Just wanted to share some pics of the amazing orchids I've been blessed to have in my home. They've put on a spectacular show this year.
This message was edited Apr 9, 2011 10:09 AM
Orchid bonanza
This is a close-up of the first bloom on the spray pictured in the post above. It's a phalaenopsis I bought at a fund-raising sale. I've lost the label, so I don't know exactly what the hybrid name is. So far, it has only produced baby plants, not flowers, so I was relly excited to see the emergence of a flowering spike a couple of months ago.
This is a side view of the raceme.
One of the babies it produced is also flowering. They've both produced really long spikes.
This is an ionopsis paniculata I bought at a flower show. This is the largest spray it has ever produced. Walking around the balcony is a bit of a challenge as I have to avoid all the different sprays. Someone once broke a spike on a phalaenopsis before it flowered. Broke my heart too.
Speaking of breakages, here is oncidium 'Calico Gem'. I have no idea how it broke. Luckily, it broke near the tip, so it's still going to bloom.
This is a cattleya hybrid which bloomed in late January.
This brassavola hybrid blooms every couple of months.
You've got the idea climate there for orchids. They look really great.
Such beautiful orchids! Thanks for sharing them with us.
Gorgeous!!
Glad you enjoy them! The climate works well for some orchid species, particularly lowland tropical types. I suspect the phalaenopsis I have has some highland species in its parentage, because it flowers very infrequently. This year, we had a cooler spell in January, with temperatures below 25C, definitely NOT the norm here! I think that is what has triggered the flowering. My cousin in Malaysia has also had a good showing from her phals this year.
I haven't been able to post pictures for a while because I've been so busy at work. This picture was taken on the 16th.
This is the violet orchid, ionopsis paniculata. I bought this plant at the orchid show in 2008. It has delicate little flowers. You can see one of the phalaenopsis racemes in the background.
This is the latest photo of the other phalaenopsis. It is the same variety, and in fact was a 'keiki' or baby that sprang from the first phal.
I love this photo of the first phalaenopsis with the violet orchid in front. You can also see the moss covered little water feature. It adds much more humidity - not that we don't have enough!
This is the latest photo of the ionopsis. This is the best showing I've had from this orchid so far.
These are buds on oncidium 'Calico Gem'. Part of the raceme was broken somehow.
Just spotted these two buds on a cattleya.
Your orchids are a thing of beauty Gangajay! Thank you for posting the pictures of them - they are just gorgeous! You certainly have a way with orchids!
I agree!! Gorgeous!!
Hi there! I'm glad you enjoy the pictures! I can't claim all the credit though. We have an ideal climate for orchids here. It's incredibly humid. In fact, when I bought the purple cattleya from a Taiwanese importer, he told me I'd have to change the potting medium cos the moss would be too damp in Singapore. Most people here use fern root slabs or even bricks or charcoal. I'm sure it's similar in Hawaii. I've never been there, but I've always loved looking at pictures of it.
This is the latest shot of the cattleya. It's a little dark because I took it at 6am.
Love that photo!!!
This is a better picture of the cattleya, taken in the morning.
This is the latest photo of the violet orchid. It has managed to tangle itself in the Thai basil. My mother is away visiting relatives in Malaysia, and she's told me my cousin has given her a baby phalaenopsis. Can't wait to see it.
Forgot I'd taken this picture of a bud opening.
Here's the violet orchid and one of the phalaenopsis plants.
Beautiful shot!!!
How many plants do you have? It must take up a lot of room. And it must take up quite a bit of time. One of my big problems is the water I have, orchids don't like it, not even the native ones. And at the moment we're in the dry season and the humidity is right down. When it gets windy and the humidity is low the orchids are in trouble. When I was in Madang in PNG they had lots of orchids outside in full sun. But they're like you, humidity is always high.
Hi Tropicbreeze:I have over 20, and I've just acquired a phalaenopsis 'keiki' from my cousin. Like most gardeners, I'm a bit of a hoarder when it comes to plants! Space is definitely a challenge, especially as I live in a flat. Like most people here, the gardening is vertical, so I hang pots on the grilles leading to the balcony. I also have two big fern root towers I bought from a local garden centre, and I've put a number of orchids on them. I notice that those are the ones which do best.
What is the issue with the water where you are?
This is the newest addition.
The oncidium is also starting to bloom. This is one of the orchids I bought at the biennial Garden Festival here in Singapore. There are so many sources of temptation! I'd love to see pictures of your orchids.
I'm on bore water, and the bore was set up wrong. There's a very fine clay comng through with the water. It's too fine to block sprinklers but it does affect plants. I've scheduled putting in a new bore later in the year.
Yes, that certainly would create problems. Hope the new bore works out. I'd really like to see pictures of what you're growing.
This is a shot of the brassavola which gives some idea of the fern block it is growing on. I'm sure some enthusiasts would be horrified by how messy the plant looks. It was originally in a plastic pot, and it has grown onto the fern block. It has spread really enthusiastically though. There are two new racemes emerging.
This shot shows another part of the block. There are several other orchids on this one, and a self-sown fern.
Gangajay, I'm sure your orchids and growing would be appreciated on the Orchids forum too. We love to hear/see orchids from around the world!
gangajay, it's lovely to see your orchids growing naturally. I have quite a few species orchids that are from this area, they are on trees and blocks of wood in the yard and I spray them with the hose in the dry season. I've wished I could find out more about this kind of outside, easy growing but mostly I see forums dedicated to pretty arduous and expensive set ups for growing them in cold climates.
This is one I just got, Myrmecophila cristinae.
Extranjera, I looked that up...it is really pretty!
I partly agree with you about the orchid websites. I'm in southern California, and my orchids grow outside too. I still like to see new plants, and read the discussions about them so I can research whether or not I could grow them. I couldn't find much information on Myrmecophila in English, but I'm going to call my favorite species grower and see what he has to say about it.
Thanks everyone! I'm glad you enjoy the photos. It's fun seeing what other people are growing.
I know what you mean about books etc about orchid cultivation in temperate zones. My key reference is 'Orchid Growing in the Tropics' by the Orchid Society of South East Asia.
Extranjera, does your myrmecophila have an ant colony? That must be weird! (I looked it up too!)
This is a really bad photo of the oncidium 'Calico Gem'. It was a windy day, so getting a decent shot was a challenge!
The Myrmecophila do have ant colonies, perhaps even the ones on my terrace. I don't look too closely because around here ants are always around. My house is very old and made from stone and an early form of concrete, the ants have spaces in the walls and although we have managed to keep them under control - when they start appearing inside the house we fumigate - I know I can't kill them all. I have several different Myrmecophila here, all of them have the tubes that ants can live in and supposedly the ants protect the plant from other insects. I don't see many ants when I water them so I'm not sure they are active colonies. Plus, I have lots of geckos and they eat ants. I've noticed a large gecko seems to live in the orchid tree I have hanging on the terrace, I'm sure he is well fed.
Yes I have a major problem with ants as well. One particular variety is really annoying because they bite and they cultivate mealy bugs. This is a photo of the brassavola raceme. There are a couple of ants on it, but you can't really see them because they are out of focus.
