Extensive Website Updates

There have been some major updates to the website at http://members.shaw.ca/jgadbois. There are now several articles downloadable. Check it out!

It is Finally Up, I Promise...

Over the past year or so I have gone through several attempts to get a website up and running, which would have more features than this blog. These have all failed - until now. After finally investing in a web design program, I have designed a website that is online. The address is http://members.shaw.ca/jgadbois - bookmark it! Perhaps one day I will have my own domain, but for now this is the best I can do. Over the next little while I will be getting all the features of the site working. The site will feature tons of downloadable content, including articles (in Word format) and maybe even wallpapers and video tutorials. The possibilities are nearly endless! Currently only very basic introductory information and a few photos are live, but check back often for updates!

Artificial Vernalization of Potted Cypripediums

A few days ago I took my Cyp. reginae f. albolabium seedling out of vernalization. This is the only Cyp that I have growing in a container currently, and I'm doing this because it is a fragile young plant - I never plant seedlings out until they are 2-3 years old. Anyway, I wanted to discuss the issue of dormancy in Cypripediums when you are container growing. This applies to seedlings and mature plants alike. Because Cyps are temperate plants, they require a cold winter dormancy in order to survive. During this period the plants die to the ground and rest for 3-4 months. Obviously in the garden nature takes care of this, but if you are container growing, you have to simulate it. The best option with mature plants, if they are hardy in your region, is to sink the pots into the ground for the winter. But if you are growing seedlings, this is undesirable as conditions outside are quite harsh for such tiny plants (although some people simply plant them in protected sites). As well, some people like to have mature Cyps growing at specific times of the year, ie for shows and such. Finally many people grow the more tender species in northern areas and can't overwinter them outside. In these cases, we use a method called artificial vernalization, in which basically the plants are refrigerated for a few months.

Cyps do not need freezing temperatures during their dormancy; in fact this might kill them in pots. Outside, the plants are insulated from the cold by the ground, mulch, and snowcover. In pots they don't get this insulation. So, temperatures of around 3-5 C are adequate for dormancy. Any standard refrigerator works for this. The next thing is soil moisture. Although the plants should have significantly less moisture during dormancy, they should still not be bone dry. As dormancy approaches (signalled by the yellowing of the leaves), gradually reduce watering so that by the time the plant is brown it is just being kept slightly damp. Now, place the pot in a Ziploc bag and seal it, and place it in the crisper drawer of the refrigerator. This will create a humid environment so that the soil doesn't dry out, and the bag should help keep fungi out. However, as there is moisture and there are cool temperatures, you could get mold growth on the soil so watch for this throughout dormancy and pick it out as it appears. I like to prick holes in the Ziploc bag to vent it, which I find helps reduce mold growth. This doesn't work as well for everyone though, I've heard. Also throughout the dormancy, check the soil moisture every once in a while and dampen it a little if it gets dry.

With mature plants, it is usually not feasible to refrigerate them because the pots are too big. For them, you probably have to store the pots in the garage (unheated) or a really cool room in the basement over the winter. In the case of an unheated garage, simply cover the pots really well with blankets, etc. to keep it from freezing.

And that's basically it! All you have to remember besides that stuff is that the plants need 3-4 months dormancy depending on the species (and formosanum appears to only need 2 months). When the time is up, just remove the pot from the fridge and start watering it (put it in a bright location). If the plant starts emerging from the soil while it is in the cold treatment, remove it immediately. I'll be posting pictures of my seedling in the coming weeks.

Spring is Coming...

Although it is bitterly cold outside today, I have hope, because this Paph delenatii, which is generally a spring bloomer, is spiking. This is a first bloom seedling from awarded parents. I am delighted to have it spiking so quickly after I bought it in October at the FOS show. It originates from Paphanatics, the famed Paph breeder. This is a sure sign of spring!

Phrag schlimii 'Allan's Red'

It's always difficult to get a good picture of these because the flowers are petite and are often held at a weird angle. I have found that this species is quite variable in terms of flower quality. This is my second one, which I just bought yesterday. It's not much better than my other one, but as my other one is struggling and this is a robust division, I bought it. This is a difficult species to grow well - I think the key is to use pure water and keep it wet. I have to try to pay more attention to my schlimii plants so they do better - they are temperamental and need lots of TLC.

This species is quite hard to find, but all the serious Phrag growers/collectors have at least one. It is an old species and is obviously very attractive, and is one of the most compact Phrags there is, and a founding species of both pink Phrag hybrids and compact ones. Whilst being compact for a Phrag, this plant is still at least 16" or so in leafspan, and growing in a 1 gallon pot - they get rather large as they clump up and mature. Characteristically, the sequentially flowering stems are short and few-flowered. The flower is less than 2" across but has a light fragrance. While the single open flower on this plant looks ridiculous with so much foliage, when it clumps up more it will have multiple stems flowering at once which looks quite impressive. A specimen plant of Phrag schlimii is always a magnificent sight to behold. Here's to Colombia's most beautiful orchid (in my opinion)!

Mega Fanaticum and Something Enchanting

I know, I know... I said I was going to CUT BACK on tropical orchids, but at this weekend's OSA meeting, I couldn't resist a couple exceptional plants. Pictured are Paphs Harold Koopowitz (malipoense x rothschildianum) and Fanaticum (malipoense x micranthum). I call the latter a "Mega Fanaticum" because the flower is HUGE - 4.5" x 4.5". It is in a vase because the stem broke on the vendor's way to the meeting, but he left it there to show off the plant's potential. You can't tell by the photo, but the pouch is actually collapsing from old age. He said the flower had already been open for about a month - pretty much as long as these last.

Harold Koopowitz is an example of what I call the ultimate Paph hybrid - a Parvi x multifloral cross. Paph rothschildianum always produces the best of these kinds of hybrids. They have enormous flowers on relatively compact plants, with great color and form - what more could you ask for? These flowers are nearly 7" across!

I also bought another Phrag schlimii at that meeting, which I will likely post on later. So much for cutting back... maybe I will build that growing room after all?!

A Need For Cutting Back

Of late I've been finding it increasingly difficult to manage my large collection of tropical orchids in the VERY small area that I have. As such, I am going to be selling off the majority of my tropical orchid collection at OSA meetings. I will be keeping 15 or so of my favorite (and rarest) plants, all of which are compact enough to grow in front of my windowsill. I had been planning to create a larger growing space in the basement, but have found that my unfinished, crawlspace basement is just not going to work out. I'm going to keep the large "plant cart" I've been using for most of my plants for future use, as I plan to eventually go back to a large collection when I move out of my parents' house. I guess it'll go into storage or something (disassembled)... I'm not totally sure yet.

I am going to focus now on hardy orchids (Cypripediums in particular), for which I have almost unlimited space in the garden outside. It's a shame, but I think my hobby will be a lot less tiresome in the long run. I had been hauling 75 plants across the house to the bathtub to water 3 or 4 times a week... now with only a few plants, it won't be hard to take them to the sink and water them. Plus, my plants won't control the house anymore! Of course I will continue to post photos and information on this blog. I am still working on some projects and even have some plants (that I'm keeping) in sheath right now.

I can't wait until Cyp season in May-June. I will get a little taste of the Cyps later this month, for a Cyp reginae albolabium seedling will be coming out of vernalization. This is obviously extremely early for it do be doing this; it's in a bit of a distorted cycle right now. In the next season I will try to get it on track. Then, in Februrary is the OSA show, where I'm hoping to add some Cyps to the collection. The excitement is difficult to bear!

Paph Satin Smoke

This gorgeous hybrid owes most of its striking charisma to the Paph micranthum parent, which lends its large pouch with contrasting smaller tepals having pink-red stripes to the picture. The primulinum parent adds a slightly altered pouch and tepal shape (more slender), more subdued coloring (the pouch is ivory and the tepals a soft misty pink), a multifloral habit (2-3 sequentially opening flowers per stem), and ease of culture, which is a major drawback for micranthum. So what you get is a flower very similar to micranthum, but in greater numbers and appearing much easier than micranthum! I don't believe any of the hybrids made with micranthum are any better-looking than the species (not even Magic Lantern), but this is an amazing plant well worth seeking out. I have taken three photos of the same flower at different angles so one can fully appreciate the three-dimensional character of the bloom (which is a feature of any slipper orchid but especially with this one).

Phrag Sedenii 'Blush'

Phrag Sedenii (longifolium x schlimii) is one of the oldest slipper orchid hybrids. It has stood the test of time better than most of the old crosses, likely because for about 70 years during the 20th century there were no Phrag hybrids registered and this was one of the few pink ones available. It is a very charming plant, albeit quite a large one, and can sometimes have a faint fragrance (as this one does). There are a few named cultivars of Sedenii, all of which are superior to unnamed ones, and this is one of the more common of those. It is one of my favorites, along with 'Candidulum' (made with schlimii f. album), which is lighter in color. The superiority of this clone is revealed not only in the proportions and color of the flower, but in its tendency to branch the spikes. It is also quite vigorous. This was one of my plants that was killed in last year's frost disaster, newly replaced from the FOS show a few weeks ago. It is a very promising plant.

Exciting Projects to Come

As I believe I mentioned in a previous post, last month I pollinated some of my orchid flowers in preparation for an in-vitro seed propagation project. These are now forming capsules. From top to bottom: Dendrobium Thai Jeng x compactum; Doritis pulcherrima var chumpornensis; and Phalaenopsis Baldan's Kaleidoscope. These are all selfings as I had nothing from like genera to cross (although I realzied when it was too late that I could have crossed the Doritis with the Phal, which would have been interesting...). I would really like to cross some slippers in the future and I plan to do so as more flowers open. I already have relatively detailed plans in place for a propagation project of my Cypripediums in the spring, centred around my new propagation bed of Cyp. parviflorum var pubescens. I will posting about all of these projects as they develop.

The Products of Boredom

After a disappointing turnout of plants for sale at this month's OSA meeting and not a single vendor in town with a slipper orchid for sale, I've got the blues this week. I am very excited about the future of my growing hobby however, as it becomes more serious and I try to mold it into a career. This evening I was poking around my collection and decided to take some pictures of noteworthy findings.

The first pic is of one of my Paph micranthums, in sheath. I have 2 mature plants and three seedlings. This will be the first to flower. Probably the most exciting thing going on right now. If you haven't yet seen a Paph micranthum flower, seek one out!

The second depicts Paph Satin Smoke (micranthum x primulinum, on the left) and Paph malipoense x jackii (on the right), in spike. The former is a gorgeous multifloral with big smoky-pink blooms, while the latter is a very large-flowered Parvi primary with fragrant green blossoms.

The third portrays Paph ang-thong (also known as Paph godefroyae var ang-thong, Paph niveum var ang-thong and Paph x ang-thong), in low spike. This will be an adorable little white flower with maroon speckles.

The fourth displays Paph Winston Churchill 'Indomitable' FCC/AOS x gratrixianum, a complex hybrid which I last posted on last summer when it first bloomed. It is in sheath.

Finally the last two photos are the first I have taken of my carnivorous plant terrarium, my first attempt at growing these plants that seems to be successful (the last couple times I tried I failed eventually). The plants are growing very vigorously and appear to be very healthy. A closeup of a Nepenthes viking pitcher through the glass is the subject of the fifth photo, while the last gives a view of the entire setup from the outside. I will explain this setup some other time. For now, can you identify all the plants in the last photo? Visible are Nepenthes viking (tropical pitcher plant), Sarracenia pstittacina (parrot pitcher plant), Pinguicula moranensis (Mexican butterwort), Cephalotus follicularis (Albany pitcher plant, barely visible), Dionaea muscipula 'B-52' (giant Venus flytrap), and Dionaea muscipula (typical Venus flytrap). There is also an orchid residing in this tank, Leptotes unicolor, a Brazilian miniature which looks like it may bloom soon. There is one more plant in here which is not visible in the photos, Drosera capensis (cape sundew).

Phragmipedium Memoria Dick Clements 'Flavum'

This is the orange version of the hybrid I posted on a couple weeks ago. It is made with the yellow form of Phrag besseae, Phrag besseae f. flavum (the original cross is besseae x sargentianum). It is blooming on two spikes, and the first two flowers that opened were malformed, likely due to stress in transport. I am very impressed with this first normal flower. It is slightly larger than my regular Mem. Dick Clements, at 3.5" natural spread (the regular one is 3.25").

Paphiopedilum charlesworthii

Paph charlesworthii is an iconic species that has been used extensively in breeding for obvious reasons. The flower looks quite large in a photo but really it is quite petite - about 2" across. This is a first bloom seedling so the flower will get bigger next time but scarcely so. I am not happy about the color break on the right side of the dorsal - this negates any potential the flower might have otherwise for an award - but it may just disappear in subsequent flowerings.

Phrag Memoria Dick Clements

This is a cross between Phrag besseae and Phrag sargentianum. It is one of the earlier besseae hybrids, which were the first red/orange Phrag hybrids. It has won numerous awards for its great color. I never really liked it for some reason until now, now that my own plant is flowering.

Foothills Orchid Society Show 2008

The orchid society of Calgary, Alberta, Canada, the FOS, has their annual show and sale in October. This was my first time attending it. Above are some photos I took there. In order they are: Paph Saint Armel, Paph Harold Koopowitz, Paph Lynleigh Koopowitz, Paph Vanda M Pearman, Paph helenae, and Paph charlesworthii. The show was less than half the size of the Edmonton show (which is in my home city) but there were some nice plants. Best of all I finally got the orchid fix I needed in the form of purchases!

Great Blooms

Finally I have posted a pic of my Paph Pinocchio which is currently in bloom.

Gentiana sino-ornata is a great little gentian species from China which blooms in the fall (which is irregular for gentians). It has needle-like foliage.

Finally we have some pics of some orchids I just bought today, a mini Dendrobium and a Doritis pulcherrima, at the OSA meeting. I also picked up a couple Phrags, Mem. Dick Clements (besseae x sargentianum) and Mem. Dick Clements flavum (besseae flavum x sargentianum). These are both in bud. I can't wait until the Calgary show in 2 weeks, when I can have a real shopping spree! I just ahd to get my orchid fix today though; it's been a long time since the society last had a meeting.

A Great Weekend for Fall Gardening

There is a greenhouse in my area called the Ellerslie Gift & Garden Centre. It's a wonderful establishment that is known not only for its great selection of perennials and trees, but its nostalgic gift shop and, more importantly to me, its offerings of orchids and carnivorous plants, the latter of which is unrivaled by any other garden centre in the city. I love to shop there for these things and also for their relatively inexpensive and high-quality orchid-growing supplies year-round. Every September Ellerslie throws an end-of-season celebration in which all perennials and trees are 50% off, and many other items are also on sale. As well, they serve free refreshments and boast live entertainment, and a number of organizations from the Edmonton area set up information booths and sales tables. This annual event is known as the "Ellerslie Fall Tea". Notable attendees this year included the Orchid Society of Alberta (of which of course I am a member), the Edmonton Horticultural Society (of which I am a former member), the Alberta Lily Society, the Edmonton Naturalization Group (with whom I am associated), the Alberta Bonsai Society, and the Edmonton Reptile and Amphibian Society (which doesn't seem relevant but oh well).

I was very fortunate to pick up some nice plants at this event, including some martagon lily bulbs from the Lily Society. I'll have some photos of this stuff soon. I was also able to get a substantial amount of work done in the yard this weekend - it's really coming along!

Check It Out!

I have created a new website. It is at the URL http://monocotman.tripod.com.

The Orchids Are A-Growin'

I love this time of the year because as the temperatures start to fall, many Paphs start to spike. I grow all my orchids outside during the summer, and bring them in in the fall. Last year my collection suffered some losses from leaving them out too long though; even though they were in the coldframe, an early frost killed off a few of my most beloved plants. Therefore I took extra caution this year and brought all the plants in as soon as it got down to 5 C at night (which was less than 2 weeks ago). Usually it doesn't get this cold this fast, but sometimes it does, obviously. However, the falling temperatures in the second half of August have done some good. I now have two plants in sheath and one in spike, besides the Phrag 4N cross that has been in bloom since May. The two in sheath are Paph Satin Smoke (micranthum x victoria-regina I think) and Paph (Yerba Buena x Golden Days) x spicerianum, a complex hybrid that last bloomed 2 years ago; these are often slow-growing. The one in spike is Paph Pinocchio (primulinum x moquettianum I think), a Cochlopetalum cross which flowers almost perpetually when mature. The last time it flowered was last summer, and it flowered until the spring, therefore it took only a few months break! The first flower already opened on that plant, but it quickly died off due to a mealy bug infestation. Mealy bugs are little white sap-sucking insects which are the sole biggest insect pest for Paphs (which don't get a lot of trouble with pests). These guys love to hide in flower sheaths (as happened here) and in the crevices between leaves. They are easily killed off with insecticidal soap and I think these ones are all gone now. The rest of that plant's flowers should be fine (it will open several more over the next few months). Luckily this was the only plant in my collection affected this time around. This was the third time only in the 7 years that I have been growing orchids, that I got mealy bugs.

By the way, this was my 200th post on this blog!

Another Gardening Season Ending...

...But hey, fall is a great time of the year! It may not be as exciting as spring, but the autumn is a great time to clean up the yard after a long (or not so long) season, maybe make some improvements to it, and buy some bulbs (which is actually pretty exciting). What's more, is if you are into orchids like I am, the fall marks the beginning of the season for many types. And for me personally, September is the month that my orchid society resumes its monthly meetings which I greatly miss over the summer. Bearing all this in mind and as I begin a new stage in my life with university, I have quite a positive mind about fall right now.

I am doing a great deal of work on my garden at the moment and rushing to have it finished before first snowfall, which in my region can happen any time now, believe it or not, although there is an equal chance that it will remain in the 20s Celsius for the next few weeks. I found it very difficult to get anything done outside over the summer as it was around 30 degrees Celsius (often quite a bit hotter than that) almost every day with very little rain - difficult weather to get hard work done in. Now that it is cooling off I am spending more time outside. I expect all of my projects will be finished by the end of the month weather-permitting. This will include new flowerbeds in both my front and back yards, with space for interesting new plants - some of which are already purchased - and some great new yard art and other geographical features. I am focussing now on xeroscaping as much as I can - this means that I am mainly planting low-maintenance plants (specifically drought-tolerant ones), many of which are native. However, of course I can never resist planting finicky exotic plants as well - that's what I'm all about! In the end most of the lawn on my property will be eliminated as I have found it difficult to maintain a healthy lawn in my neighborhood, where people allow weeds to grow in increasingly large ranks and tons of their offspring sprout on my lawn throughout the year. The money and time required to keep the lawn looking good is not worth the return, I think. Instead a thick and healthy planting of low-maintenance flowers will keep weeds out and look impressive.

Aside from projects outside I am looking to refine my orchid and carnivorous plant growing space indoors so that I can get better results and make more room. For years I had a light-mounted three-tier shelf in my bedroom; this has been moved to the kitchen and a smaller shelf put in its place which now holds my larger plants (which were too large to grow well on the tiered shelf). I am also planning to set up a growing area in my crawlspace basement.

I will be uploading some pictures soon, and hope to make a posting every week at least.