Happy Holidays!

Happy holidays to everyone who reads this! Well it's been about a year since I started this blog and over 100 posts. It's also been one heck of a good season. This season I completed two major garden projects and collected around 20-25 new orchids, plus many more perennials. The year's not over just yet though; next Wednesday Peter Croezen (I think that's the last name's spelling) of Green Canyon Orchids in Ontario will be coming to town to present a seminar about the amazing new species Phragmipedium kovachii (2002). Phrag kovachii is the world's largest "red" orchid (at 6" across) and a one-of-a-kind slipper. Green Canyon is Canada's only legal supplier of the endangered species. I'll be posting what I learn.

New Spikes Forming

I've got new spikes forming on my Paph (Z4135 x charlesworthii) and Odm. Violetta von Holm 'Dominique'. I expect flowers from both in 4-6 weeks.

News on Phrag schlimii 'Wilcox' AM/AOS

Orchids in Our Tropics never responded to my order or e-mail following with a confirmation and total cost; neither did Zephyrus Orchids. I've decided to forget about it and hope I can find a Sedenii at future shows.

101st Post!

This is my one hundred and first post on the website. To celebrate I've added some new shots of my Phragmipedium schlimii 'Rosy Cheeks'. As you can see on the chalkboard the plant has a leafspan of 11.5", a flower spread of 2", a height of 6" and a pot size of 4.5". Truly miniature! A very faint rosy fragrance is present. I will post more pics as more flowers develop.

Phragmipedium schlimii

This is a fantastic miniature species from Colombia. Small Phrags are pretty rare, and usually schlimii hybrids are mid-sized or large because the compact size is not dominant. The best part obviously is the flowers, which are not only beautiful but very cute. They have adorable round faces and a fuzzy texture. This little guy is currently about 8" tall with its first flower; the leafspan is about the same. Being a sequential bloomer it will obviously get taller. It has grassy leaves. As it reaches specimen size it will get a little larger leafspan (10-12").

Phrag schlimii is a rare collectors item but worth buying if you ever find one. They are not difficult to grow and make good companions with besseae and mottled leaved paphs. Grow the same as besseae; schlimii can take a little higher light and warmer temps. Do not expose to the Cattleya light that larger Phrags like. I grow semi-hydroponically, as I do all Phrags except the drier growers.

Fall Show Pic 6: Paph barbatum

I don't really care much about these types of Paphs, but this was a nice specimen.

Fall Show Pic 5: Phrag sargentianum

While I don't really like this species, it makes some nice hybrids.

Fall Show Pic 4: Phrag Sedenii

This my favorite orchid, the hybrid between Phrag schlimii and Phrag. longifolium. It's an antique hybrid that's hard to find today. I've ordered a division of Phrag schlimii 'Wilcox' AM/AOS from Orchids in Our Tropics; this is actually Sedenii (famously mislabeled) and is obviously superior to the original hybrid.

Fall Show Pic 3: Phrag Rosy Gem

This is a pretty hybrid between Phrags Sedenii and Cardinale. I prefer its parents to it, though.

Fall Show Pic 2: Paph villosum

One of my favorite Paph species. Nice specimen.

Fall Show Pic 1: Paph Armeni-white

These pics are from my fall orchid show. This is a much smaller show than the spring show but still worth going to.

OS Meeting (Oct) Pic 3: Phrag. longifolium

Last month I had the pleasure of viewing a fantstic specimen of longifolium var. gracile; this time around I spotted a 4' longifolium! These flowers were about 6" across (at least). It had 2 spikes open at once.

This will be my last October meeting pic until I discover the names of my other pics.

OS Meeting (Oct) Pic 2: Paph. spicerianum

This was an amazing specimen of this difficult species. It had some 8 flowers open!

OS Meeting (Oct) Pic 1: Paph. (chamberlainianum x Pinocchio) x delenatii

A beautiful Parvisepalum influence hybrid. Another member of the Society purchased this plant in bud at the September meeting and displayed it in bloom at this past one. I like these delenatii x Cochlopetalum hybrids which are usually multifloral.

Orchid List As of 10/15/06

Cypripediums

macranthos
reginae 1
reginae 2
Ulla Silkens
pubescens 1
pubescens 2
pubescens 3
pubescens 4
calceolus
parviflorum

Paphiopedilums

delenatii
insigne
Ho Chi Minh
(Joyce Hasegawa x chamberlainianum)
(Claire de Lune x philippinense alba)
(Z4135 x charlesworthii)
(Carticle x Hsinying Maru)
(Ruby Peacock x Hampshire Raven)
(Valerie Tonkin x Maudiae)
[(Yerba Buena x Golden Days) x spicerianum]

Phragmipediums

besseae ('Fire Engine' x 'First Choice')
schlimii 'Abdel'
Ecua-bess
Grande
Hanne Popow

Odontoglossum/Oncidium Alliance

Odontocidium Tiger Crow 'Golden Girl'
Odontonia Memoria Martin Orenstein 'Lulu' HCC/AOS
Odontoglossum Violetta von Holm 'Dominique'

Dendrobiums

Den. kingianum
Unknown seedling

Plants for Sale

DISCLAIMER: This is not an advertisment in any way.

I have a sort of "mini business" at home in which I sell some garden divisions and seed-raised plants of perennials in the spring and fall at my horticultural society's meetings. I am planning to expand my inventory to include orchids in the near future. Currently I am preparing a limited selection of Dendrobium kingianum keikis, and a blooming size Paphiopedilum insigne division. I am also planning some BS Odontocidium Tiger Crow 'Golden Girl' divisions, as well as Cypripedium pubescens BS divisions for sale within the next 14 months or so. All of these will be sold at OS meetings, with the exception of Cyp. pubescens, to be sold at HS meetings.

OS Meeting October Haul

Today was the October OS meeting. I came home with some amazing and hard-to-find plants on my most wanted list. I also captured some great slipper orchid pics at the show, which I'll post in the near future. Today I acquired:

Paph Ho Chi Minh (delenatii x vietnamense)
Paph delenatii
Phrag Hanne Popow (besseae x schlimii)
Phrag schlimii
Dendrobium seedling (unknown speces/cultivar)
Cypripedium reginae (my second one)
Cyp. macranthos

Paph Ho Chi Minh is a fantastic new hybrid between the famous P. delenatii and the recently discovered P. vietnamense. The huge flowers look like delenatii but have a darker lip. It retains the fragrance and compact habit of both its parents, and has caused a sensation. Mass-produced in the US, it's not easy to get one in Canada, but I got lucky. A bloom-sized seedling for $30.

Paph delenatii is the most well-known Paph species and respresents its group well. It has always been up there on my list. Large pink lip with white tepals (sepals and petals). Beautiful mottled leaves. Bloom-sized mature plant for $35.

Phrag Hanne Popow is a very popular hybrid beween the two most colorful Phrag species. Because both its parents are miniatures, it's a compact plant. It has the shape of besseae with the color of schlimii (light rosy-pink with yellow staminode). A sequential bloomer, it produces up to 10 flowers on a spike. A blooming plant for $25.

Phrag schlimii is a collector's item. It's hard to find and worthwhile, for its delightful rosy-pink flowers with a yellow staminode. Its round shape is reminiscent of our native Cyps. What's more, is it's a full miniature, less than half the size of a caudatum-group Phrag or a (caudatum x besseae) type hybrid. For the most part it grows the same as besseae but likes a fairly coarse medium for Phrags. An in-spike plant for $20 (though fairly small).

Cyp reginae is my favorite Cyp, with its large fuschia lip and white tepals. It forms large, bushy clumps over time. An awesome garden plant. Bloom-sized plants usually are expensive, but my big BS divison (4 growths) was only $25.

Cyp macranthos is a must-have Cyp. An Asian species with large red or pink flowers. Its compact habit makes it great for front-border or rock gardens. Large BS divison (5 growths) for $25.

OS Meeting Pic 3: Phrag. Hanne Popow

Phrag. Hanne Popow (besseae x schlimii) is one of my favorite orchids, and I was very fortunate to see it on display at the last OS meeting. What a fantastic speciman! It had at least 10 spikes open! Quite compact, too.

As for the judging at this mini-show:

The Phrag longifolium var. gracile won "Best Phragmipedium" and this Hanne Popow won "Best Culture". The Armeni-white wasn't a winner; the "Best Paphiopedilum" was Paph. Doll's Kobold 'Sweet Grass', which I unfortunately do not have a pic of.

OS Meeting Pic 2: Phrag. longifolium var. gracile

This is a rare variety of the species which was also shown at the OS meeting. A great speciman with many spikes. Longifolium is sequential flowering and quite easy ti grow. One thing I noticed about var. gracile is its compact size (for a Phrag!).

Orchid Society Meeting Pic 1: Paphiopedilum Armeni-white

This is one of my favorite parvi hybrids and was being shown at the last (Sept) orchid society meeting. It is (armeniacum x delenatii), I believe.