Dendrochilum glumaceum

I often find small things repay close attention; the natural world is full of miniature marvels, and orchids no less so. You can spend quite a long time looking at things through a 1:1 macro lens (a microscope even more so) - and adding a 2x teleconverter to your macro lens can get you some really interesting images. Once you get those images back and look at them full screen, the results can be quite amazing. The pictures below were taken at a 1:1 macro setting through a Canon 100mm macro lens at f16 1/60th second exposure with total flash lighting.

Dendrochilum orchids generally have long flower stems with many flowers growing off them in very close proximity, giving a "bottle brush" effect. Grown to specimen size, these plants look great with gracefully arched stems dotted all over the plant (mine has a long way to go...!). But take a closer look and you'll see more obviously "orchid-like" flowers hidden in there.

Dendrochilum glumaceum

Dendrochilum glumaceum

Dendrochilum glumaceum is quite strongly scented - I'm not quite sure how to describe it, but it's a sort of sweet, creamy smell - the sort of smell you sometimes get in "creme" hand soaps that I absolutely hate, but many will find very pleasant! Googling the scent of this species brings back a lot of hits for "hay scented" - I can't imagine hay smelling anything like this, because in my mind hay would be freshly cut grass, a smell I'm familiar with from mowing lawns. As far as I can tell, Dendrochilum seem to like being kept quite moist. If you're interested in learning more about this genus, make sure to check out dendrochilum.com!

Aerangis fastuosa

You may remember this plant from last year. It has again decided to bloom for us in September (it's still going strong now).

Aerangis fastuosa

Aerangis fastuosa
Note the long spur

Aerangis fastuosa

Again, it won "Best Miniature" on display at the EPOS September meeting plant table (we also took along the Jumellea comorensis you may remember from the previous post and our Dendrochilum glumaceum). It was pure white when we displayed it, but there seems to be a little damage to the blooms now (the slight brown discolouration at the back of the lip), presumably from being jumbled around during the ~260km round trip. The blooms aren't as profuse this year; I'm chalking this up to less humidity (because our humidifiers have all broken). Still a very charming plant, and one day I may get around to mounting it, which will let it show off its flowers to best effect! Again, it has a fairly heady jasmine smell, but not nearly as pronounced as last year (when it had more than twice as many flowers).

Jumellea comorensis

Here is our Jumellea comorensis, which has been in bloom (just the one flower) for over a month now. I really like Angraecoid orchids - and a lot of them come from countries in the area the project I work for studies (only we study the sea - not too many orchids there...!) and it seems like quite a cool idea to grow things that come from more or less where you live. I took this one to the last EPOS meeting in September; it looks like the transport (or maybe just time) has done some damage; it's going a bit brown at the back there; it was initially pure white.

I've actually been to the island of Grand Comoro (Ngazidja) (comorensis means "from the comoros" - this species is known from Grand Comoro) - way back in 2003 - for a grand total of about 5 hours, hopping off a ship, taking a taxi to a tiny village, deciding the weather was too rough to dive from the beach (massive boulders making an eerie low pitched crunching noise) and then back to the ship. The roads there are incredibly narrow, and we noticed that many cars were missing wing mirrors. Amazingly, the taxi we took still had one. By the time we got from the capital, Moroni, to the village (Itsandra), the wing mirror was gone...

Anyway, enough words, let's look at some flowers!

Jumellea comorensis - front

Jumellea comorensis - lateral

Jumellea comorensis

The long spur seems to have stayed caught up in the node where the flower originated (see the second picture above); if you do a google image search of this species, it seems to be quite a common trait.

Some new flowers

Thing have been quiet on this blog again lately, but not so much on the balcony (and certainly not in Life!) - plenty has been in bloom, several plants for the first time!

First up, Masdevallia Snowbird (M. tovarensis x M. meijiana), which has lovely, white, long lasting blooms that - at least in my plant - are scented with a lovely mix of a clovey-cinnamon spice together with a floral scent that reminds me of jasmine. You'll notice it within a few feet of the plant, and definitely if you put your nose anywhere near it! This one hasn't flowered for me before, but when it got around to it, it certainly put on a show!

Masdevallia Snowbird

Masdevallia Snowbird

It's grown a fair bit since I received it just over a year and a half ago (wow, time flies!).

Another first time bloomer is my small Dendrochilum wenzelii, which when well established can put on quite a show. This is one of the plants Senior Management noted - at last year's (2011) EPOS Show - would be allowed into the OOAB house if one happened to find its way home. It did, mysteriously. :)

Dendrochilum wenzelii

Dendrochilum wenzelii

Next we have our Dendrobium kingianum that went absolutely crazy with flowers this year - sadly, they don't last too long. There were a lot more flowers than last year - clearly the "it's kind to be cruel" rule of withholding winter water in (many) Dendobiums works well with this species. Sadly, my plan to take more photos of it once more flowers had opened never happened, but the profusion of buds gives a good indication of the show it put on for us!

Dendrobium kingianum

Dendrobium kingianum

NOID mini Phalaenopsis

You may remember this mini Phalaenopsis from last year - it's back in bloom again this year; I think I need to step up my fertiliser dosing for the phalaenopsis (I tend to cater for the more delicate plants more in my regular watering, so fertiliser is minimal). 

And now for some non-orchids (gasp!)

This is one of Senior Management's favourite plants and its blooms stay open for a very short time indeed, so I thought I'd try and take a picture that might make a nice desktop backgroud. If you'd like to see some awesome time lapse footage of similar plants opening, have a look over at Plantgasm's Timelapse section.

Although commonly known as Amaryllis, these are in fact a cultivar of Hippeastrum.

I'm not sure what this little semi-succulent plant is, but I just love the anthers.
It has a slightly odd, pungent garlicky smell when in bloom.

As always, don't forget you can click on any of the pictures if you'd like to see a larger version!

EPOS Annual Show 2012

The Eastern Province Orchid Society is having its Annual Show this weekend, 17-19th August 2012, at the Sherwood Garden Centre in Port Elizabeth. Entry to see the show costs just R10 a person; entering plants is free.

Here's a map for your convenience:

View Larger Map

Show opening times are:

Friday 17th : 13:00-17:00
Saturday 18th : 09:00-17:00
Sunday 19th: 09:00-16:00

Judging takes place from 09:00 to 13:00 on Friday; during this time, only the judging team and their assistants will be permitted into the exhibition.

As well as the various show entries, there will also be plants and orchid supplies for sale, a tea room and various talks and presentation. As one of South Africa's biggest orchid societies (in terms of member numbers) we can expect quite a lot of fantastic entries.

If you would like to enter the show, with a chance to have your plants judged and possibly awarded by the South African Orchid Council, please note that entries have to be delivered to the centre on Thursday 16th August from 09:00 to 18:00, and must be accompanied by a Exhibitor Entry Form. There is a NOID category, so don't be afraid of entering orchids whose exact identity is a mystery, and there is a category for novices too! Plants can be collected after 4PM on Sunday.

Sadly, my own orchid collection is not in a showy mood - being some distance inland, winter is longer and colder than at the coast, so it's a bit early for OOAB to score any great glory! (We had the same problem last year).

If you'd like a look at last year's show, or need some inspiration to get in your car and go, have a look at these posts. I imagine this year will be quite similar!

If you'd like some tips on entering plants into shows, here is what EPOS' August 2012 newsletter has to say:

 Even if you are a small grower with only a few plants, your blooming orchids will enhance the orchid show and add to your enjoyment of the hobby. Don't hesitate to enter them. Here's how to exhibit them at their best.

Make sure there are no insects or diseases lurking about. Spray your plants with a broad spectrum pesticide / fungicide well before the buds open. Carefully examine under the leaves and remove all signs of scale or other stationary pests.

Remove moss or weeds from the potting medium. Remember no other plants except orchids may be displayed and weeds are “other plants”.

For the Cattleya alliance and similar orchids, wet the pseudobulbs under a tap or spray with clean water and remove all dead bulb sheaths and other dead tissue.

Remove yellow or dead leaves or leaf tips. Also remove any flowers that are starting to go off or probably will not last through the show. Use a separate new, disposable razor blade for each plant or sterilise your cutters between plants.

If your plant shows salt residue from hard water, go over it with a solution of detergent and water with 10% household bleach. Thick leaved orchids like Phalaenopsis and Cattleyas can take some light washing with a washcloth. Rinse with plain water and dry immediately with a soft cloth. The cleaner and healthier your plant appears, the better impression it will make on the judges.

Staking is extremely important. Don't expect the show committee to do this for you. If you don't have a stake, make one from a piece of fence wire or a coat hanger. Long inflorescences, such as on Phalaenopsis, should not be staked in a rigid upright position, nor should they be allowed to flop down. They should be staked just below the first blossom, and the upper stem should be allowed to curve gracefully. Do this as soon as the first buds reach a noticeable size. Keep the buds facing the light until they open. On a plant with multiple flower stems, arrange them in an orderly way. They should radiate outward as naturally as possible, not all facing front.

Buds in the Cattleya alliance often need some help. There is much controversy over what is ethically permissible  to do, but minor manipulation seems to be acceptable  as long as all the “helps” are removed (and all evidence thereof) before the show. If the buds tend to crowd together, push them apart with spacers made from Styrofoam pieces or cotton wool.

Cotton wool, tissue paper or bubble wrap can be used to protect flowers on the way to the show.

Make sure the plant is identified and labelled accurately. Much embarrassment can be caused if your plant is named incorrectly and is thereby disqualified.  If you don't have the plant's name, it can  still be entered in the NOID (No identification) class. A beautiful unnamed orchid can still win you an award.

If you have at least part of the name, or only the parents, consult the Orchid Wiz programme or similar source for the correct name or ask someone with access thereto to assist you.

Make sure the plant label is stuck firmly down in the pot or attached to the pot so it is visible. 

Complete the entry list with your name and the names of your plants beforehand. All this will make life much easier for the setup people and the show committee, as well as those taking down the show. Make sure the setup people mark all your plants with your unique number before they are placed in the exhibitors area.

Keep a copy of your plant list and make a note of the identifier number allocated to you. This will make it so much easier when you collect your plants after the show. 

I'll be sure to take some pictures over the weekend - we plan to go on Sunday.  Hope to see you there!