Bollopetalum Midnight blue ‘Cardinal Roost’ (Bollea violacea x Zygopetalum B. G. White (Zygopetalum Blackii x Zygopetalum mackayi))

Acquired as a seedling from Orchid from 2013 GNYOS Semi-Annual Auction / donation from New Earth Orchids. Has steady growth... then leaf death... While I haven't lost any orchids yet, I might march this one to the dumpster if the newest growth dies off again. Especially since I can get a double spike specimen for 15$ on Ebay right now...

Paphiopedilum via Mesa Grande (Winston Churchill ‘Redoubtable’ x robin I. Hall)

Acquired as a seedling from Orchid from 2013 GNYOS Semi-Annual Auction / donation from New Earth Orchids. Has steady growth... fingers crossed for the next 3 years or so...

Ludisia discolor (alba form)

Have bloom pics, but the flowers are super tiny and out of focus.  The real beauty of the plant are the leaves. Will need to use the macro lens to snap some closeups of the veined lacy patterns. Orchid from 2013 GNYOS Semi-Annual Auction.

Bifrenaria Harrisoniae

The label that came with the plant was says "Div 6-13 (From Geoffrey Beene)". According to this Forbes article, THE fashion designer Geoffrey Beene was an avid orchid collector with 2,000+ plants in 3 greenhouses in Long Island as well as a separate collection in Hawaii. This plant almost certainly came from his collection!  My orchid is part of the Kevin Bacon, or in this case Geoffrey Beene, six degrees of separation phenomenon. Beene passed away in 2004. I wonder what became a part of the other 1,999 orchids that I don't have. 

Native to the mountains of Brazil. HUGE gorgeous leaves and frequent growths, but has yet to bloom for me. To be fair, I have yet to repot this ridiculously huge and overgrown specimen since acquiring it from the 2013 GNYOS Semi-Annual Auction.

Brassia Rex ‘Scott’ (verrucosa x gireoudiana)

Big long leaves, frequent growths but has yet to bloom for me. Orchid from 2013 GNYOS Semi-Annual Auction.

Brassavola nodosa 'Soiree' AM/AOS

Mounted on a gorgeous piece of wood. So many concurrent blooms that lasted for over a month. Initially NOT aromatic... But about 3 years in my home, it started putting out a warm floral cinnamon haunt at night.

This is another specimen obtained from the 2013 GNYOS Annual Orchid Auction. 

Coelogyne amber (speciosa x ovalis)

Fuzzy lip!

Update August 25, 2014: "Amber" brags with eternally dovetailing blooms since April. Each bloom is slightly different. This one glowed a pale green.  Note the dramatic back sweep of the thinner petals ------------------->

Mounted on corkboard. Incredibly hardy. Frequently blooms.


Orchid from 2013 GNYOS Semi-Annual Auction.

Do you have pearls of wisdom on this orchid? Share them in the comments below!

 

What a bud looks like...

Miltassia Charles M. Fitch (Brassia verrucosa x Miltonia spectabilis)

Last updated September 18, 2014.

Affectionately called by Andre and me as "The Charles".  The Charles opened over 3 hours early this morning, documented in the first five pictures in this post. At one point, he looked like he had his arms up and hands clasped in a victory air handshake. He opened five minutes after that shot into a joyful jumping jack.

A subtly sweetly fragrant boy, The Charles exists in a constant bloom since I got him at the GNYOS 2013 Annual Orchid Auction. Right now, he is sporting two spikes! He dangles around as a gorgeous cork mounted chandelier of a specimen. You can see his distinctive orb gracing the shower curtain rod on the left in this old picture of my bathroom greenhouse (below). This picture was taken when my orchid collection was a just under half of the size it is now. My addiction to fussing over emerging roots, bulbs, leaves and flowers blossomed right along with my green friends.

Vanda Kapoho (Vanda Lamellata x Vanda Tricolor)

Last Updated September 20, 2014
Hybrid originally registered in 1945.  I acquired my specimen at the GNYOS Orchid Auction August 2013. Our nicknamed "Duckie Vanda" has bloomed four times since! She also doubled in height over the past year. The picture above taken in 2014 July captures the most prolific bloom yet! Incredibly fragrant and fills the entire room with floral sweetness every morning. 

The fun with macrolens pictures below are from the September 17, 2014 bloom. 

These three petals are the same position

from each of the three flowers. It's amazing

how individual each flower is. Also reminds

me of a banana peel, zebra stripes, and

thumbprints - all at the same time.

Dendrobium sanguinolentum

Water: Mounted: every day to every other day; potted 1-2 x/wk; I've found that whenever I neglect watering for a few days, buds start to appear.

Humidity: 50-70% humidity

Fertilizer: 20-20-20

Temp: 75-85F

Light: 60% to 80% shade (2,000 to 3,500 FC); Leaves should be a light green, not yellowish (too much light) or dark green (too little light). They should be somewhat stiff, not long and floppy (more light needed). A reddish edge to the leaves indicates the light is on the upper boundary of a proper level of light.  Direct sunlight may cause the plant to burn and not enough light will slow growth and stop flowering.

Repotting: Frequent keiki's. Trialed a repot on 4/2014 in regular fir bark media. Appears happy at the moment. Also shared a specimen with the newlyweds Karl and Ainslie Knaur in 8/2013. 

This is another specimen obtained from the 2013 GNYOS Annual Orchid Auction. Also frequently blooming all year round. The bloom picture to the left was from July 15.  This was the most vigorous and plentiful multi-bloom event yet. The flowers last just a few days. It rebloomed again August 22. There were two buds. Sadly, if you neglect to water it immediately when the buds form, you can lose them. I lost one- resulting in one lone bloom. 

Gastrochillus retrocalla

Original specimen purchased at the 2013 GNYOS Semi-Annual Auction.
Gifted to my dear cousin Ben.
See the April 2014 entry for updates on my current specimen.

Phalaenopsis (Tag Misplaced at the Moment)

Acquired in the spring of 2013 from the West Los Angeles Farmer's Market.

Nicknamed the West LA Duckie

Unfortunately, this little guy has since suffered sunburns, crown rot, root rot, and dehydration. No new leaves have grown since this picture taken shortly after acquisition. Instead, it puts up massive amounts of panic roots and spikes that never bloom.  This plant has fallen down on my priorities for care... But rediscovering this picture of its serene beauty reminds me to revisit her.

Odontocidium Catatante 'Pacific Sunspots'

AKA our Flushing Date Orchid (2013). Puts out long, multiple spikes with so many flowers! The last time it bloomed, I lost count at over 60 flowers. I love how the back of the flower has a little green streak. 

Miltoniopsis (NOID) AKA 2013 Valentine Orchid

Our Valentine Orchid

Acquired February 2013 @ the West Los Angeles Farmer's Market.

Complete with Hummingbird- Andre's Nickname for my hyper and excited self.
Did NOT enjoy the move from Los Angeles to New York...Currently reduced to a seedling sized specimen still trying to cope w/ New York living.