I bought one just recently. I had a Renanetia Sunrise 'Prasong' for several years, it bloomed nicely a couple of times a year and then decided to DIMP on me last Summer. So I jumped at the chance of replacing it.

Can't wait to see the pictures of some 'Sunrise' blooms, Ken.

Thanks, Bert. I never buy many of any variety and that's why I sell out so regularly. I typically will only purchase five of a variety but may purchase ten varieties at a time. I never know what's popular and what's not. I just chose my plants because of flowering, those that should grow well with my conditions, and sometimes because of plant size. Having so little room in my greenhouses, I am going more and more towards compact plants and am even growing some sub-compact/miniature plants as well. I am also trying my best to spread my wings so-to-speak, purchasing genera that I have never grown.

I will get some pictures made for you Elaine. Right now winter is hitting us here. It has dropped 20 degrees in the last hour and has begun to rain. I was in shorts, T, and sandals today and am now in sweat pants/shirt.

My Phrag Peruflora's Spirit opened the second bloom. I love the color and size and I thought the dorsal sepal looks perhaps a little better than on the first bloom.

I wish I could grow Phrag., Ursula. I love their flowers.

Ken, you probably could grow them. These hybrids grow and bloom under my intermediate to warm conditions, certainly easier than most Paphs for me.

To tell the truth, Ursula, I tried to grow a few Paph. several decades (OK, four decades ago ) and I lost them all. I swore to never try again. I just lumped the Phrag. with those Paph. When I see a Phrag. come up for sale, I don't even look at it. Maybe I should re-evaluate my position, huh?

Yes! You should, Ken. Phrags have been less of a problem for me because I really can't do the cooler temps the Bulldogs like.

And in addition, watering Phrags is certainly easier. This one sits right now on the living room table in a shallow dish filled with water! In the greenhouse normally, I flood these guys with a sprayer of rain water. (Besides the fish tank water every so often.)

Here are some odd and ends. The first is my Sarcoglottis sceptrodes, then Den. aphrodite x Den. Golden Aya, then Renanetia Sunrise, and finally Dtps. Lucia 'Pink'. The Den. is an oddball, at least for me. These plants have lost almost all their leaves, beginning a few weeks before the inflorescences begin and continuing till blooming. It seems any cane that produces a flower stem will lose its leaves but those without stems will maintain their leaves. I guess, like trees, this variety would be called semi-deciduous. I don't know whether that is the right term to use though.

Do you mean that the bark mix sits in water and never dries out? Or is it growing in something like (wet) sphagnum?

Yes Ken, the bark mix sits in water!
Let me add some habitat pictures of a couple of Phrags we encountered in Ecuador.
Phrags besseae and reticulatum grew on huge lime stone ( I think) slopes, accessible by camera luckily right at the highway. They were constantly bathed by natural springs and were simply dripping wet.
Phrag besseae

Phrag reticulatum


Now this little slope was populated by Phrag pearcei and could only be accessed by motorboat. We were told that this slope was at the rainy season totally submerged at times.

My take-away from this was that those we encountered and surely many others, need to be protected from strong sun when young, but adult plant can take full exposure and they do like to be bathed by a lot of clean water!
I crush every so often some Oyster shells and add them to the bark. The Oysters taste pretty good too!!
Ken, very nice blooms! I l always love the shadow puppets!!

Before I forget, I love that Blc Hawaiian Green Valley x Rhyncholaelia digbyana 'Laura' that you poster, Ursula. Gorgeous!

Back to our Max. discussion, my latest has opened up some tiny blooms way down in the foliage. This is Maxillaria [Max.] variabilis:


Out under an oak tree, the ground orchids are putting on a show just like down at Elaine's place. First is Cymbidium Little Black Sambo:


Then the big Nun's Orchid, Phaius tankervilleae:


Phaius Microburst 'Wild Thing' is covered with buds and is just beginning to open:


And one of the Spathogolttis plicatta orchids is blooming.


Jim

I think Ursula has that Little Black Sambo too, Jim. Soon I will have all my orchids, except the smallest of the "babies", outside. I just need to finish building the last of my "cages" for those new tree-shelves, get a little warmer (next week!), and get some more oak-leaf canopy, and I will be all set.

I love those Ecuadoran pictures, Ursula, and as always, your orchids are beautiful, Jim.

Now, I don't have that Little Black Sambo, Ken.( I did however buy a small pot of one of those black 'Witchcraft' pbulbs recently) Glad you might find those habitat pictures useful. I included the Crab picture to show how wet that slope was. The Crab looked perfectly at home there.

The Little Black Sambo looks wonderful Jim. I love, love the Phaius!!

I love all of those terrestrials, but so far I've killed every one I've tried.
After looking at those pictures, I may have to try a Phrag., if I ever see one again. Clean water might be a problem though. I've emptied one 35 gal. rain barrel already, and no rain in site. We do normally get an "April Shower", but this year, all bets are off. There is a Sparkletts plant right across the street...I wonder how much it would cost to get enough delivered...hmm.

Your big Phaius is just magnificent, Jim. But what really is surprising to me is how similar the flower of Little Black Sambo is to the Max. tenuifolia. I'm sure they aren't remotely related, but they sure look like brothers!

I'm off to GreenFest, Tampa's big spring gardening season kickoff. I'm speaking at 10:00 and have the rest of the day to wonder about the vendors. It should be a fun day.

Jim

I will man our County Extension Service exhibit from 9:00 till noon today at our "Everything Garden Expo". It is a two-day event. The previous two years I was a vendor but had to decline their invitation this year. It just takes too much time and effort to set up, transporting all the shelving and 100+ plants back and forth. I never made my money but enjoyed talking with people about what I grow. When the effort exceeded the enjoyment, well, that changed things.

Have fun, guys!