', which grew to over 4 feet tall this year.

Phragmipedium pearcei

This is a quick photo I took about 6 weeks ago for my records as I bought the plant in bloom. It is a miniature species with these beautiful green flowers that open sequentially. These are not all that easy to get, and i was lucky to get one at a very good price. They like lots of moisture.

Winter is Upon Us... What Should I Do With My Orchids?

Well the yard has been covered with the first blanket of snow of the year. I guess for people who live in more moderate climates winter is still hiding around the corner, but for us it's pretty much here (and a little later than usual too). The question is though, what is to be done with tropical orchids when the photoperiod shortens and temperatures drop? Well, the first thing that must be done is just that. make sure the photoperiod shortens and temps drop. Depending on your growing situation, this may or may not be a natural change; usually the latter is harder to do in the home. The second thing you'll want to do, for most epiphytic orchids, is decrease water and fertilizer. If you're growing terrestrials (namely slippers) you don't need to do this most of the time (any readers who want to get more specific can ask me). It is also very easy and common for orchids to get confused about the seasons, and you will probably get plants growing like crazy and spiking over the winter. When this happens, just pretend it's summer. What I'm getting at is, it is actually more important to adjust your seasonal conditions following your plants' growth cycle than following the season outside.

Paph Envy Green

This is a much-loved but fairly rare hybrid that will likely cost you a pretty penny if you find one (not as much as a micranthum eburneum or anything, but more than the average Paph). I really like this particular clone which originates from Paramount Orchids, a (sort of) local nursery that carries some pretty hard-to-find Paph hybrids which is the source of over half my Paphs. It has a second bud forming as well.

Envy Green is a cross between the hard-to-beat Parvi species malipoense and the sequential blooming primulinum.

Paph Wossner Butterfly

This is a new Parvi cross between malipoense and
vietnamens-e. Slowly legal plants of the striking new Paph
vietnamens-e and its hybrids are creeping into Canadian nurseries, and I am excited to own this one. This is a unique specimen whose flower shape takes after the typical form of vietnamense - it looks basically like a green vietnamense! Most Wossner Butterfly clones I've seen look more like the other parent. Unfortunately this one isn't fragrant, though.