Things are definitely deciding to bloom again.
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| Dendrobium Mini (White with Red Lip) |
Our
Dendrobium Mini has not one, not two but three separate flower spikes - pictured above is one of them. They're getting longer every day and the buds are starting to take shape now.
Even one of our two cymbidiums has had enough of sitting around doing nothing and is busy putting up two spikes. I have no idea what has triggered that, as I understand it usually takes cooler temperatures to trigger it, and it's been boiling hot around here, but I generally find that plants don't actually spend a lot of time reading books and sometimes resolutely resist such conventions! Given a few weeks, I suspect we'll see some flowers, but you never quite know when an orchid is going to be showing its blooms (at least, I never do!). I'd been starting to think that our little balcony just doesn't get enough light for these plants which have remained fairly unexciting grassy looking houseplants for quite some time now, but it seems - at least on that windowsill - there is just about enough! I wonder if it might be having a bit more water (Cymbidiums apparently quite like to be kept on the damp side), as it receives the run-off from a
Vanda that sits above it and is regularly sprayed.
Our
Stenoglottis Ganymede also has two spikes on it:
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Stenoglottis Ganymede
Flowers beginning to open. |
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| Stenoglottis Ganymede |
If last year is anything to go by, this flower spike will get at least three or four times this length and be covered in blooms.
Towards the end of last year, I received an
Aerangis citrata from Plantae which had two spikes on it; the flowers are now starting to open.
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| Aerangis citrataFirst flower to open. |
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| Aerangis citrata |
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Aerangis citrata
showing spur |
I really enjoy the angraecoid orchids, which have a delicate and graceful elegance to them (at least, I think they do!). I haven't detected a scent to
this one but I have yet to sniff it in the evenings, when this group is usually most strongly scented. The flower has a
very slight yellowish tint to it (hence the botanical name, I suspect)
which isn't coming through in these photos very well.
Nothing like the excitement of a new bloom!
ReplyDeleteThanks for stopping by Carolyn, yes indeed, it is very exciting :)
ReplyDeleteThanks for commenting on the new post, James. I agree that few things are as exciting as a plant coming into bloom, especially one you've never bloomed before. Really like that Stenoglottis. How large a plant is that?
ReplyDeleteThanks Ron, the plant itself is fairly compact (not compared to most of the plants you grow though, I guess!), but the flower spike can get quite tall. If I were to guesstimate, about 15-20cm wide, about 10cm tall; the spike can get to >20-30cm tall. It's a terrestrial.
DeleteThere are photos of the whole plant from last year over at OrchidBoard; http://www.orchidboard.com/community/miscellaneous-other-genera/44719-stenoglottis-saturn-electric-x-stenoglottis-woodii-blooms.html#post387420 gives you a good idea what the whole plant looks like.
Those spikes just kept getting longer and longer and more and more covered in flowers, but I got busy and photography took a back seat! They're great little plants and go through a dormancy in the winter.