Laelia pumila

Laelia pumila 1721, a photo by salabat on Flickr.

Stanhopea jenischiana

Only one spike this year. Space hog and short-lived flowers, but still worth having, I think.

Cattleya luteola

Cattleya guttata buds

This plant is doing OK, but not great. The newest growths are not as big as the previous ones, and I saw no sign of a sheath in the biggest (or smallest) new growths. Then, surprise, I saw a cluster of buds emerging.

Non-orchid post: Plumeria

If you go to Hawaii you see Plumeria all over the place, in landscaping and in leis. Fabulous fragrance. After one of our trips, I looked into how to grow them. Turns out there are lots of color varieties and forms. Also, lots of people crazy about Plumeria. Like, orchids, roses, etc, almost every plant type has a cadre of near delirious devotees. We get frosts here, so potting them up is the best strategy. I bought two NOID cuttings on ebay for about five bucks each and have been growing them for about two years in a cactus/succulent potting mix. No flowers yet, but the plants are now growing fast. I think they would be bigger by now if I had moved them up to big pots earlier.

My second Neofinetia

High light

I have been trying to grow my Dendrobium speciosum in very high light, as this is supposed to improve blooming. Here you can see a leaf turning slightly yellow from intense light. In fact, two other leaves have small burns, one of which you can also see below. I have backed off on the light just a bit.

Cattleya violacea

Cattleya crispa

Mine did not bloom this year.

Neofinetia falcata

Look at those nectar spurs! I wonder what the pollinator is.

Cattleya Catch A Falling Star

C. Catch A Falling Star, a photo by Fender's Flora on Flickr.

Cattleya Peckhaviensis

Cattleya Peckhaviensis Plant 1, a photo by salabat on Flickr.

aclandiae x schilleriana

Neofinetia in the shadehouse

Neofinetia in the shadehouse, a photo by cieneguitan on Flickr.

Something to shoot for in the future. A nice specimen.

Neofinetia falcata buds

It's always fun to bloom a plant for the first time and even more fun to bloom a new type of plant for the first time. A couple of years ago I acquired some Neofinetias from Cal-Orchid. Two are about to bloom. Here is the first.

 

Rhyncholaelia glauca

Rhyncholaelia glauca, a photo by Mauro Rosim on Flickr.

Encyclia adenocaula

Encyclia adenocaula, a photo by cieneguitan on Flickr.