We came from here

The thread "Our Orchid blooms in November 2021 🦃" in Orchids forum

And today we have December 1. and with that we start the usual new thread!

Let me begin with my Ceratostylis retisquama. Last year it had a bit of die-back, but it seems to have stopped.



This Cattleya maxima 'Carino' x C. intermedia alba x Concolor is in my hands a more reliable plant /bloomer than straight maxima. Through the years I always lost the C. maxima, warm or cold grower ( lowland or highland Ecuador) didn't seem to matter.


And then we have the Coelogyne Golden Bug, a really happy camper, blooming now from several new growths. This one blooms for a couple of months once started.



My Bc Hippodamia is a bit of an untidy clump, years ago I made the mistake of placing the whole plant including the pot into a very stable metal holder. It is now firmly attached. But, I see it starting to rust, one of these days I might use my trusty clipper on that metal holder.


Here is the Rhyncatlaelia Ursula's Gift, a hybrid created by Jim Roberts. My Schom superbiens was the daddy. the blooms open up in very curly fashion, somewhat unusual, as they were working on being charming?



And there is the FDK After Dark 'Sunset Valley Orchids'. It started out with 2 really long spikes. The first one pretty much aborted slowly but surely half of that, and that is now blooming. The 2. spike so far made it fully intact, ready to open this week.





Please all join in and post away!!

Oh yes, Ceratostylis retisquama!!! I really look forward to seeing you post images of that plant!! Yours is very special Ursula. What a GEM!!!

STANDING OVATION FROM ME.

I just love your Ceratostylis plant, Ursula. Such a pretty mounting, it's graceful and the color of the flowers is lovely.

I have nothing new, but a few pregnant looking buds on my Vanda out in the hoop house. I sure hope the squirrels or rats don't decide that those buds look tasty! Maybe I'll bring that plant back into the cage, since the temperatures are predicted to be warmer for a week or so now.

Oh my goodness! I am really glad the Ceratostylis is growing again. I was concerned I would lose that one.

Not much going on here. Just two now in bloom, Blc. Prada Green Deluxe 'NN' and Blc. Cherry Kiss '#84'. Prada Green has been blooming for 10 wks. She's now a bit more yellow, rather than lime green, and there's orange-yellow in her lip. That's just amazing to me. The second photo was taken 9-20.

Ken, nice show! I would call the Prada Green a real drama queen !

Yes, I wanted to contribute something for the first of December. I knew that I had this bud that was close as I headed for South Carolina,
I finally remembered to look at it. This is Paphiopedilum Evelyn Rollke. It is a primary hybrid of Paph. bellatulum X Paph. sukhakulii.


It measures 10.9 cm. wide so that is around 4 1/4"! This is the greenest form that I could find either in the Orchid Wiz or Orchids Plus programs. It is a nice full flower with gorgeously spotted petals. So many have a whiter or creamier colored background taking after the bellatulum parent.


Petals are much fuller then sukhakulii and the flower is open. SPOTS ARE EVERYWHERE!!!
The dark burgundy pouch is wonderful. On occasion, the inflorescence of sukhakulii can get a bit too tall. But here, the bellatulum parent has reduced that.



You can see the pot that it is in and my bark, orchiata, charcoal and sponge rock mix. 'All dressed up and no where to judge'! Overall shape is very nice.

Though I can't grow these successfully, Bill, that's a real beauty.

I agree! It is gorgeous!

Ursula said:We came from here

The thread "Our Orchid blooms in November 2021 🦃" in Orchids forum

And today we have December 1. and with that we start the usual new thread!

Let me begin with my Ceratostylis retisquama. Last year it had a bit of die-back, but it seems to have stopped.

• Orchid (Ceratostylis retisquama)
• Uploaded by Ursula

• Orchid (Ceratostylis retisquama)
• Uploaded by Ursula

This Cattleya maxima 'Carino' x C. intermedia alba x Concolor is in my hands a more reliable plant /bloomer than straight maxima. Through the years I always lost the C. maxima, warm or cold grower ( lowland or highland Ecuador) didn't seem to matter.

• Orchid (Cattleya Dominiana [1859])
• Uploaded by Ursula

And then we have the Coelogyne Golden Bug, a really happy camper, blooming now from several new growths. This one blooms for a couple of months once started.

• Orchid (Coelogyne Golden Bug)
• Uploaded by Ursula

My Bc Hippodamia is a bit of an untidy clump, years ago I made the mistake of placing the whole plant including the pot into a very stable metal holder. It is now firmly attached. But, I see it starting to rust, one of these days I might use my trusty clipper on that metal holder.


Here is the Rhyncatlaelia Ursula's Gift, a hybrid created by Jim Roberts. My Schom superbiens was the daddy. the blooms open up in very curly fashion, somewhat unusual, as they were working on being charming?



And there is the FDK After Dark 'Sunset Valley Orchids'. It started out with 2 really long spikes. The first one pretty much aborted slowly but surely half of that, and that is now blooming. The 2. spike so far made it fully intact, ready to open this week.

• Orchid (Fredclarkeara After Dark 'Sunset Valley Orchids')
• Uploaded by Ursula

Please all join in and post away!!

Lord have mercy, you have the most beautiful orchids young lady.....

A little bit better photos. Prada's flowers are very thick and "waxy" and this plant has been in bloom since Sept. 20.

Blc. Prada Green Deluxe 'NN'

Blc. Cherry Kiss '#84'

I got a bonus when that Prada Green bloomed. I divided the "mother" plant in late January, 2020, but only color-coded the 3 divisions. I divided 4 varieties and was just color-coding everything in my haste. Then I forgot what color-code went to what variety........DUMB A**! So these 3 plants have had the label "KR4 - NOID" since 2020. Having this plant bloom solved the mystery, so the 3 plants now have their proper names again.

Phil, thank you!

Ken, sounds good! Both are truly magnificent! Ranking high on the Floof scale!

A little bonus bloom on one of my bargain orchids from Apopka, a few years ago. NOID Brassavola cross of some description. So pretty, but the plant looks to be on it's last legs so this may be it's swan song.

drdawg said:A little bit better photos. Prada's flowers are very thick and "waxy" and this plant has been in bloom since Sept. 20.

• Orchid (Rhyncattleanthe Cherry Kiss)
• Uploaded by drdawg

Blc. Cherry Kiss '#84'

Ho Ho Ho I just bought 1 of Ken's "Cherry Kiss"

You did indeed, Glenn. Thanks, as always.

Another SUPER start to a month Ursula! I just love your cute Ceratostylis retisquama and I bet you are thrilled that it bounced back so nicely. How on earth did you meet Jim Roberts and donate pollen? ( sounds like a great story!) Jim makes some wonderful plants that usually end up with blue ribbons and AOS awards.
LOVE the color on your Cherry Kiss, Ken. That's a keeper...and bonus points for getting the tags sorted out!
Elaine, your little NOID is as sweet as can be. I'm so sad that First Orchids has gone out of business.
A few new things here to share.



Perreiraara Bangkok Sunset This one is from Motes and is quite a bit more greenish than my other one...I wonder if it's mis tagged. Bill, have you ever seen one this color?




Another one from Motes that is finally completely open V. Blue Yonder


Rlc. Haw Yuan Rose blooming sideways



and L. rubescens with 2 spikes...but I couldn't get a decent picture with them together...

Very beautiful, Lindsey! The Bangkok Sunset is a cutie!

Regarding Ursula's Gift - I used to post for quite a few years on the Orchidsource forum, which was dissolved some years ago when one of the "owners" passed away. It was a wonderful forum to participate at the time, since also many of the growers and judges were posting there. It was a place of enjoyment and learning. Later on everybody moved over to the AOS facebook group. In Fall I posted my Schomburgkia/Laelia superbiens at the Orchidsource forum or perhaps later on it was also on Facebook. But either way, it caught Jim Roberts' attention and he asked me if I could send him some Pollen .
I was really happy to receive a nice plant from him a few years later ( 2019), the result of his breeding.

Some old pics, my old plant was a monster in its prime. I still have the plant, after quite some divisions, it is coming along.

Lindsey, I am not familiar with this hybrid but I am thankful to have a little 'research project'.
I had a hybrid quite some years ago, back on Long Island, maybe 2003 or 4. I'll look it up. It was Perrierara Luke Thai. I don't remember parentage but I will dig into it. But it was a gorgeous little hybrid that bloomed like a small miniatum! It was however the exact same color. Green petals and sepals with a amethyst lip.
I got it off the $3 sale table at J & L Orchids. Three bucks!!
I got it to bloom and it was awarded an HCC of 79 points. 79!!! I thought it should have gotten an AM. Most serious issue was a somewhat crowded inflorescence. I flower it again, hoping it would be better. BUT THAT SUCKER WAS UGLY!! No amount of lipstick on that pig would have improved its appearance. It was that bad!!

Then it got Boisduval scale and died shortly there after. Man, I was a bit upset.
But I'll check and see if the are images of Bangkok Sunset around. It could be unusual because if you make the hybrid expecting yellows, oranges and reds, you name it Bangkok Sunset. You can't be looking for greens and purples. Parentage check will tell us if there are common threads.

What a lovely show, Lindsey. The little L. rubescens is just sublime, and such a nice picture of it.

On your 'Bangkok Sunset' I'm pretty sure the colors will intensify as the flowers mature a bit. All my Vandas seem to do that.

It's been pretty chilly for Vandas these last few weeks, but this week coming up is looking perfect, with lows in the 60's and highs just touching 80. How extremely glad I am not to be in Connecticut. (my friend is not coming home until Saturday, thankfully, and someone else is staying with him)

And yes, I'm very sad that First Orchids has closed, too. What a delight it was to get such pretty little plants for so little money. Thankfully, I still have quite a few that came from there, some doing very well, including this elegant white Den. Nice big flowers, open for nearly a month already and still pristine, just developing a slight blush of pink inside the lip.