Thanks! I wish they would put on large displays like some of yours and Ursula's, but at least they give me blooms.

Carol, I love both!

Both spikes are now open on the Monn. Millenium Magic 'Witchcraft'.

And this Cattleya noid with some labiata parent starts up.

I am thinking either Cattleya gaskeliana or Cattleya mossiae is involved.
The tubular lip is very distinctive. See what everyone else thinks. Mossiae can often be dominant in a great number of crosses and its progeny are often spring bloomers just like mossiae. Mossiae blooms around Easter.
Gaskeliana is a fall/winter bloomer. Also possesses a tubular lip. It is a late spring/early summer bloomer. Maybe one of these is one parent and labiata the other?

Bill, I bought it tagged as Cattleya mossiae 'Campo Grande'. When I posted it years ago at the Orchidsource forum, it started a friendly discussion regarding that id.
Now that it always blooms in the Fall for me, the straight mossiae was also questioned and it was said the petals had the typical labiata stance. Could it be mossiae x labiata or gaskelliana x labiata with some mossiae thrown in?

Well that is what I am thinking. Since it is a fall bloomer, I am leaning towards mossiae times labiata or labiata times gaskelliana.
The petals are held like a labiata but they are a bit wider and shaped a little more like mossiae. I would think a primary hybrid is likely but who really knows. The shape can be changed slightly due to environmental conditions primarily water availability tied into root system. And with temperature and humidity variations, flower shape and size can be affected. So without a DNA analysis, can we be 100% certain?

Good luck tomorrow, Ken!

Jim

Have to bore you all with a repeat of this one, Rhyn. digbyana just because I'm pretty excited to have 3 blooms open at once. The fragrance is glorious, soft, sweet but sort of lemon-y. Flowers all have a slight jaunty angle to them, I guess if I were to stake them straight they would be level, but I kind of like the flirty set of the faces.



Saw this one at Home Depot (of all places) yesterday hidden away amongst a hoarde of Phals. It almost jumped into my cart, but then I saw the price tag! I'll take a chance on a bag baby for $12 but not on this one for $35!
Cattleya Glorious May

Elaine, the digbyana is simply gorgeous!! I wouldn't have staked them either.

I have some stuff in bloom here, as the Cattleyas are starting up, one by one.
There is the C. Loddiglossa 'Honey Ball'

this warm growing C. maxima 'Carino' x intermedia alba x 'Concolor'

and Bc Carnival Kids 'Green Gem'

I quickly posted the above, so no jumping through hoops was needed. But here is the Vanda / formerly Chrisnetia Green Light opening a nice spike on a diminutive plant with very long roots.


Hmm, looks like we have a break this afternoon from the relentless hacking pest.....

And one more - C. Bob Betts 'White Lightning'. I moved it to the front of the greenhouse. This one could use a repotting/clean up job, but I am not arguing with 3 gorgeous floofy blooms.

Oh, that pretty Vanda is a winner, and I'll bet it smells nice, too.

Love the Honey Ball, too - the dots are somewhat subtle and restrained.

I love the C. Loddiglossa!
That is a very nice spotted hybrid.

What a really pretty show you have today, Ursula...I love them all

Thanks! I always love this time of year!

I got one little Paphiopedilum that I love. And what do you know, I actually bought it in July and the first flower has opened.


It is Paphiopedilum primulinun and I am sure most recognize it. It is a gorgeous yellow and white flower with a dark grass green central area on the dorsal. It is in a 3 and a half inch pot with a mix of orchiata, charcoal and sponge rock. The inflorescence is slender and almost 9" tall. The flower is 3 and 5/8" wide and it is a sequential bloomer. I took the image today when I had it on the Ann Arbor Orchid Society plant table. This makes the 7th slipper I have bloomed in Michigan and I still have three more in bud.

I should send you my paph. And phrag. Collection Bill...your plants are obviously happy in their new zip code!


Bill, Jim and I are wondering if you are going to any of these meetings with Allen Black as the speaker?
If so could we send you our shopping shoes ( or flip flops in my case)?

Beautiful, Bill. I love it's little frilly wings. What do you know, a floofy Phaph. Phloofy, I mean.

Alan was the speaker today. He had a very nice presentation. However his plants were disappointing. Not that they were not healthy but they were on the small side and generally $15 each.
He blamed it on a cultural problem that set his program back for nearly 4 years.
He claimed to have used old fir bark which he said was 6 months short of being useless. He says he shouldn't have used it and he lost a lot of seedlings. I bought 2 because I like to support speakers but they were smallish seedlings years from blooming.
One was Brassavola cucullata X Laelia tenebrosa and the other was Brassavola nodosa X Laelia tenebrosa. Nice plants but like I said small.
If you are thinking of ordering from him come spring, I would keep that in mind because they are not growing by leaps and bounds this winter that's for sure!!!

Good to know!
After I posted I realized that his talks were this weekend.
Allen doesn't offer plants to order on his website, only through his speaking engagements... which is why Jim and I thought of you.
I inquired about having him come speak to our club, but his fee plus expenses put him out of our budget.