Richard Wallace Canna LIly

Richard Wallace Canna

Canna x generalis 'Richard Wallace'

(KAN-uh) (jen-er-RAY-liss)

Recently I found a “roll” of black and white shots from last year. Shooting the picture in monochrome is usually always better than a software conversion of a color shot to me. Black and white photos of flowers can be interesting even though you lose one of the greatest properties of flowers, color.

Over the last several years we have pretty much stopped growing Cannas. That broke my heart since I truly love the vibe they bring to the garden. A big, bold plant that is still relatively well behaved. Now that a lot of cultivars are almost self deadheading it really is a good maintenance free plant. They are available in a wide range of colors and cultivars. The flower color for ‘Richard Wallace’ is not that appealing. Kind of a dusty yellow/orange. It is still a strong growing cultivar with good foliage.

Phalaenopsis Orchid
Phalaenopsis

(fay-lay-NOP-sis)

Spray of Moth Orchids, recently seen. I miss my days in the Orchid House. The 70/70 conditions (70 deg. F and 70% humidity) are not replicated anywhere else in my life. Also the smell of the orchid bark and the joy of coaching a spray of flowers out of an uncooperative, finicky orchid species. If you want to know more about Phalaenopsis click the tag they have been shown here many times. A lot of people find them to be pedestrian but I think they are beautiful and reliable.

Moth Orchid

Moth Orchid

Phalaenopsis Fuller's Sunset 'Maui'

Wordless Wednesday

Lady's Slipper Orchid

Paphiopedilum Orchid

Paphiopedilum villosum 'V1-1’ x Hitachi Venus

(paf-ee-oh-PED-ih-lum)

Synonyms: Lady's Slipper Orchid, Venus Slipper Orchids

  

Happy and proud to display this Lady Slipper flower from the greenhouse at work. It has another bud coming along. It has been agonizing to watch this flower open. It was so slow. Finally last week when I returned to work it was open. Paphiopedilum orchids are a lot easier to grow than they look like. The Orchid Room at work has really come alive with about 12 orchids blooming and another dozen spiking. The climate control system is still a bit of a mystery but seems to be working out.

Happy New Year to all. 2013 is going to be a botanical adventure around here and I hope you will join me on the trip. This next picture is a spray from the Phalaenopsis orchids. They seem to be kind of plain to me but have been nice to have around. This one is on the main display table and has been blooming for weeks.

 

Phalaenopsis Orchid

Phalaenopsis ‘Sogo Yukidian’

(fay-lay-NOP-sis)

Reed Stem Orchid

Reed Stem Orchid

Epidendrum Princess Valley 'Innocence'

(ep-ih-DEN-drum)

Wordless Wednesday

Leopard Prince Orchid

Doritaenopsis Leopard Prince

Doritaenopsis

(doh-ry-ten-OP-sis)

Parentage: Doritaenopsis Sun Prince x Phalaenopsis Ho's French Fantasia

A heavily spotted version of a Doritaenopsis intergeneric hybrid. I have to admit about being confused about Doritaenopsis as a genus. The names Doritis and Doritaenopsis are now out and these orchids belong to Phalaenopsis. The names seem to keep changing and plant names are much less settled then I once believed them to be,

I got my Christmas present yesterday and it was something I waited a long time to get. Since my old guitar needs to be retired due to stress cracks in the pick guard I wanted another Fender Stratocaster to replace it. Ironically the new guitar is almost an exact replica of the old one. The people in Guitar Center were getting sick of me demoing every Strat in the store. When I plugged in the 2003 Eric ClaptonSignature Model  I knew I had found my perfect prize. After playing hardball on the price it went home with me.

Here is a Sunday bonus snapshot. This flower was at the orchid wholesale nursery and was unnamed. It really had a rich, velvety appearance.

Sara Asian Corsage Orchid

Asian Corsage Orchid

Cymbidium (Sussex Dawn x Memoria Francis Dawn) ‘Sara’

(sim-BID-ee-um)

Can you tell that I am excited about growing a lot of orchids at work? Lately I have been immersing myself in knowledge about growing orchids, especially Phalaenopsis. The main thing seems to be if you are able to reproduce certain known conditions the plants will be happy. Even though there are three zoned rooms in the greenhouse we have been using only one as an Orchid Room. It has a separate climate control with misting and venting. The venting system is a little messed up right now so we have been using the doors to the outside and the windows for manual venting. We let the temperature get up to about 80 degrees before cooling it down. It is a balancing act trying to keep the conditions best for several species at once. I am trying to find some microclimates inside the room for our finicky species. So far it is quite an adventure.

Phragmipedium Orchid

 

Phragmipedium Cape Sunset

Phragmipedium

Frag-muh-pee-dee-um

This Orchid genus is not represented in the new orchid collection at the Estate. I did manage to secure three collector types for the group but we are still missing specimens of Vanda and Cymbidium. My hands will be full with the 20 new Phalaenopsis and others so I probably shouldn’t be worried about what I don’t have. Lucky the greenhouse at work has three rooms and the climate can be set up separately in each room. There is also a nice misting system, which helps keep the humidity up.  Ten of the new orchids are marked for the main house and there care will be turned over to the domestic people. They are in full bloom. Well the fun begins on Monday when the orchids hit the greenhouse.

Since it is Sunday here is the bonus snapshot of the day. A black and white Asian Corsage Orchid.

Asian Corsage Orchid

Cymbidium

(sim-BID-ee-um)

Cane Orchid

 

Cane Orchid

Dendrobium sanderae

(den-DROH-bee-um)

Synonyms: Mrs. Sander's Dendrobium

This Orchid is kind of in honor of the Orchid collection that is being delivered to the Estate on Monday. It going to be mostly Phalaenopsis hybrids but also some Cattleya and other species. Last week I bought 12 nice 4” Dendrobium orchids from the same wholesaler for $4.50 each.

Sorry this blog has been so sketchy on updates lately. I have been spending the weekends in Connecticut and living in Queens during the week. The new job is fantastic but it is taking a lot out of me and has me keeping somewhat irregular hours. Standby for some more orchid pictures as the new plants come into flower.

Spotted Phalaenopsis Orchid

Phalaenopsis Orchid

Phalaenopsis

(fay-lay-NOP-sis)

Wordless Wednesday

Slipper Orchid

Paphiopedilum Orchid

Paph. Yerba Buena x Gege Hughes

(paf-ee-oh-PED-ih-lum)

Well this orchid seemed to stump the internet. There were several flowers listed that looked like them but not really. The intense yellow was missing on most of the other pictures I looked at. This one looked a little like a face to me.

Paphiopedilum orchids are one of the most classy and elegant of the family. They come in a nice variety of colors and are considered easy to cultivate at home, if you can find them!

Since it is Sunday again here is our bonus snapshot. A great spray of Cymbidium flowers. It wouldn’t be my first choice for flower color but this one was making it work. Cymbidiums make a great house plant and can tolerate quite cool temperatures. The flowers can last up to ten weeks.

Asian Corsage Orchid

Cymbidium Featherhill Fanfare ‘Desert Sands’

(sim-BID-ee-um)

Star Orchid

Reed Stem Orchid

Epidendrum cv.

(ep-ih-DEN-drum)

Synonyms: Star Orchid, Crucifix Orchid

These cute little orchids have really won me over. At first they were not impressive to me but their collection of small flowers always seems to have nice lighting and a face for the camera. We haven’t had much luck cultivating them at home but I have a feeling that is on our end and not the plants, although it is easier to blame the plants. Generally they come in a red/yellow/orange color scheme and seem very floriferous.

Our band is getting back together tonight for the first time in 6 weeks as our bass player is done lounging around the Jersey shore. I expect chaos as everyone brings in all the songs we have been learning during the break. Its time to book some gigs and that responsibility is falling in my lap.

Thailand Orchid

Vandachostylis ‘Thailand’

Vandachostylis

 This Orchid picture was processed a long time ago but never posted. My hard drive needed some cleaning today and it popped up again. After looking for some information I realized why it hadn’t been posted. Information on this particular Orchid is hard to find. So we will just enjoy at as a festive, kind of jaunty spike of flowers.

Since it is Sunday here is the bonus shot. A group of Coconuts that were ripening on the vine. Shot in Coral Gables, Florida on a brilliant winter afternoon. 105mm/2.8 Nikon micro lens.

Cattleya Orchid

Cattleya Orchid

(KAT-lee-yuh)

This is an old shot of a Cattleya Orchid with some nice lighting. It was shot with my 5MP compact camera. The file size is a joke compared to the newer cameras but at least it didn’t have to be crushed down to fit here. Cattleyas are some of my favorite types of Orchids and they always seem to enchant me with the big flowers and heavenly fragrance.

Short post here today because we are having massive thunderstorms this morning and I only turned on my computer to post this.

Red Ginger

Red Ginger

Alpinia purpurata

(al-PIN-ee-uh) (pur-pur-AH-tuh)

Synonyms: Opuhi Uteute, Gengibre Rojo, Tahitian Ginger, Ostrich Plume

While wistfully rummaging around in my archive of Hawaii photos this picture from the Hawaii TropicalBotanical Garden on the Big Island. The garden was one of my favorite botanical places I have visited on earth, so far. The Island of Hawaiʻi was amazing to in general. It is the largest island in the United States and almost the size of Connecticut and Rhode Island combined. Eight days was not nearly enough time to fully investigate its beauty but what we did see was impressive. We especially enjoyed the city of Hilo. It is quite funky in places (in a good way) and gave bit of a feeling of a tropical Greenwich Village without the vague hint of sophistication that neighborhood in Manhattan seems to retain amongst even the worst chaos.

This flower is identified correctly I think and was quite beautiful. Blooming under a shady and humid canopy of Palms and other large trees it did stand out. I don’t know much about Gingers but they seem to come in a variety of shapes and sizes. I am also sure I would find them of use if gardening in a tropical area. They have struggled in the greenhouse.

Since it is Sunday again here is a bonus snapshot also from the Hawaii “roll”. The HTBG had an amazing display of Orchids growing outside and most were in full bloom.

Phalaenopsis Orchid

Phalaenopsis

(fay-lay-NOP-sis)

Lady's Slipper Orchid

Lady's Slipper Orchid

Paphiopedilum haynaldianum

(paf-ee-oh-PED-ih-lum)

For the last several months this site has been relying on outtakes and archive materials as it has every winter of its existence. The folder I have been using is called “To Be Used 2011” and it has gotten so I don’t even want to look in there again. So a new folder has been started with 2012 replacing the 2011. Today’s Orchids were photographed in California and were growing outside in kind of a lean-to greenhouse. It was a nice collection of unusual species. All of these photos were shot with the Nikon D700 and 60mm nikkor-micro lens.

Since it is Sunday again here is a bonus snap of an unknown Orchid. The color scheme and design of this flower gave it an almost scary look. 

Tropical Lady's Slipper Orchid

Tropical Lady's Slipper

Paphiopedilum delenatii

(paf-ee-oh-PED-ih-lum)

This Orchid is from the Patrick Blanc's Vertical Gardens Exhibit at the New York Botanical Gardens. The show was just okay for me. In my opinion there weren’t enough flowers and not as many as previous years. Comparing it to other year’s shows found a bigger assortment of flowers (different types) but a smaller quantity. The vertical nature of the displays wasn’t the most attractive and many of the Orchids were not signed or identified.

Overall the show was not as impressive as I thought it would be and that maybe because after winter I may have been trying to hold it impossible standards. I know a lot of work goes into a show like this and they did the best that they could. I usually attend the show twice every year but with gas prices they way they are I probably won’t go back.

This was the first Daffodil I have seen blooming this year. It was tucked into a crack in the ground by a large south facing stonewall. It was a quick illustration on the importance of microclimate in the garden.

Orchids

Dendrobium ‘Eima-Pink’

Dendrobium

(den-DROH-bee-um)

There about 1,200 Dendrobium species and numerous hybrids that are widely cultivated. Mostly native to Southeast Asia and Australia they grow in a wide and diverse habitat in the wild. Most are epiphytes, meaning they attach themselves to other plants for support only. It is not a parasitic relationship. Breeding has increased the color range and flowering time for Dendrobiums.

Since it is Sunday and Today’s Flowers here is a bonus shot of an unusual Vanda type Orchid.

Rainbow Orchid

Vanda ‘Robert’s Delight x Miss Rattana’

(VAN-duh)

Super nice color on this Vanda Orchid. They looked like Pansies.

Ruby Red Cymbidium Orchid

Asian Corsage Orchid

Cymbidium ‘Via El Diablo 'Ruby Red'

(sim-BID-ee-um)

These photos are from the lost rolls of Orchid pictures I recently found on my hard drive. It is generally not like me to take pictures and then not even look at them since this blog needs a constant stream of new flowers. Cymbidium Orchids have appeared on this site many times and seem to be a good looking photogenic group. There are 52 species mostly native to subtropical Asia. They are popular as houseplants and cut flowers. I like how the light shines through on the second shot making the flowers almost translucent. That totally changes the color, which seemed to have a bit of variation among the spikes even without the back lighting.

Anybody else glad it is Friday? We are going to try and see the Rockefeller Christmas Tree this weekend. I am going to be putting my Christmas list together also. I really want a new/used guitar but don’t think Santa can be that generous this year. Since when did a new Fender Stratocaster become so expensive? The problem is as I have become a better player over the years the demands that I make on my instruments seem greater. The vintage 1960’s reissue would be great but the Pawn Shop line of guitars is probably more attainable.

Built as a dream guitar hybrid of several different models the 1951 ‘Nocaster’ in a blonde finish would be ideal. Time to hit craigslist for a used one maybe.

I am going to email Santa with a link right now!

Blue Mystique Orchid

Blue Mystique Orchid
Phalaenopsis 'Blue Mystique'
(fay-lay-NOP-sis)

Normally I don’t buy into a trend like this but we saw Blue Mystique for sale at three different places on Friday. Billed as the first blue Phalaenopsis orchid they are hard to ignore. The color stands out from far away and is also interesting close up. At first I thought they must be painted but a little research showed that the plant is “infused with a special medium” when growing to get the color (whatever that means). While all the buds on a blue spray will have the deep color subsequent blooms on the plant will be white or a light blue color. Here is a website about this orchid. It is from Homestead Gardens (all the orchids that I saw had a ‘Homestead Gardens’ tag on them).

Homestead Gardens.com

For more flower pictures from around the world check out:
Today’s Flowers . The links open at 1400 GMT.

Here is the Sunday bonus flower. One nursery had benches full of Hydrangea in full bloom. They were mostly ‘First White’ but there were also a couple of oddballs. This one, unfortunately, didn’t have a tag. It is probably one of the more unusual Hydrangeas I have seen but trying to look up what cultivar it is proved too difficult.

Reed Stem Orchid

Reed Stem Orchid
Epidendrum cv.
(ep-ih-DEN-drum)
Synonyms: Star Orchid, Crucifix Orchid

This orchid picture was taken at the Foster Botanical Garden in Honolulu last year. It is one of my favorite places on the island of Oahu. Located right in the city it was laid out a long time ago and has a lot of mature plantings. The garden is always one of my first stops when visiting. They had an interesting collection of Orchids in bloom on our last visit. I used to kind of look down on Reed Stem Orchids because the flowers are small and not as showy as some of their relatives. The flowers have kind of won me over with their colors, detailed clusters of blooms and ease of cultivation. This cultivar seemed particularly bright and happy. It reminded me of the candy corn that you see on Halloween.