Ted; You _NEED to buy Slc. Jewel Box "Orange" from Hausermann's to go long with Scheherazade !!

I'm so glad I did.. it's Exactly as the image shows !

Glenn quit twisting my arm! OK,OK I'll buy one.

Here in NJ against our South-facing house wall we have the Bletilla striata starting up. I have several cultivars with somewhat differently blooming times growing, the oldest are now established for over 25 years. Some are blooming already, some are still in the anticipation phase.
These will be putting on a nice show for the next month and I will surely take more pictures....

You do very well with those, Ursula. Mine just don't seem to reappear in the spring.

Just opening today is Cattleya Peckhaviensis (Cattleya aclandiae x Cattleya schilleriana (1857)).


Jim

Oh boy Jim, that is right up my alley and right into the pocket!!!
The form, the color, the sharpness of the spotting make for a gorgeous flower. Then look at that lip! Man oh man.
That is just gorgeous!! Holy 🐄

Nice one Jim! Great parents!

Perhaps the Bletilla don't appreciate your warm temperatures in Florida?

That sure is a happy patch of Bletillia! How wonderful that you have a staggered blooming period to enjoy their cute flowers
Jim, your Peckhaviensis is gorgeous ! I'm guessing that it's fragrant as well?

V. Pure's Wax Blue
This guy is taking forever to fully open, is this normal?

Pot. Redheart 'Neptune'
My orchid from Silva Orchids in NJ finally bloomed the first time for me.

Hey mike.
Some Vandas never fully open. But if this blooming is a case of the flowers not opening like they have in the past, 2 things can control this.
Warmth. Vandas open better in warm temperatures. 68 or higher at night, mid to upper eighties during the days.
Water. Vandas are notorious water hogs. You really need them to be fully hydrated, really get them watered well. If the water supply to the roots is inadequate, it can deprive the flowers of enough water to have them open fully.
Humidity. This might play a smaller role in flower size. Research is sketchy on this. Usually if the plants are getting enough water, the humidity is good by association.

I used to have a V. Robert's Delight which really had trouble to open fully open as it had a tendency to stay cupped. I followed the advice from a grower to actually gently water the opening blooms along with the plant and roots. It worked, they opened better. I flood my Vandas daily, but the ventilation is probably too good and things dry up too quickly in my greenhouse.
I would think this is in tune with Bill's advice on humidity!
I think your Vanda is gorgeous and actually love that ruffled look. And the Redheart is of course spectacular, you captured the iridescent red beautifully!

Both are real beauties, Mike!
I especially love the Redheart 'Neptune '

@bigbill thanks for the note, I water almost every day and have felt daily would be better for them, they are responding better to the warmer days lately but it had been going down to 55 at night regularly.
@Ursula I've occasionally sprayed other orchid buds with clear water to remove the sweet sap in hopes to fend off various bugs but was always afraid I might be harming the buds, your comment is helpful, thanks.
Guess I'll just have to enjoy the cupped flowers this go round. It's not their habit, this actual orchid was in the orchid display at Longwood Gardens in 2017 and the flower was flat there.

From BigBill to all of our Moms out there, HAPPY MOTHERS DAY!!
👩
There is nothing so precious as our children!!

Thanks Bill!

Welcome

A couple of new photos this afternoon.


C. Gold Star with s couple of new flowers.


And first time for this to bloom,
C. walkeriana var. semi-alba 'Kenny'
I'm not thrilled with the purple bits on the left side. There's another bud to open, and I hope that looks more uniform.

How nice! The Gold Star blooms looks super clean and bright!
Heh, you got a walkeriana to bloom, that alone is great!!

I like the Red Heart 'Neptune', Mike

Lindsey, love the colour on C. Gold Star. I've always liked bright yellows.

Well, my alba Cym. erythrostylum seedling is now in full bloom. There are four blooms on the spike and they are quite large in comparison to the plant itself. It is in a 3.5"/~9cm pot; the foliage is about 22cm/~8.5in and the blooms vary from 7-9cm (2.75-3.5in) tall and 5-6cm (2-2.4in) wide. The blooms have a crystal-like appearance but are very easily damaged (the bloom at the back has quite a few marks on the top sepal, so I have done my best to hide this with the camera angle). No detectable fragrance.