I agree, playing with Orchids is never work!!

Nice to see, Bert and Tara!

Way to go, Tara.

Hello, off work this weekend. What a shock? We'll it's storming outside still with tornado warnings, y'all may get severe weather the more east it goes. Be careful!
A good time to finish my want list for the new year, a 2014 plan. Certainly not a 2014 budget! If anyone knows a source please let me know.

Lc Summer Christmas 'Maria'
Lc Owen Holmes 'Encore'
Blc Mahina Yaro 'Julie'

Bert

Also I want any of the First Ladies!!!q

I am waiting for it to get to us. The storm-line is 60 miles east and moving pretty fast. I worry about my three GH's and all the tropical plants (600+) inside. Oh well, nothing I can do about Mother Nature.

I will have the 'Encore' this spring (she is in a 3" mesh-pot) but not the size you desire. Sorry. It will only be NBS by then. I don't have the other two, in any size.

Wow, thx Ken. Encore has been one of my favorites but I could only find sdlys, I will check back with you later in the spring and see it for myself. My conditions are not ideal at present growing indoors till March, and this one I don't want to lose.

Bert

Good morning all, I woke up to some progress opening my paph, boy it takes forever.


The little one is from Waldor last week that I received in bud called Slc Fire Magic, I was really wanting soft tip flares, but you never know unless you buy a clone.

Bert

And the Chyong Guu Sun x Ghyong Guu Chaffinch cross first blooms are about 3.5in and septal curdled back way to much, this may improve as the plant gets older. Here's a look at size differences but as you can see from the majority of my pictures, I am fond of yellow/red or purple combos, enjoy the Goldenzelle 'Lemon Chiffon', it's about 4.5 in.

Bert

Wonderful!! Must smell nice right now!

Odd that you mention that, I don't smell anything Ursula. Maybe my sinuses are worse than I thought this morning. It's going to clear today, so maybe my head will too!

Goldenzelle smells wonderful when the sun shines on it, or at least it needs to be day time and somewhat warm.

A couple of my Catts take a day or two after the flowers open for the fragrance to develop. Don't give up on it, Bert!

Bert, I have several catts that have absolutely no fragrance for several days, and then, "boom", the fragrance is there.

The cool porch must be the reason my flowers are lasting so long. My Blc. Copper Queen (the yellow version) has been in bloom for almost four weeks and has not changed one bit. The twin-sister plant (the bronze version) has only been in bloom for almost two weeks but I now expect her to follow her sister's lead, and bloom for many weeks. The Blc. 'Elmhurst' has also been in bloom for almost four weeks, and not a blemish anywhere, as has the V. Sunset Orange.

On the scent, I theorize that it takes a few days for the orchid's ovaries to ripen and "call out the troops" of pollinators. That's my story and I'm sticking to it!

……..and - if that particular bloom "lives" for weeks anyway, there is no real hurry to scent the neighborhood?
In opposite to Stanhopea blooms - wardii smells even the night before the buds pop and they scent is incredible already while they are opening, Those blooms are fading by day two and done on the third.

They must make hay...

Hello, back from a couple days in Corinth. I've had a shock, my Catts are on rolling racks well some of them are and I left them two feet from the south sliding glass doors while I was gone two days. It was cloudy just two hrs east of Memphis, so I didn't worry. Burned the front bottom row about 16 plants in really bad shape. 4 I threw away, to far gone.
In the summertime I had burn to coel and an occasional Catt. But they are trying to bloom now and I think forgive me. I'm just sick.
Here's waiting for my paph and coel nitida to get on with it. This is the coel that lost eight leaves to burn this summer, but has 6 spikes so far.




Yes, that's my Fire Dance'Patricia', early this year to bloom.
Bert

What a shame about your burnt plants, Bert! I'm amazed that the sun could have been that strong, through glass and in the middle of winter!

The paph is going to be a winner, though! Just lovely. Fire Dance Patricia is a fabulous color, too. I need to look for one of those, my mother's name was Patricia.

Elaine, thx but I did not realize the danger either. I usually have a sheer down on the big glass doors, but they were so old and fraying that I took them down last month. 1964 building with the same everything. I bought this condo 'as is' for a song, but there is a lot of rehab that I haven't started on.
The sun is so low, but you can never really know about heat + light = damage! variable being length of time exposed.
Oh I got the Lc Fire Dance from Brenden orchids in Fl recently because my sister wanted my other one while it was blooming earlier this year. It doesn't have a fixed time to bloom for me, I noticed this one is darker colored not bright.

Thx for the company,
Bert

Thanks for the reference, do you have a contact for Brenden orchids, by chance? I did a quick search and they don't seem to be online.

I think some orchids bloom slightly different colors in winter - cooler weather vs. warm weather, possibly variable light makes a difference, too.