I was totally shocked when I went to water in the greenhouse a few days ago and the Emerald Isle orchid has a gorgeous, large, scented bloom.

The phals are blooming too, but Emerald Isle puts them to shame, for sure.

Thanks, Ken, for sending me such a nice plant.

That is indeed a pretty Catt, Anna. Good growing.

Jim

That Emerald Isle is STUNNING!!! I love anything pastel-y and am a sucker for ruffles too! BEAUTIFUL!

Love it!

Way to go, Anna. I am down to my very last Emerald Isle and its just a puny thing. I hope to keep it alive. I would hate to lose that variety. If you keep it cool the flower will last twice as long.

That's a fabulous Cat , Anna..I'm looking for a blooming one to give to my sister..

Ken, I had NO idea it was "with bud"..............LOLOL I have never had that variety, so had nary a clue it was going to bloom! I need to be more on the ball. I wish I could get the darn plant to stand straight in the pot. I may have to repot it later and see what I can do. It looks like the orchid worlds' version of the Leaning Tower of Pisa. I have it in the shaded portion of the g'house. Furnace set at 55 right now. How long do those blooms usually last?

I have to stake a lot of my orchids, long-leafed, floppy ones and those that would rather grow horizontally than vertically. It might even take more than one stake. That usually solves the "tipsy" problem.

Up in the g'house today and Emerald Isle has ANOTHER bloom! Looks like it is on the same stem as the first one. Need a pic, will try and get that tomorrow!

Oh, Anna, I am so pleased. The Emerald Isle is my oldest plant and I am so glad yours is doing well. Did you know that this plant is a bit out of the ordinary? It has the bilateral notches in the lip and I have been told by a couple of experts who grow this variety for show, that I should label mine "var. Ramsey". I never have, but having a variation is kind of neat. I don't know why my plant developed these notches. I don't even know when the notches began to appear. I have had the original plant so long. Why does a variation occur when all I do is take divisions? Just another orchid growing mystery. I have a constant list of those who want my plant, but I seldom divide her. I think she is becoming a rarity, along with many other old, greatly awarded varieties. I am slowly developing a collection of these older ones. I think I now have 6-8 that date back 40 or more years.

Ken, I have noticed the notches the very first time you posted this Orchid. I always thought you simply happened to pick up a plant with that characteristic, small changes do happen/can show up in populations of siblings. I have never seen that notched lip on any other. You certainly can name it!

The wretched wind blew a 6x16 roof panel off of the greenhouse during the night. If you don't think that wasn't a @@@@@ getting that back on. Good thing the orchids are way in the back, towards the north, insulated wall.

Wow, Anna. That's a huge panel to blow off. Y'all have your work cut out for you today to get it back on. Good luck.

So, I go up to the g'house to take another pic of Emerald Isle..........the 2nd flower is kind of droopy..........ok, it's REALLY drooping. AND I SEE ANOTHER BUD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! OMG..............I don't know what to look for re: buds on those types of orchids. Will they put out another flower where I see that they have previously had blooms?

Good luck with that panel...it took 4 people to help me with mine a few years back...not fun.

It took 3 of us in 40 mph wind........it was NOT pretty.

Anna, was the Emerald Isle damaged or traumatized when the panel blew off? Wind/cold can be the cause of that dropping flower/stem. You might want to check on moisture. She may just need a good drink of water. I typically stake my stems just so the flowers present well. You might want to do that as well.

It was cool in there, but not any cooler than it had been before I turned the heat on. It is in the middle of the g'house, and back towards the wall. I just checked when I took the pic an hour ago.........the medium is not dry.

That's the only two guesses I can think of, Anna. Gently prop those stems up just to give those heavy flowers some support.