Bollopetalum Midnight Blue 'Cardinal's Roost' (Bollea violacea x Zygopetalum B. G. White (Zygopetalum Blackii x Zygopetalum mackayi))

Received as a double spike in bloom. Each bud took its time to unfurl and each unfurling played out as elaborately as a slow motion ballet. She then hung around for a nice few weeks. Faint green fragrance.

Gorgeous presentation- noticed and awarded by my
local orchid society.

Macro view in the sunshine. Photo courtesy of Andre Gratto.

This is my second specimen of this orchid.

Acquired from Lucky Girl Orchids by way of EBay.

Vuylstekeara Celtic Sun 'Blushed'

Acquired in triple spike. Originally bloomed yellow, then transitioned to
white. 

Heavenly fragrance.

Acquired from Lucky Girl Orchids by way of EBay.

Bulbophyllum "Wilmar Galaxy Star" (dearii x lobii)

Water:  evenly moist (1-3x/wk)- careful: high risk 

for fungus on pseudobulbs from overwatering

Humidity: high

Fertilizer: 20-20-20 monthly

Temp: 58-90 °F

Light: 2000-3000 Fc

Rest period: Not needed or very brief winter with less watering.

Flowering: Spring-summer lasting 2-3 weeks, sweet scent; bobbing-head like lip trips insect into the flower, forcing pollination when it exits. See video below.

Repotting: Sensitive to repotting- may skip bloom. Sphagnum moss, mounted cork, shallow media for short roots.

Propogate:  Split pseudobulbs

Species Bulbophyllum Dearii originally from Borneo, Phillipines, Malaysia. Bulbophyllum Lobii also in Indonesia. Grows on tree trunks or limestone. 

The blossoms evoke scents of ripe, sweet nectarines! Like abstract art, I keep seeing the flower form anew from different angles:

I got a macrolens attachment for my IPhone camera. Here are the finer details up close:

 

Bobbing lip in action:

Link to Video Pending

This orchid from Ebay Seller Lucky Girl Orchids. Arrived with two blossoms on July 23, 2014. Despite the very delicate nature of the blossom, this seller did a phenomenal job of delivering intact flowers. Additional, her culture is impeccable with no flaws on any other part of the plant or the media. 

Credited sources:

http://www.orchidspecies.com/bulblobbii.htm

http://www.orchidspecies.com/bulbodearei.htm

http://www.andysorchids.com/

http://www.carterandholmes.com/bulbocare.html

Psychopsis Mendenhall 'Hildos' FCC/AOS

Gorgeous specimen in chronic double spike.                                                  

Looks like a bug ready for a hug! 

Dendrobium Spectabile x sib. (Group: Latouria)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, JEN!!!

Water: drench media in AM- allow to dry throughout the day until rest period (see below)
Humidity: > or = 50%
Fertilizer: 20-20-20; reduce fertilizer in Oct.
Temp:  mid 80sº F during the day, 10- to 20º F drop at night
Light: 5-8,000 fc; summer 10-11,000 fc; AKA “Cattleya light”;
Air:  enjoys good air circulation- I have mine in this holey orchid pot. 
Rest: cooler and drier with reduced fertilizer starting in October
Flowering:  Blooms midwinter-early spring; Flowers at 4-5 yrs old and when it has 4-7 canes. Spikes emerge from black spots on the side of the canes.
Repotting: springtime after flowering; sphagnum moss or medium fir bark; since it grows so large, may need supportive staking
Propogate:  divide canes

Originally from Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands. We named ours "Alien". When the sunshine woke me up one morning, the light floated in paired with a floral scent equivalent to sweet sunshine. My Spectabile had finally bloomed ! This blessing arrived after over a month of watching a weird green alien spike emerge and creep out of black dot in the cane. These blooms hung around for over a month. When they finally dried, they became pretty dried specimens as well. Abundant nectar bejeweled the flower stalks. Go ahead - swipe a taste for floral flavored nectar.

Acquired 4/17/2014 from Kawamoto Orchids, Honolulu, HI

Other credited sources:

http://orchidsamore.com/tutorials/dendrobiun%20spectabile.htm

http://bursa-lukisan.blogspot.com/2009/12/dendrobium-spectabile.html

Fun with IPhone Macro Lens

Potinara Joy Sakabe “Shining” (Fusako Yamaoka x Lc. Irene Finney)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, JEN!!!

Water:  1-2x/wk (when media dry)

Humidity: 40-70%

Fertilizer:  20-20-20

Temp: Winter: day 60-70F, night no less than 55F; Summer: day 65-85F, night 60-65F

Light: 2,000 to 3,000 foot-candles (about 65-70% shade); Leaves should be a medium green color. Dark green foliage indicates too little light.

Air: do not allow breeze or draft over roots

Flowering: blooms last 3 weeks

Repotting: chopped bark, tree fern fiber, coconut husk chips, gravel or lava rock and even sphagnum moss; every 2-3 years in spring/summer; Place old growths near the edge of the pot and leading growths facing the center. Roots tend to grow upward, so the whole plant may need to be tilted with the leading growth tilted downward.

One whiff and the smell of the Shining haunted us for the rest of the day. Resistance was futile and we had to come home with this intoxicating scent. Perfumists were on hand at the SEPOS International Orchid Show capturing fragrances like this and hoping to reproduce them.

This is a Potinara which is (according to Wikipedia) a "nothogenus comprising those intergeneric hybrids of orchids which have Brassavola, Cattleya, Laelia and Sophronitis", AKA flower mutt.  Or alternatively bastard  which "Notho" in Greek. When a flower has so many parents, it is given a nothogenus name. Vocabulary, science, and orchids united in a learning adventure!

Plant from Waldor Orchids, Linwood,  NJ booth at the 2014 SEPOS International Orchid Show, Philadelphia, PA.

Information obtained from very detailed multipart series AOS Cattleya culture articles.