We came from here

The thread "Our Orchid blooms in March 2021 🍀" in Orchids forum

Today is April 1. and with that we start the new thread for the month!
I was considering of painting one of the blooms a crazy color and pass it off as the newest hybrid, but perhaps it it better to stick to the truth like I flowered my Rhyncholaelia digbyana? Nahhh, the species plant just sits there and adds an occasional growth. But, the good news is, one of my old hybrids, Rlc Hawaiian Green Valley x digbyana does its usual thing this time of year, blooming with a tightly spaced doublet.


I noticed a single bloom on this small plant of Dendrobium leonis, this is my third Dendrobium with distichous growth. ( along with the huge anceps, medium sized distichum)



My Barkeria melanocaulon always starts blooming when I move my plants inside in the Fall and keeps on blooming until ca May inside. The spikes branch out somewhere in Winter. The plant grows truly wild without a pot, just hanging from its growth. If there is 1 brown scale lady around it will find the spikes, so it needs to be inspected daily.

Impossible to get a decent picture in-situ, but you can hopefully see it.


And Dendrobium Luz del Dia 'Kiilani' is also still at it.


Please all join in and post away!

I should mention - if you live in Florida or similar and you are driving through my area, and you would like to have a huge Vanda tricolor v suavis, ( with a bunch of keikies ) you can take her along, she can go to a good home. For free! The really nice looking spike turned last weekend into a "brown thingy". No matter what, I suspect my conditions may still not be bright enough to bloom this one. I think it bloomed once in ca 10 years or so. Disappointing!

HaHaHa, Ursula. I used to grow some really nice ones, and then began to market even more. Last year I finally came to the realization that they were not worth the space and not worth the effort to continue to grow them. I liquidated what I had, other than a few mini's than hang on the boots of some palms, and began to once again concentrate on my Cattleya Alliance varieties. In fact, I'm getting 3 varieties in today. Two of them I've had before, and bloomed them, but Fritz is new. I pick those varieties that have flowers that I like (and hope others feel the same....... :whistling:).

Blc. Willette Wong 'The Best' AM/AOS

Pot. Pop City 'NN'

Blc. Fritz Nicholas 'Spring Dance' (photo sourced from Newman's Nursery)

Ken, beautiful choices!
I had a few V. Sansai Blue and my David Gardner for many years and they bloomed regularly for me. No problem. I guess they spoiled me!

Yes, back in my Mississippi days, my Vanda were great bloomers. I had two huge plants, with roots dangling 5-6', that bloomed 3X each and every year. I actually gave those two plants away before the move. But I had stands of oaks, three stands, and I built shelves between the oaks to house my potted orchids from April till October. Some of the shelves were 15' long, and needless to say, all combined, they could house a lot of plants (I often had 300+ at any one time). The Vanda were all hanging under those oaks, getting morning and late afternoon sun, but constant, dappled sun all day. Those conditions were nearly perfect for what I grew. Unfortunately, here in Vero Beach, I have palms, not oaks. Palms are pretty worthless for supplying the correct amount of shade and sun. The lanai, with it's screening, is pretty good, but not like a tree's canopy.

Yes, I remember that set up!

I'll be AWOL for a couple of weeks guys!
Check in as often as I can.

I'm going to have to have a look at my oak trees again, for a better location for my Vandas. Some of them did bloom in my pool cage last year but those infernal little semi-terete ones from Motes just persist in giving me one or two flowers, once a year. Talk about worthless. I wonder if it's the moderated temperature under the oaks that also helps with Vandas blooming? Patty seems to get blooms on hers, hanging in her oak tree too.

I had all the Vandas in my hoop house area all winter, and it is the most sunny place in the entire yard, plus of course the warmest fall through spring, too. We'll see how they respond as it warms up here - one more blast of cold air this next couple of nights, down to 50 or below, it seems, then we're into summer weather in earnest, I think.

New bloomers for me today, Den. anosmum has burst into flower right in front of my office window here. The squirrel was around sniffing that lovely berry scent this afternoon, too. I skeered the *bleeps* out of him by rapping on the window about a foot from his head.

Finally! I've got something to add to y'all's beauties!



Happy Spring!

Bill, we did not fall for that April Fools joke.
Don't forget to head over to Carter and Holmes while you are in SC and see what they might have. Safe trip.

Darn it!

I pulled off a similar prank at my camera club once. No body caught on!
I put up fake ads on me selling my camera equipment one year.
Another year I claimed to be joining a rival club in order to sway the balance of power. That worked really well but the problem is, you know, fool me once, shame on you! Etc. nobody fell for those anymore!
One of my club buddies tried the same thing, but he said he was selling all of his gear and switching brands. He really was playing this to the extreme! People asked for my thoughts and all I said was, "what day is this? April 1st!!" We all laughed like crazy.
But seriously, nephew is getting married in SC on the 10th but I will stay in touch.
Then my three year lease is up and I am trying to negotiate a better deal, going from an Escape back to an Edge! I have been leasing for 13 years now but I need 4 wheel capacity now. The Escape was terrible in snow!! Horrible in fact!!

Bill, enjoy the wedding, and actually you did get me. I was worried something had happened to you.

Elaine, I can smell the Dendrobium anosmum from here! I love that one!

Tara, I am happy to see your post here in April! I did leave the other one in place, since that one is entered in our database. I must say the Sarcoglottis sceptrodes/ weird hand puppets is always one of my favorites, the flowers are so crazy, they are awesome. Plus the green/Cilantro scent is great, right?

Thanks!
I am free to drink because I already told my son he is the designated driver!!
Aw, who am I kidding?

I always called my Sarcoglottis sceptrodes flowers "dragon flowers". Mine is getting ready to bloom too.

I think it was Jim who coined the name hand puppets! I think Dragon flowers is a great description too. Looking forwards to pics, Ken. I am also watching a spike, but I am surely another month away from blooming.

Ursula, I'll say that the Cilantro scent is, um, interesting. I guess I'm not a huge Cilantro "fan".

You are not alone!!
I would think that probably quite a few Orchids smell "green". I remember years ago in an Orchid greenhouse smelling Dill pickles of all things!!!! It was Miltonia regnellii!! Taking a closer look/sniff I was surprised at that top note. There was also the underlying Cilantro present! But Dill Pickles? Amazing! I bought the plant, had it for a few years.

Dill pickles? Really dill pickles!!?
That is something that I have not heard of before. That's incredible.
Out of all of the fragrances I have heard described, dill pickles is totally new!
Next I need and orchid to smell like corned beef, one like rye and another like sauerkraut. Then it's lunch time!!!

Dill pickles. I love a good kosher pickle. Yum!
Thanks Ursula. We are never too old to learn something new.🥒🥒🥒🥒🥒🥒

I've never quite understood what a "kosher" pickle is, Bill. And kosher salt. And.........well, you see the drift. That's one thing that segregates us from pretty much the rest of the South. Lots of kosher foods.

Yup, Dill Pickles, no joke! .....getting hungry.....