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  1. #1
    Join Date
    May 2003
    Location
    Central Coast, NSW
    Posts
    3,330

    Default Our orchids are going nuts

    For the last 20 years I have maintained a small collection of exotic orchids. Nothing major, just about 30 or 40 plants. Mostly cooler growing members of the cattleya, oncidium, odontoglossum and dendrobium alliances.

    To be honest, they've never been very successful. Sydney climate doesn't really suit exotic orchids (except cymbidiums and I've never liked them). They struggle along but typically there isnt a lot of flowering. Until this year. I've now consolidated them in an unusual growing situation and they are going nuts - everything that should be flowering either has flowers or flower spikes - mostly lots of.

    I'm not sure what to put this down to - it could be the unusually warm autumn but I think its more likely that in the new growing situation they get far more sunlight, water and fertiliser then I've ever dared to give them before.

    Heres a sample of whats flowering. Apologies in advance for the horrible things I'm probably going to do with the spellings.

    laelia.jpg
    This is Laelia anceps. If you wanted to grow just one species which thrived in the sydney climate this is it. Grows outdoors year round, thrives on neglect, and flowers prolifically each year. Will even grow outside in Melbourne, so I hear. Long lasting flowers are 100mm vertically, 2 or 3 per spike. One plant of ours has 18 spikes.


    tolumn.jpg
    A tolumnia. Once called equitant oncidiums. Brilliant flowered little miniatures - the actual plant is quite small and sometimes looks like a Tilandsia. I believe they grow in the same environment. Inside in winter.


    odont.jpg
    A large flowered odontoglossum hybrid. Not much removed from Odontoglossum crispum, I think, and crossed with something else that gives it heat tolerance. This one has just opened and is not coloured up fully yet.


    milt.jpg
    One of the endless parade of Miltonia crossed with various members of the odontoglossum alliance. This one has 3 spikes for 30 flowers.


    Back on the subject of the Laelia anceps and its adaptability, FWIW the only other spectactularly-flowering exotic orchids I've found which are perfectly comfortable in Sydney (outdoors, year-round) are Brassia longissima and Coelongyne cristata. Actually, its not really cristata (for which Sydney would be too hot) its a hybrid between cristata and some other Coelongyne. I can find its true parentage if anyone wants more info. Long tresses of 60mm white flowers with a yellow centre and a crystalline texture.

    Many times I have thought I've found others to add to this short list but they tend to grow and flower well for a few years then slowly loose vigour and die.

    Anyone know of anything I'm overlooking? Happy to trade.



    Over the next few weeks there will be more flowering - I'll add photos if anyone is interested.

    chers
    arron
    Apologies for unnoticed autocomplete errors.

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  3. #2
    Join Date
    Jan 2008
    Location
    Nth Est Victoria, Australia
    Posts
    605

    Default

    Absolutely stunning Arron, keep the pics coming

  4. #3
    Join Date
    Nov 2007
    Location
    Albury Well Just Outside
    Posts
    13,315

    Default

    A long time ago(10 - 15 years) I knew of an older fellow that also grew orchids in Sydney. I am far from having a green thumb and did not play much attention to what he was saying. After reading your post I understand now how hard it was to grow orchids in Sydney and what he achieved.

    I don't think I would ever come close to being a gardener but do appreciate the knowledge that you have shared.

  5. #4
    Join Date
    Sep 2007
    Location
    Bottom of the leg
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    82
    Posts
    828

    Default

    well done mate you are certainly doing something right now.
    Cheers Fred



    The difference between light and hard is that you can sleep with the light on.
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  6. #5
    Join Date
    Mar 2003
    Location
    Newcastle
    Age
    69
    Posts
    1,071

    Default

    Beautiful orchids. I have to say that mine very much like a feed of orchid pellets (smells like chook) and they seem to flower better when they are pot-bound.

  7. #6
    Join Date
    Jun 2014
    Location
    Seattle, Washington, USA
    Posts
    1,857

    Default

    Wow! I didn't even know orchids grew in shapes like that. Those are the best I've ever seen.

  8. #7
    Join Date
    Sep 2002
    Location
    Minbun, FNQ, Australia
    Age
    66
    Posts
    12,881

    Default

    We have a Laelia that has just finished, more flowers but not as good as yours.
    Cliff.
    If you find a post of mine that is missing a pic that you'd like to see, let me know & I'll see if I can find a copy.

  9. #8
    Join Date
    May 2003
    Location
    Central Coast, NSW
    Posts
    3,330

    Default One more new one and a re-photo

    Not much has matured since my last post - I guess the weather is getting cooler so flowers are taking longer to open.


    This oncidium has opened. I decided to take it indoors and give it the studio treatment. I photographed it in my woodwork photography setup (which I showed here).

    This is what I call a miniature. I think if left to its own devices it would grow into a large plant, but it will flower as a very small division so if you divide it rigorously you have a very small plant which can be conveniently bought inside for winter.

    I think with these line-bred oncidiums the breeders concentrate so much on enlargening the shape of the labellum they get a bit shapeless and floppy.

    sweetsugar.jpg




    I also decided to redo the photo of the odontoglossum hybrid in the desktop studio.

    Each flower is 130mm across, so its quite a display. I think the best feature is the subtle yellow lining on the labellum.

    tahomaglacier.jpg

    Its a Beallara Tahoma Glacier - a hybrid which is a bit yawn-inducing to most orchid lovers but its hardy and easily obtainable so I will always have room for it.



    There are other plants with flower spikes coming along, but they will mature very slowly once the weather cools so I wonder whether they will overlap with the spring-flowering species. It takes an orchid spike a long time to mature.

    cheers
    Arron
    Apologies for unnoticed autocomplete errors.

  10. #9
    Join Date
    May 2003
    Location
    Central Coast, NSW
    Posts
    3,330

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Cliff Rogers View Post
    We have a Laelia that has just finished, more flowers but not as good as yours.
    Cliff, which Laelia is it ?

    Your part of the world should be perfect for growing orchids - mind you, when I was up there a few years ago I saw very few growing. I guess its a matter of wanting what you cant easily have.
    Apologies for unnoticed autocomplete errors.

  11. #10
    Join Date
    Sep 2002
    Location
    Minbun, FNQ, Australia
    Age
    66
    Posts
    12,881

    Default

    Laelia perrinii I think.

    It isn't a marvelous specimen but it does have about 20 flowers every year.

    We are 870M above sea level, not the same as being down in Cairns.

    Some things that grew & flowered well in Cairns don't here & some things that just grew in Cairns but didn't flower, do up here.

    We have about 9 or 10 natives that occur naturally on our property but most a very insignificant.
    Cliff.
    If you find a post of mine that is missing a pic that you'd like to see, let me know & I'll see if I can find a copy.

  12. #11
    Join Date
    Jul 2009
    Location
    Brisbane Australia
    Posts
    10

    Default

    Hi Arron.
    Laelia Anceps is a lovely orchid on such long stems. Mine in beautiful Brisbane start to spike in December and have always come out on the 22nd May each year for the last 35 years, which happens to be my wifes birthday. Just remember that you must talk to them. Cheers Don.
    Last edited by hendosay; 5th May 2016 at 10:59 PM. Reason: mis spelt words

  13. #12
    Join Date
    May 2003
    Location
    Central Coast, NSW
    Posts
    3,330

    Default

    Hey Don - are yours all the standard mauve jobs like mine, or do you have some of the white forms or other variations ?
    Apologies for unnoticed autocomplete errors.

  14. #13
    Join Date
    Jul 2009
    Location
    Brisbane Australia
    Posts
    10

    Default Reply to Arron's post.

    Hi Arron,
    Mine are the standard mauve. 3 or 4 90mm flowers on 600mm stems.
    I had a white one (slightly smaller flowers) about 20 years ago, but it did not appreciate the shift to Redland Bay. Out of about 450 0rchids, only just over 200 survived. It may have been the salt air as we are only 75 metres from the bay. Cheers Don.
    Last edited by hendosay; 16th May 2016 at 09:02 PM. Reason: spacing

  15. #14
    Join Date
    May 2003
    Location
    Central Coast, NSW
    Posts
    3,330

    Default And two more new ones

    Although there are spikes, our orchid flowers are slow to mature now the cold weather is here.

    Here's a couple that have opened recently:

    This one is Vulystekeara Cindy 'Pinky Lea'. Its quite a big plant so I cant photograph the whole thing. The flowers are about 90mm across, 6 or so per stalk. A common hybrid and a good beginners orchid. This one has happily grown outdoors in a rather exposed position for a few years now.

    vuyst.jpg


    And this is Oncidium 'twinkle'. The flowers are only about 12mm across. You might wonder why one would bother with an orchid with such tiny flowers when so many more spectacular ones are available, and the answer is in the fragrance. Very strong, sweet vanilla fragrance that can fill a whole room. 'Twinkle' is a hybrid between Oncidium chierophorum and Oncidium ornithorynchum. It gets the fragrance from the latter. Onc. ornithorynchum is often for sale in Sydney but I find they usually dont survive long, having a fairly narrow temperature tolerance. This hybrid seems to be a lot hardier and again grows and flowers well outdoors under my usual regime of benign neglect.

    oncidTwinkle.jpg


    I guess I should point out that the names I have given here are probably nonsense. Unfortunately, the family Orchidaceae attracts the attention of taxonomists and they ceaselessly move plants between genera and change the names. Most growers try to keep up for a while then give up and just start to use names they notice are meaningful to other people. The species I mentioned above, for example, (Oncidium ornithorynchum) was renamed to Oncidium sotoanum, and then the entire Oncidium genus was collapsed, most of the species moved out to other genera and the remainder were assigned a new genus name which I currently forget. Most growers stick with Oncidium ornithorynchum nonetheless.

    Only three more plants have unopened flower spikes now. It will be interesting to see what they come up with.

    cheers
    Arron
    Apologies for unnoticed autocomplete errors.

  16. #15
    Join Date
    Dec 2010
    Location
    Mornington Peninsula
    Posts
    2,741

    Default

    The Vulystekeara Cindy 'Pinky Lea' is stunning.

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