Summer 2014

It was a beautiful summer here in North Carolina- not as hot as previous summers, and with very even rainfall. The orchids have shown nice growth, and I can confidently say, now that it has been two summers in the solarium, they absolutely love it here- and so do I! Life has kept me busy over the summer with an apprenticeship, and now that it is fall I am transitioning into a new position. For those extra stressful days/weeks I found myself seeking sanctuary in the solarium, and saw several first bloomers showcase their flowers.

Below is a recent addition included in my April 2014 post- this is Phalaenopsis amboinensis 'Fred and Mary' x self. I am in awe of the special color of this one. I'm calling it Phalaenopsis amboinensis 'Ginger' due to the burnt orange/yellow color of the markings. There is a lot of green/yellow on the tips of the petals and sepals, and the lip is exclusively orange and white. Fragrance is very nice on this plant.

Phalaenopsis corningiana. This is a first bloomer for me, purchased on my last trip to Orchidview. The fragrance is incredible! Large flower.

Pictured here with a sister species, Phalaenopsis sumatrana ['Many Flower' x 'Dark Brown']

 Phalaenopsis sumatrana ['Many Flower' x 'Dark Brown']

The other flower from this past bloom.

This is Phalaenopsis mariae, which smells exactly like tangerine! I purchased this plant in Asheville from a guest speaker, Tom of Stones River Orchids. I am so surprised at the diminutive size of this flower, and the small blooming size of this species.

Phalaenopsis violacea 'Sister' ['Red' x 'Harvey']

Phalaenopsis xgersenii from Carolina Orchids- at first was completely skeptical when this opened, but after a few days, the fragrance revealed itself to be a hybrid with Phal sumatrana, and the shape is obviously Phal violacea. A very small plant, which I've had since 2009, has never been vigorous, and has stayed roughly around the same size.

Phalaenopsis Fintje Kunriawati from Orchidview, made with magenta Phal violacea [N0154]

Phalaenopsis Dragon's Fire from BigLeaf Orchids- this is sibling to my other Dragon's Fire, however this one has an amazing sweet dessert-like, spicy fragrance. This was it's first bloom.

Second bloom of Phal Dragon's Fire pictured here with Phal amboinensis 'Ginger' to show the difference in color.

Phalaenopsis Germaine Vincent 'Redfearn' [speciosa 'C#1' x violacea var indigo], definitely a favorite!

Phalaenopsis Princess Kaiulani 'Chin Yo' pictured with Phal Germaine Vincent

Another shot in cooler lighting.

Phalaenopsis violacea var alba collection shot

Phalaenopsis violacea ['H.P.' x self] with Phal violacea ['Morningstar' x 'H.P.'] in the background.

Phalaenopsis violacea ['Ivory' x 'Summer Sea Mist']

Phalaenopsis Luedgiana from BigLeaf Orchids, fragrance is sweet, but almost medicinal.

Phalaenopsis Luedde-Violacea from Orchidview, made with magenta Phal violacea [N0154]

Phalaenopsis violacea 'Blue Love' [N0446]- this plant keeps improving with age. This is probably my favorite orchid!

 Phalaenopsis violacea 'Magical' [N0154]- another plant that continues to improve with age. This is a very special plant to me that I've had since December 2010. Katherine Norton of Orchidview reluctantly sold this to me, as they had less than 10 plants of this cross left some nine years after the cross was originally made.

 Shown here are seedlings from 3 flasks of a cross between the above two Phalaenopsis violacea that I made in 2012. I made the cross both ways, so each violacea held a seedpod. I'm hoping for dark purple and indigo flowers to continue my search for a dark indigo Phal violacea. I received a total of 8 flasks from the lab, so if you are interested in trading or purchasing a seedling, or compot, please do not hesitate to contact me!

April 2014

2014 Update

It has been entirely too long since my last post, life has been busy. I haven't had much free time to sit down and upload photos, but I am taking the time now to do so. I am four weeks away from graduating with my cosmetology license, and I couldn't be more thrilled to start my career as a stylist. It's definitely been a long time coming for me to find my path- I've explored a lot of creative fields, but I do feel now that I have found a career that I can express my creativity and passion for beauty. 

Regarding the solarium and the orchids, there was a definitely a resting period when it was a bit chilly, with not much activity. This winter was pretty cold here in NC, and it snowed about 3 times- which is unusual for Charlotte since we are "lucky" to see it once a year. However there was some activity, most my species from the Philippines. Here are a few blooming better than they have before:

Phal lueddemanniana from Krull-Smith

The same Phal lueddemanniana as pictured above, it had a total of 6 flowers this season- it's second time blooming.

Phal micholitzii with snow in the background

Phal schilleriana, with 6 flowers this season, it's second blooming.

Phal gibossa 'Brenda', gifted from a friend! It smells like hot-glue. Not from the Phillipines, but Laos. I received this plant when I went to Greensboro to play my clarinet in a recital at the end of January. You can listen to the performance through facebook, it is the fourth track, Silentium Amoris, here. The piece was composed by my dear friend Carlos M. Fuentes back in 2007 when we attended UNCG together, for the two of us and another friend for the vocal part.

Phal equestris 'Rangiku', also from a friend.

Since my last post I hadn't bought any new orchids (which has been very challenging for me), until the annual Western North Carolina Orchid Society show in Asheville this past March. Krull-Smith was present again, and they certainly did not disappoint! I purchased five plants, one of which I gifted to one of my instructors at school. I can't take credit for blooming these, they came in bud.

The red flower at the bottom of this photo, Phal cornu-cervi fma chattaladae is from Orchidview, and I've had it for a little over 3 years. It's pictured with Phal amboinensis from Krull-Smith that I purchased at the show this year, along with Phal Corona (amboinensis var flava x cornu-cervi fma chattaladae). So this is like a family photo :) The Phal Corona has very large flowers for the breeding, and smells like root beer!!!

This is Phal amboinensis  from Krull-Smith, and I purchased it due to the unique color, it's less red looking in real life, and more of a brownish color. The fragrance honestly reminds me of Watermelon Jolly Ranchers.

This is Phal (Corning-Ambo "Orchid Classic Blood Red' x Penang Girl 'Orange Circle'), influenced by 4 different species. It has a sweet soapy fragrance, is very fragrant, and it appears to be quite vigorous. 

Another photo of  Phal (Corning-Ambo "Orchid Classic Blood Red' x Penang Girl 'Orange Circle'), backlit to show the concentric markings.

Phal speciosa ('Classic Splash' x 'Burgundy Splash') smells delightful. I chose this one for the purplish color and large flowers, much larger than my Phal speciosa 'C#1' and Phal tetrapsis fma red. This is the last of the four orchids I purchased for myself.

The following are plants that have been in my collection for a while.

This is Phal mannii, reblooming for the first time since I purchased it at the WNCOS in 2012. This is from Carter and Holmes.

Phal Dragon's Fire (venosa x corningiana) from Big Leaf Orchids by way of Chienlung. This one smells similar to Phal Penang Girl (venosa x violacea), smoky and sweet.

A 45 profile showing it in the late afternoon sun.

A profile showing how flat it is.

Next month I will definitely update as there are many orchids that have buds which I am very excited to see bloom!

September 2013 *Orchidview Visit*

Orchidview

At the WNCOS show in March, Katherine and H.P. Norton, along with their wondeful daughter Carol attended as vendors for the event. While there they informed me that they would be closing the larger of their greenhouses, by not turning on the heat this winter. At first I was very disappointed, but then I rejoiced in the news that they would be able to enjoy more free time for their golden years. They have two smaller greenhouses closer to their home, so they will still be growing a few select plants. Naturally, I knew that I would need to make a trip down to the large greenhouse with all the Phalaenopsis (a large portion being Phalaenopsis violacea). So I worked hard to save up a good chunk of money for purchasing as much as I could. Here are a few of my purchases, and a few gifts as well ;)

A semi-alba Phalaenopsis violacea. This is 'Morning Star' x 'H.P.'- has a beautiful soft cinnamon fragrance. There was a yellow tag in the pot with the hand written description, "Delicate pink lip, white w/ green picotee. Flat, quite nice!"

Phal venosa 'Clair'

Fresher flowers of Phal venosa 'Clair'- I selected this plant due to the strong green color, and flava like markings. Katherine named this plant after her sister, Clair.

This was a plant that I brought to the Nortons to see if they any luck growing it. This is Phalaenopsis equestris 'Blue Wan Chio' SM/TOGA. I never had any luck getting this plant to bloom when I was growing under lights in a terrarium, but they got it to bloom several times. They gave this back to me since it probably wouldn't have moved with others to the smaller greenhouses.

This is Phalaenopsis Samera (bellina 'Orchidview' x violacea 'Blue Chip')- the parents of this cross were posted last year in an Orchidview post. I selected this seedling due to the strong color, form, and potential for future crosses.

Comparative photo with a sister from the same seedpod. Phalaenopsis Samera 'Mija'

This is a primary hybrid, Phalaenopsis Fintje Kunriawati (violacea 'Majesty' x pulchra 'Lorrie' HCC/AOS). This phal inherited nice fragrance from both parents. I would describe it like a crape myrtle bloom, if you've ever smelled that before. You'll notice the tag is red and has the letters 'NFS', not for sale, but due to the closing of the greenhouses they were willing to part with this plant. Ironically, this exact plant is in my earlier post from October of last year, when I first saw this primary, and found this flower captivating.

A comparative shot with Phalaenopsis violacea 'Sister' ('Red' x 'Harvey')

Fresh bloom of Phal Fintje Kunriawati

I'm actually not certain about the species that this plant it. It was labelled Phal Spica 'Florence', and was bunched with one such plant, and others that resembled this one. I selected this plant due to the floriferiousness and shape, as well as the unique orange-like markings. It has a musty fragrance. This could be Phalaenopsis reichenbachiana, or Phalaenopsis fasciata, two sister species that are often confused with one another. However, Phal fasciata is said to have a green apple like fragrance.

 Another Phalaenopsis violacea, this one a true alba. This is Phal violacea 'H.P.' x self. A parent of the first violacea listed in this post.

Side view. This one has very green tips.

Finally, these are fresh out of the flask seedlings of a cross the Norton's and I made in December of 2010. This is Phalaenopsis Princess Kaiulani (amboinensis 'Bryan' x violacea 'Blue Chip'). You can find the parents in an older thread. There was another flask of these, but the Nortons knowing that I did not have any previous experience deflasking, or raising seedlings from flask gave me the smaller of the two, to ensure a better chance of survival for the other flask :) I couldn't be happier to be growing a cross that we made together!

There were a few other plants that I got that were not in bloom, or blooming size:

Phalaenopsis corningiana ('Fernbrook' x 'Red Rebel')

Phalaenopsis corningiana 'MAJ' x corningiana

Phalaenopsis floresensis ('Tyler' x 'Carol')

Unfortunately, I did not take photos in the greenhouse, as time was precious and I wanted to spend as much as possible browsing through plants and enjoying the company of Katherine and Carol. We had a great time during our visit! It was very bittersweet, but I know that it won't be the end, and we'll see the Nortons again soon!