Why not grow orchids?

[Tracy]

I was pleasantly surprised to find another blossom on a Sobralia open this morning.   I thought my Sobralia season was over for this year.

[happypalms]

Another nice little orchid in the collection , Aussie parade x stoney point yun yum. 

[Tracy]

Well 1 more Sobralia flower on my Sobralia sanderae  after yesterday"s kruskayae bloom.  It must be getting close to the end of this year's season since my Miltonia regnellii is opening it's first flower 

[piping plovers]

9 hours ago, Tracy said:

Well 1 more Sobralia flower on my Sobralia sanderae

That’s a beauty Tracy, with the contrasting light lavender lip in the first pic above.

[happypalms]

Another one in the collection! 

[metalfan]

Prra. Rapeepatha Pink blooming again

[Tracy]

Encyclia allemanii

[happypalms]

A few more around the garden! 

[metalfan]

Vanda Syizack Sunshine 'Song Pad'

[Tracy]

Multiple inflorescence on my Cleiscentron gokusingii 

[metalfan]

This is something kind of cool. 

I had a friend who was trimming an old Red Cedar tree in his yard.  He'd cut a few branches off before he notices.....GHOST ORCHIDS on the branches.

Not the famous rare Dendrophylax lindeni...but Dendrophyllax porrectus, the Jingle Bell orchid. he stopped prunkng, and took a branch immediately to UF to have the ID verified.

Turns out, our county is the Northern most place known in the range now for this Florida native orchid. he shared the cut branches with friends who grow orchids, I got one with several individuals on it. They are all blooming now

[piping plovers]

Gongora fulva and Anthurium wendlingeri growing together in a basket. Tried an automatic mist system over them this summer outdoors and I think they appreciated it. I connected the mist system in with the lawn and garden automated irrigation system and made things so much easier in between weekly hand watering of orchids.

 

[metalfan]

I'm glad I'm not the only one who stuffs different genera into the same basket LOL. Lovely.

[piping plovers]

Thank you. lol it’s nice when it works out for them and me. Helps me to consolidate space in the sunroom!

[metalfan]

Leafless Vanilla V. barbellata in bloom

[Silas_Sancona]

Yep,  ...did it again.. lol  ..Nice surprise when i opened the box too.  Glad they made the trip intact. 


Bc. " Morning Glory " var. carnea.











Cattleya  ** No longer Laelia **  purpurata..  Labeled as simply " F. Purple "  



When it flowers, it will be easier to tell if it leans more toward the imfamous var. Roxo Violeta,  or in the direction of var. Schusteriana.   Grower's picture definitely rules out var.  Werkhauserii. 

Regardless of which of the two varieties it is, can't go wrong with either one..  ( ..or any purpurata )


Probably too young to pull it off but one of the newer growths is already attempting a sheath  which shows how eager purpuratas can be to start flowering, even at a small size.. 

Seeing larger specimens of -any- of the purpurata types when in full bloom is a sight you don't soon forget. 

No wonder they are coveted in Brazil.




Two together..  Note how Morning Glory retains the narrow, Brassavola nodosa - esque  foliage of that end of it's parentage, compared to the wider, flat leaf on purpurata,  ...the other half of this 50 / 50 cross. 



Both get repotted after a few days of adjusting to their new home / being sure they don't have any post - transit issues. 



...Progress shot of the mystery purchase.. Looking pretty good so far after a few weeks in my hands.  New growths on it when purchased are filing out nicely too. 





 

[TropicsEnjoyer]

2 hours ago, Silas_Sancona said:

Yep,  ...did it again.. lol  ..Nice surprise when i opened the box too.  Glad they made the trip intact. 


Bc. " Morning Glory " var. carnea.











Cattleya  ** No longer Laelia **  purpurata..  Labeled as simply " F. Purple "  



When it flowers, it will be easier to tell if it leans more toward the imfamous var. Roxo Violeta,  or in the direction of var. Schusteriana.   Grower's picture definitely rules out var.  Werkhauserii. 

Regardless of which of the two varieties it is, can't go wrong with either one..  ( ..or any purpurata )


Probably too young to pull it off but one of the newer growths is already attempting a sheath  which shows how eager purpuratas can be to start flowering, even at a small size.. 

Seeing larger specimens of -any- of the purpurata types when in full bloom is a sight you don't soon forget. 

No wonder they are coveted in Brazil.




Two together..  Note how Morning Glory retains the narrow, Brassavola nodosa - esque  foliage of that end of it's parentage, compared to the wider, flat leaf on purpurata,  ...the other half of this 50 / 50 cross. 



Both get repotted after a few days of adjusting to their new home / being sure they don't have any post - transit issues. 



...Progress shot of the mystery purchase.. Looking pretty good so far after a few weeks in my hands.  New growths on it when purchased are filing out nicely too. 





 

Is the blooming one fragrant?

[piping plovers]

2 hours ago, Silas_Sancona said:

Yep,  ...did it again.. lol  ..Nice surprise when i opened

Plant Mail is the BEST! Especially orchids:)

Morning Glory variety is stunning. And your mystery plant is really looking good.

 

[Silas_Sancona]

24 minutes ago, TropicsEnjoyer said:

Is the blooming one fragrant?

Some sources say it is,  other sources really don't mention a scent..  Both parents involved in the cross are fragrant. 

Seeing your comment, i checked on mine. No scent ..but that might have to do w/ our conditions ( Have noticed scent on a lot of stuff here is often subdued due to our dry / hot air, esp. during the day / this time of year ) 

Flowers could have been effected by the trip from the grower too. 

Flowers supposedly last a couple weeks on this cross ...so we'll see if any real scent kicks in later.  If so, it is supposedly only present in the evening  ..A trait carried over from  Brassavola nodosa. 

Is also supposed to be one of the easier / fast to attain specimen size nodosa- type crosses as well.  ..What i've read from every grower who grows it at least.  We'll see how that applies to life in the desert  ..Mostly indoors of course, lol. 

[Silas_Sancona]

26 minutes ago, piping plovers said:

Plant Mail is the BEST! Especially orchids:)

Morning Glory variety is stunning. And your mystery plant is really looking good.

 

Thank you sir   ..Agree, so far,  i'm pretty happy w/ how the mystery plant is adjusting. 

Btw, since you mentioned an interest in adding more Cats. to your collection, many people consider Cat. purpurata, is one of the easiest. Many folks in CA even grow them outdoors alongside Cymbidiums, the Reed - stem Epidendrums,  and the tougher Mexican Laelias, like Laelia anceps.

Can handle temps from about 40F ( though it was mentioned on the orchid board of these tolerating a few nights down to the mid 30s -if dry )  up to about 100F,  and non- optimal humidity levels ( ..say below 50% ). 

After i repot it, planning on placing it out on the patio on any day  nights aren't below 38F,  days top 95F. Cool, dry rest in the winter supposedly stimulates flowering.  ..Another one of those things i'd read at least.  

Regardless, not delicate / as temperamental as some of the other unifoliate Cats. can be. 

[Silas_Sancona]

On 9/18/2025 at 9:23 PM, Silas_Sancona said:

Some sources say it is,  other sources really don't mention a scent..  Both parents involved in the cross are fragrant. 

Seeing your comment, i checked on mine. No scent ..but that might have to do w/ our conditions ( Have noticed scent on a lot of stuff here is often subdued due to our dry / hot air, esp. during the day / this time of year ) 

Flowers could have been effected by the trip from the grower too. 

Flowers supposedly last a couple weeks on this cross ...so we'll see if any real scent kicks in later.  If so, it is supposedly only present in the evening  ..A trait carried over from  Brassavola nodosa. 

Is also supposed to be one of the easier / fast to attain specimen size nodosa- type crosses as well.  ..What i've read from every grower who grows it at least.  We'll see how that applies to life in the desert  ..Mostly indoors of course, lol. 

Night #2 check on the above mentioned Orchid:  Scent is present.

While strong, ftm, nose to be close to the flowers rather than the scent carrying through the air.  That might change by tomorrow.

Imo, closest thing(s) i can compare to would be fresh Cinnamon, w/ very obvious notes of Gardenia, and either Arabian Jasmine, or Jasminum nitidum ( Angel wing Jasmine ). 

A little sharper scent - wise,  but reminds me of how my white flowered Brunfelsia  smells ...When it blooms. ( Hopefully it resumes blooming again soon now that i finally repotted it )

Can see a healthy specimen with a couple dozen flowers open at the same time being a bit intense for someone who might be sensitive to certain flower scents though. 

[Tracy]

Miltonia regnellii and a couple of hybrids blooming as we approach the Equinox.

[Hu Palmeras]

4 minutes ago, Tracy said:

Miltonia regnellii y un par de híbridos floreciendo a medida que nos acercamos al equinoccio.

What beautiful plants you have, my friend. A beautiful radish. Congratulations.

[piping plovers]

Rlc Rhyncholaeliocattleya Blanche Aisaka 'Yuki' FCC/AOS.  Bloom is nearly 7” across at this blooming. Normally a December bloomer, but very early this season.

 

[happypalms]

Another one in the collection!

[Tracy]

I am happy I added this Sobralia kruskayae to the garden.  Here we are in Autumn and it continues to bloom.

It is motivating me to continue to investigate the Sobralia genus with tests of other species in my garden. 

[piping plovers]

5 minutes ago, Tracy said:

It is motivating me to continue to investigate the Sobralia genus with tests of other species in my garden

Beautiful bloom. That crisp white and yellow contrast.

[metalfan]

Vanda Phanom Tuan Sunset No. 95

[piping plovers]

Packing some of my orchids for the Connecticut Orchid Society Show this weekend. Our neighboring orchid society. First local show of the season for the New England orchid clubs.

 

1. Perreiraara Tony Tan Keng Yam 

 

2. Alcra. Pacific Nova 'Okika'

3. Rhyncholaeliocattleya Blanche Aisaka 'Yuki' FCC/AOS 

4. Brassia Edvah Loo 'Nishida'

 

5. Oncidium Jungle Monarch 

6. C. Earl 'Imperialis' FCC/AOS

7. Procatavola Key Lime Star 

 

 

[happypalms]

A few more in the collection.

[happypalms]

A common but a pretty one. 

[metalfan]

must be spring there

[metalfan]

Renanthera

[Tracy]

Gastrochilos rutilans, a mini flower blooming. 

[happypalms]

There still flowering in the garden! 

[happypalms]

On 9/30/2025 at 8:54 PM, metalfan said:

must be spring there

It most certainly is spring. And a dry spring at that! 

[metalfan]

Bulbophyllum habrotinum

[Tracy]

A sure sign that Autumn is here, Laelia albida form sulphurea is in bloom.

[TropicsEnjoyer]

10 hours ago, Tracy said:

A sure sign that Autumn is here, Laelia albida form sulphurea is in bloom.

a very modest and elegant orchid I must say

does it have any scent?

[piping plovers]

Lc. Judy Walters (Bonanza x Rincon Hill), a 1963 hybrid.

Packing this one up for the Massachusetts Orchid Show this weekend. Even the flower stems are red-maroon in color. Grew it in very high light this summer.

And for all you palm-lovers, the first two photos, Licuala peltata Var. 'Sumawongii' in the background.  And the 4th, photo, Johannesteijsmannia altifrons just barely in the background 😁