Bloom Event - Epidendrum Plastic Doll

If ever there was a prize for a flower looking (and feeling) like it was made of plastic its this one. Epidendrum Plastic Doll is a primary hybrid between Epidendrum pseudepidendrum and Epidendrum ilense. Epidendrum pseudepidendrum is extrememly dominant in its hybrids, even after a few generations, so it comes as no surprise that Plastic Doll looks extremely like E. pseudepidendrum. I'm not sure E. ilense gets a credit in there at all, other than maybe providing some hybrid vigour. I've never grown either of the species before so I don't know how vigorous either of them are. At any rate, that's enough preamble. Heres a gratuitous photo of the flower.

I had a really difficult time geting a photo of this flower that looks anything like real life. Partly because the flowers are so....well......shiny. There is a really gloss finish to the lip which makes it almost impossible to take a photo without getting all sorts of unwanted reflections, especially if, like me, you are not the worlds best photographer and trying to take a halfway decent photo with your phone camera. The flowers are an inch or two in length, so a decent size. No scent on this one. Flowers seem to be produced in ones or twos (or threes, if you're very lucky) from the tops of the new canes. When the first few flowers go over, it might produce a few more. And so on. Then a node will activate on the flower stem and a few more flowers might be produced. I haven't mastered the art of persuading it to bloom from old flower spikes yet, but I'm almost certain that once the plant is older it probably will (many Epidendrum do).

It's a beautiful and unusual flower, I'm sure you'll agree. However, there is only the one flower. The plant itself is tall, lanky and only has a handful of leaves so its rather untidy. Most likely, a better grown plant will look more impressive.

Spider mite magnet alert!

Yes. Sadly, red spider mite seem to be able to smell this orchid from a hundred miles away. This is probably the reason the plant never keeps leaves for very long. Don't get me wrong - the plant seems to grow fine. It has put out a new growth in the past couple of weeks. Each pseudobulb, or cane, or whatever we're calling them, is significantly taller than the previous one, so I must be doing something right. I know, I know; spider mite is a sign of a lack of humidity. Well I have been making an effort to provide more water with a spraygun, and spraying with a soap solution to drown any critters. I guess we'll have to see how the new growth does. In the meantime, its an untidy plant that has very pretty flowers so for me, its a keeper.

New Plants - from Quinta da Boa Vista, Madeira

They're actually from eBay. I was slightly dubious about the seller, purely because there aren't any pictures with the descriptions, other than what the flower looks like. I decided to give them a go after I received a recommendation from an acquaintance on facebook. I also sent an email asking exactly what I was going to get, and found them extremely helpful. I ordered the following plants:

Miltassia Royal Robe
Doritis pulcherrima var. coerulea
Miltonia regnellii
Miltonia clowesii
Miltonia castanea
Miltonia Goodale Moir 'Golden Wonder'
Miltonia 'Queen Ann'

They took what seemed an eternity to arrive, having taken two weeks to get out of Portugal. This was a blessing in disguise as while they were being held up in Portugal, the UK was experiencing a cold snap and there were a couple of very cold nights which would certainly have finished them off!

Quality was everything I'd hoped it would be, and I'm not easily impressed. They were sent bare root (this suits me well as I like to repot all new arrivals anyway), and all are flowering size plants, and all are just starting into new growth, making this an ideal time to repot and replace the growing medium with minimum disturbance to the plants. I have no idea what the growing medium they were growing in actually was, very fine grained stuff, possibly coir? I haven't a clue, but it obviously suited the plants in the environment they came from as the root systems were robust and had survived the journey remarkably well.

Anyone who grows Miltonia (I'm talking about the true Brazilian Miltonia here, not the Colombian Miltoniopsis which are erroneously called Miltonia by a lot of growers) will know that these plants with a very few exceptions have a tendency to climb out of their pots, and have a length of rhizome between their pseudobulbs. This is probably why they aren't more widely grown. They are unruly. I have managed to get all of the above plants into pots, though probably they'll have to be moved on after 12 months.

The front row of plants are new. Miltonia clowesii and regnelii are both species, Miltonia castanea is a natural hybrid. Queen ann and Golden Wonder are more complex Miltonia hybrids, while Miltassia Royal Robe is an intergeneric hybrid with Brassia. The photos show nicely the health of the plants. That slight yellow colour is perfectly right for Miltonia and simply shows that they have been grown in the correct light levels.

Doritis pulcherrima should now be called Phalaenopsis pulcherrima. There are a few colour forms out there, though I haven't seen many Doritis plants for sale at all. I have finally got hold of the coerulea form so when it blooms it should be a nice bluish purple colour. Again, I'm impressed with the plants, has enough good roots to get it established. I have put it in a clear pot with coarse bark chips so I can keep an eye on the roots.

I look forward to these blooming for me, but I will be more interested, short term, in seeing new roots emerging. I will give them a week to ten days to settle properly before I leave eBay feedback. You can't be too careful.

Bloom Event - Sinningia leucotricha

Apparently, this plant is also known as Brazilian Edelweiss. I think that might be more of a mouthful than its latin name. This species is, believe it or not, a distant relative of the Saintpaulia and Streptocarpus. It probably has some of the most striking foliage of any houseplant, being furry and silver, especially when the new growths are young. As flowering finishes and the leaves expand, the fur becomes more spread out and the leaves look greener.

It is a funny looking thing isn't it? The blooms themselves are quite short lived but are produced in succession from the crown of the plant, so flowering can last for a few weeks. These stems are produced from a large tuber which sits mostly above ground, making this species quite popular with growers of succulents (they term the tuber a 'caudex'. Each tuber may produce two or more stems per season, depending on its size. When flowering finishes the leaves persist for a few months before finally the whole stem dies back and the tuber enters dormancy. A second flush of stems can be encouraged to grow by cutting the existing stems away straight after blooming, but I tend not to force them.

Quite a quirky little plant. Once dormant, the plants really need no care at all but can be kept in a cool place until they are required to bloom. Moving them into a warmer spot and providing water seems to wake them up. Similarly, if they are kept warm with intermittent water they seem not to go dormant; instead the stems drop and new growth immediately comes from the base. They seem not to need a great deal of water even when they are growing. They are exceedingly easy going. The tubers gradually increase in size. The photo above is my largest one, but I have several smaller ones, also. They seem unmolested by pests. They also don't appear to bothered how much light they receive and don't go straggly even when blooming in January under natural light, as this plant is. Perhaps its more important once they have bloomed and the leaves fill out.

All in all, an unusual, easy to grow and quirky little plant.

Bloom Event - Brassia 'Big Spider'

I have to admit I've never been any good with Brassia - I've just never been able to work out what it is they want. Hence I've always failed with them. That was until I got hold of this bad boy; Brassia 'Big Spider'. That's not to say that all other Brassia don't still hate me, but we'll soon find out because while I was visiting an Orchid nursery at Christmas, three more Brassia accidentally fell into my basket. I'm told that the plant pictured below has a lot of Brassia verrucosa in it, so I'm hoping that the plants I bought will enjoy the same conditions as two of them are cultivars of Brassia verrucosa.  I got this particular plant in a job lot of exceedingly poor quality Brassia from Javado (yep, name and shame), and this is the only plant that survived whatever had been done to them before they reached me.

It's really hard to get a close up of the whole flower because the petals are just so darn long! The whole flower probably is over 6 inches from top to bottom and they are arranged so very neatly on an arching flower spike that they almost don't look real. The flowers carry a scent that isn't too strong (I often don't like the smell of Brassia, but I grow them anyway because they are just stunning), and is quite vanilla-y. At least it is at the moment. The scents on a lot of orchids have a tendency to change as the days progress. Last week's post on Coelogyne 'Rebecca Howe' is a case in point. Having sniffed a few more times over the weekend, it has lost that lovely chocolatey smell and now smells rather chemical.

Here's a photo of the whole flower spike....

As you can see, the flower spike grew upwards then arched over to display the flowers horizontally along the spike. I didn't give it any support or guidance, it did that all on its own. This hybrid has the rather pleasing habit of blooming twice from each pseudobulb. The first spike emerges while the new growth is still growing (the new pseudobulb hasn't appeared yet, and the new leaves are still unfolding); the second usually emerges once the new pseudobulb has matured and is about to start growing again. This hybrid does seem to rest for a few weeks before new growth starts so it's nice to see flowers at that time. It also acts as a marker to tell me its about to start growing again. Here's a photo of the entire plant....

As you can see, I have it planted in an aquatic pond pot in very coarse bark. It seems intent on climbing out of its pot no matter what. Some Brassia stay quite neat with nice clumping pseudobulbs so the plant can stay for some time in one container. Not so this one. I guess once it has done blooming I should really consider doing something with it. I have noticed that they don't keep live roots for very long, and I'm sure most of the roots in the pot are now dead (they would be 4 years old though, which is quite old for any orchid root).

This hybrid also seems rather prone to black spotting on the leaves. It doesn't matter whether I spray or don't spray, water more or water less, strong air movement or still air, the spots appear regardless. I've learned to live with them, but this plant will never be one I can show because its too 'shabby'.

I have to admit that I have checked on the International Orchid Register at the RHS, and I can't find any hybrid called 'Big Spider', though there are several other hybrids with 'Spider' in their grex name. That makes my plant techincally a noID, but I'll stick with the 'Big Spider' label as it seems rather fitting, somehow.

Bloom Event - Coelogyne Rebecca Howe

Well, here we are again. Another first blooming to report. I got this particular Coelogyne from Burnham Nurseries  last September, just because the tag said it was a Coelogyne speciosa hybrid I haven't got. Apparently, it is a primary hybrid between Coelogyne speciosa subsp. incarnata and Coelogyne rumphii. Coelogyne speciosa i'm familiar with as I have the species and a few of its hybrids and all are strong, robust growers. This hybrid seems no exception, and I am pleased to report that it has just opened a flower today.

The flower is large, sort of the same size as you'd expect from C. speciosa, but sort of daintier which I suppose it must have inherited from its C. rumphii parent. It is obviously going to be a sequential bloomer, just like both its parents. Unusually, it carries a pleasant fragrance which today reminds me of chocolate. Normally I'm not keen on the smell of these hybrids (courtesy of C. speciosa which I don't like the smell of either).  Here's another shot.

I only put a stake in to gently hold the flower up for the camera. Actually, the inforescence is fairly upright although the flower itself nods. I am very impressed with this hybrid. Maybe it just opened as a cure for January blues and I'll rave about some of the other hybrids when they bloom, but.......there's just something about this one. And finally a shot of the whole plant...

Its still only a baby. I think it would be fair to expect great things from this one. In other Coelogyne related news, the newest, Coelogyne Neroli Cannon is growing nicely, and putting out new roots from its new shoot. No flowers this time round, but that's only to be expected. I'm hopeful that the next new shoot will bloom, though.

Bloom Event - The Phalaenopsis season begins!

For some reason, this year (or rather late last year), the vast majority of my Phalaenopsis hybrids and species have decided to produce flower spikes at the same time. This doesn't seem to be an unusual occurrence and is most likely linked to a lowering of night temperatures during the autumn. Autumn in 2015 was unseasonably warm and the growroom was getting warmer than it had managed throughout the summer (if we can call it that). For this reason, I took to opening the growroom window to let out some of the excess heat. I assume that this resulted in slightly lower night time temperatures, which in turn has provided a bloom trigger to my Phalaenopsis (there is a full length article in the pipework for Phalaenopsis in which I'll go into quite a lot more detail about what I do to them). I also began feeding more regularly this year. I have a theory that plants that do not bloom so frequently tend to bloom more strongly, and this certainly seems to be the case this year.

Phalaenopsis 'Vivian'. Unusually for garden centre purchased plants, this came with a name tag. I must admit I've not done any in-depth research on the name to see whether its a real thing or not, but at least it had a name tag. Can't say that its my favourite, but it is a very reliable bloomer and spends more time in flower than out of it. The flower spikes keep making buds, and the stem keeps activating nodes so the bloom time is very long indeed.

Phalaenopsis 'bright peacock'. I really like this hybrid as, unusually for mass produced Phalaenopsis, it is very pleasantly scented. Unfortunately the flower count isn't very high and it doesn't spike as regularly as some other hybrids, but I have a soft spot for it nevertheless and I've had it for quite some time. I guess it has P. violacea and/or P. amboinensis somewhere in its heritage, hence the scent.

This one sadly doesn't have a name that I'm aware of. It was purchased from a large UK garden centre chain (not by me - I only visit them for dog food), and was then abandoned with me (along with some other nice orchids) by a friend who was unwell. Normally I'd not be too fussed on keeping it, but it is rather appealing. Flowerings in the past have been rather disappointing with only a few flowers on the spike, but this time there are quite a few more flowers, and the spike is branched. It is impressive when in bloom. The purple spotting is different on every bloom.

Phalaenopsis kuntrarti rarashati. I have posted about this one before, so I won't repeat myself too much. It has found favour with me because of its unusual colour and its lovely spicy scent. Here's a photo of the plant.

Vigorous isn't the word! You can see all the old flower spikes on it - a very reliable bloomer for me, often with two spikes at a time. Only one this time though.

There are a LOT more Phalaenopsis still to come, both hybrids and species. The plants mentioned here are the tip of the iceberg. I do think Phalaenopsis are much maligned in some of the snobbier orchid growing circles and that is a shame because they give great rewards for very little effort.

Bloom Event - Primulina 'Candy'

Say hi to Primulina 'Candy'. I don't think I'll ever get used to the name Primulina when I'm so used to saying Chirita. An unusual pink flower, we usually expect blues and purples from Primulina, see my post on Primulina 'Erika'. The plant is almost identical in appearance to 'Erika'. I like the vivid pink as it is much stronger in colour than I was expecting it to be. I believe it to be a colour sport of another variety with the more typical blue/purple colouring.

This is also my first foray into the idea of online photo editing. I'll post the original below. Not bad, eh?

I haven't quite mastered the controls yet, but I think it'll do just fine for me.

Perpetual bloomers - Epidendrum 'Ballerina' and Prosthechea 'Octopussy'

Good day to you, my lovely readers. I'm sure some of you will be disappointed that, despite this post's title, it doesn't actually concern a Victorian undergarment. But stay with me. I was looking in my growroom this morning and I thought to myself that I am going through what I call a 'dry period' meaning that there doesn't seem to be much in flower that I haven't already showed you in previous posts. How blind I am! There are, of course, those orchids that are so very obliging I forget that they are in bloom. It is, in fact, rare that they aren't in bloom, so I call them perpetual bloomers.

The first of these dubious beauties is Epidendrum 'Ballerina'. This is a beautiful crucifix orchid that comes from South America. It is, despite its curious appearance, a Cattleya relative. It has what we consider to be 'upside down' flowers. The correct term for this is non-resupinate. Most orchid flowers, if you look very closely, have actually had to twist through 180 degrees for the lip (labellum) to be at the bottom of the flower, and these are termed resupinate flowers. If the buds opened as they actually formed, the labellum would be at the top, resulting in what seems to us to be an upside down flower.

I also notice that for some reason these flowers only have four petals instead of the usual six. I have no explanation for this. The flowers have come out rather pink on this photo. I assure you that in real life they are pillar-box red. Extra buds are produced at the top of the flower spike for quite a long time, so flower spikes can get quite tall. However, these orchids will also re-bloom from the nodes on their flower spikes, so I usually cut the top off them and allow them to re-sprout from further down so they don't get too tall. This type of Epidendrum (termed reed-stemmed) can get quite tall, but the Ballerina series (other colours are available) are quite short and bushy, making nice houseplants. They are thin stemmed and lack the obvious pseudobulbs that the Cattleya family usually possess. New growth and aerial roots are produced both from the base and higher up the plant, resulting quite untidy sprawling masses of plant.

Warts and all, eh? Leaves on these tend to be long lived, so untidiness is rather inevitable. The plants are easy enough to grow. They enjoy bright light (as catered for by my growlights), but direct summer sun should be avoided. Flowers are produced from the tops of the canes as they mature, and plants with a few canes will be almost always in bloom. I have three plants, and this one is still blooming, the other two have had a brief rest (they are also smaller). The plants seem to appreciate plenty of water but should be allowed to dry slightly between waterings. They like an open potting mix, and perform best when allowed to grow on to a larger size. I still consider my plant(s) to be small, but they are good performers.

Now on to the second of my 'Perpetual Bloomers', Prosthechea cochleata 'Octopussy'. I am very attached to this plant. It is a consistent performer and seems very easy going, at least under my conditions. It bears non-resupinate flowers once again. The common name for Prosthechea cochleata is 'cockleshell orchid' and it is easy to see why. It is also easy to see why this cultivar has earned the name 'Octopussy'

What a beauty. I'm not sure whether 'Octopussy' is a specific clone of the species, or whether it's a hybrid. If it is a hybrid, I can't imagine what its with. This plant blooms from the top of a newly completed pseudobulb, either as it finishes its growth or after a rest period of an undefined amount of time. Flowers are produced sequentially at the top of the spike, with two or three flowers out at a time. Buds keep coming and the spike gradually lengthens, maybe reaching 30cm eventually. This particular plant has been in continuous bloom for (at time of writing) at least 19 months, and is still producing buds. Old flower spikes produce buds even after new growth has started, completed and produced spikes of their own.

Aside from the leaf tips, this is quite a compact, tidy plant. Again, it enjoys bright light and its leaves are naturally quite a pale green. Dark leaves I imagine would indicate not enough light. It also likes to dry a little between waterings, but doesn't seem too fussy on the whole. It is my intention to allow this plant to grow on to specimen size. It has started to produce multiple lead growths now, so we are well on the way.

I have another (un-named) cultivar of Prosthechea cochleata which is not such a good performer as this plant. Shorter flower spikes, fewer and smaller flowers. I still rather like it, as I assume it is closer to the wild species. Just goes to show how much variation there is even within a particular species.

A peek into my growroom

As I've been posting lots of pictures of pretty flowers since I started this blog, I thought it might be a good idea to give you all an idea of my growing conditions. I understand that these conditions might not be easy to replicate for the windowsill grower. I have always considered myself to be just another houseplant grower, but then I looked at the comparatively elaborate set-up I have for my plants, and realized that I might have been telling myself a little white lie. As it stands now, I can't see the point in attempting to grow a tropical plant if I can't at least approximate its natural conditions. How could I expect it to thrive? Naturally, the hybrids are a lot easier to care for than some (but not all) species, but even these have noticeably upped there game, as it were, since being placed in the growroom. If you are at all serious about growing orchids, I really would suggest that you try to make life as comfortable for them as you possibly can; they really do thank you for it. Also, know your limits. I only grow intermediate to warm growing orchids, as I know that I can't keep the cool growers happy, or if they are happy, they won't flower. I'm a sucker for a well grown Cymbidium or Oncidium, but I don't grow them as my conditions are too warm for them.

I won't go into the whole saga of lighting here, or the merits of fluorescent tubes over LED bulbs or vice versa as its likely to get overly complicated. For my plants I use 125 watt CFL tubes (Compact Fluorescent Light). They look like (and in fact are) simply a giant energy-saving light bulb, except brighter. Energy saving light bulbs from your local DIY shop won't be bright enough; I get my bulbs from a reputable hydroponics specialist. The bulb then fits into a mains powered light fitting with a reflector over the top of it to reflect light back down onto the plants, saving light being wasted. I don't do any complicated maths to work out the spacing (I've really no head for numbers), but I space the bulbs every 4 or 5 feet. I have attached a curtain pole to the ceiling above the benches to suspend the lights from, and the lighting unit (bulb plus reflector) hangs from this. I aim for the lights to be about 18 inches above the plants, although I'm not too strict about this. They run 14 hours a day, from a timer so I don't have to remember to turn them on and off every day.

You can see the setup (some of it) on the above photo. This side of the room houses the Phalaenopsis and the Paphiopedilums that don't need such bright light. In fact, they get the same light as the Vandas (yes, you read it right). The great advantage of growing under lights is that the plants will take far more light than they will if you grow them under natural light without burning (provided the plants don't touch the lights), resulting in faster growth, and more flowers. You might also notice that I have attached silver foil to the walls. This is, once again, to reflect light to where it is needed. Out of sight on this photo is a large high velocity fan which runs while the lights are on, providing strong air movement for the plants. I have directed the fan upwards so the moving air hits the ceiling and is then dispersed throughout the room rather than having the fan blowing directly onto the plants. A shot of the other side of the growroom shows the higher light plants....

Note the Vandas in bloom... I was given a higher power bulb which I have set higher up in there so that the taller plants can sit under it. I know the plants are getting sufficient light because there is no stretching of new growths, plants bloom well and many of them have taken on the correct colouring of their foliage.

The grow lights I have in there do produce a certain amount of heat. This might be seen as a disadvantage by some growers who want super efficient lights that kick out practically zero heat (specifically LED lighting), but I see the extra heat as an advantage as it means I don't have to heat the growroom at all (there is a radiator in there but it is turned off). The temperature at lunch time is usually hovering around 22C, and it might get a little higher later in the day. Bear in mind that at time of writing it is January and the temperature outside is around 5C. Pretty good, I'd say. I have spent quite a bit of time looking for more efficient bulbs, but if I did that, I'd have to heat the growroom, so where would the benefit be? Another advantage is that the heat is both gentle and timed so that the plants are naturally warmed during the day and are a cooler at night. During the summer, the ambient temperature is quite a bit higher, but even this isn't a problem as I can simply open the window to let extra heat escape.

Humidity and watering are kind of tied together for me. I try not to let the plants dry out altogether as this opens the door to all sorts of pests and diseases (specifically red spider mite which causes havoc on indoor plants). As can be seen above, my plants all stand in grow bag trays so they don't drip onto the floor too much. I use a 5l sprayer to water them, and I might fill that three times during the course of watering. Once every month or so, I include some orchid food (I'm using Orchid Focus at the moment) at the recommended strength. If I'm intending to give the plants a good thorough wetting, I might empty three 5l cans in there. Any water caught in the trays can stay there until it has either been drawn up into the pots or has evaporated. In between these times, I use one 5l can ever couple of days to help keep the humidity up. It was my intention to do this every day, but having watched to see how fast they dry down, this is too much. It might be that I'll have to up this during the summer when the temperature is naturally higher.

In future, I intend to fit a small extractor fan in there somewhere to pull fresh air through the growroom. This is in addition to the fan I mentioned earlier, which is just blowing the same air round. I do keep the growroom well ventilated by leaving the door open (it doesn't lead to outside) so the air can mix properly . I should point out that there are some disadvantages to making life so good for your orchids. Mostly, the humidity can cause problems, and I do get a LOT of water condensing on other windows in the house. Luckily, the growroom  is kind of separate from the rest of the house, so this is not too much of a problem for me, but is worth bearing in mind if you are considering a set-up of your own.

Having a growroom as opposed to a greenhouse is, in my mind, a distinct advantage. It is easier to control the temperature indoors, and is a lot cheaper to heat than a greenouse is, especially during winter. Of course, some growers prefer to grow cool growing orchids, and this works better for them. I have gradually modified my collection to suit the conditions I have. I keep banging on about how I'd like a greenhouse of my own, but it would only present a new set of challenges. Having lighting is definitely an advantage, especially during our short winter days. This is especially noticeable on the properly tropical species that come from areas that do not experience our variation in day length. For example, it is very problematic to keep Vandas happy during winter in our climate. They don't die during winter, but they do enter a state of semi-hibernation from which they take a long time to wake. This obviously affects their flowering capability. Under lights they can be kept growing year round, and therefore flower twice as often.

I hope you have enjoyed your virtual tour of my growroom. Maybe I've proved that it isn't so daunting as it seems and hopefully you will be inspired to try this method for yourself.

Bloom Event - Vanda 'Blue Magic',

Anyone who knows me fairly well will tell you that they're fed up of pictures of blue Vandas, because I post them on twitter/facebook/instagram all the time. I'm not trying to show off, it's just that they bloom really regularly for me. Have to say, the Vandas have been looking a bit sorry for themselves recently, party through lack of watering on my behalf. I grow them potted, and they do fairly well. It seems to depend on the hybrid. Some take to it, some don't. However, Vanda 'blue magic' seems a good performer, and will put up with a surprising amount of abuse. So here's a picture to prove it.

Another quality photo, as you can see. In case you were wondering, I had just sprayed all the plants in the growroom, hence the wet flowers. The usual advice is to not spray flowers or leaf axils, but that very much depends on your growing conditions. My growroom never gets cold, and I spray while there is still a few hours of light left. There is also a fan running, so most water has evaporated before the night.

Bloom Event - Primulina 'Erika'

I have been growing Primulina (under the old name Chirita) for a few years now. I have a liking for Gesneriads in general, but tend to steer clear of Streptocarpus and Saintpaulias as they are rather addictive and seem to multiply. Primulina seem to thrive on a windowsill for me in a way that Streps don't (they don't like it too warm), and they don't complain when its too dark in winter. In fact, as evidenced below, some of them like to flower at this time of year.

The flowers are pretty, though not dazzling. I have a few other colours of Primulina, mostly variations on a theme, but some do come in yellow or pink. Pastel shades. Here's a photo of the whole plant.

As you can see, it really resembles a narrow-leafed Saintpaulia, but is probably even easier to grow. I rather suspect that I'm not the best grower of them by far, but they don't seem to complain too much about my care. I grow them on a window sill in my living room. I guess they enjoy the cool nights behind the curtain in a way that no orchid ever would. I just have to be careful to keep them out of the sun in summer as they do burn quite easily. They can be put outside during summer, provided they are kept shaded and well watered (don't be tempted to let the rain do it for you!) but I've not done this so much recently as the vine weevils LOVE them to the point the plants have no roots whatsoever before damage is noticed (me being inattentive I guess). I shall attempt to feed them more this coming season. I may be tempted to do a full length post on them at some point because I'm rather fond of them to say the least.

New Plants - Trip to Burnham Nurseries

During my sojourn to Cornwall, I managed to stop off at Burnham nurseries and picked up a few new plants to add to my collection. I thought I'd share it on here as much as a record for myself as me thinking anyone would find it interesting. A large percentage of my plants come from there as I have always found them to be good quality and Sara (the owner) to be very knowledgeable and helpful. They aren't the cheapest, but I always think you get what you pay for. I have bought plants from shows in the past that look OK and are quite cheap but when you get them home you find they have root problems and it takes months if not years to nurse them back to health, assuming they recover at all. I think I've managed to remember them all below.

Brassia rex
Brassia verrucosa
Brassia verrocosa var. brachiata
Angraecum sesquipedale
Angraecum eburneum
Maxillaria tenuifolia 'yellow'
Cymbidium aloifolium
Dendrochilum latifolium
Dendrochilum abbreviatum
Oncidium ungiculatum
Coelia bella
Miltonia flavescens
Paphiopedilum gratrixianum hybrid
Paphiopedilum charlesworthii hybrid

Both the Paphs do have a full name on their tags, but I can't remember it off the top of my head. Most plants here are flowering size or approaching it, except for the two Angraecum species which I reckon need some (considerable) time yet, and Cymbidium aloifolium which is only a small plant.

Bloom Event - Dendrochilum glumaceum

I did actually edit this photo to close up on the flowers a bit more, but for some reason Google Photos has lost it. I can see it on my phone. Go figure. At any rate, this little guy has put in an appearance. I have four cultivars of Dendrochilum glumaceum which differ in the bracts that surround the new growth (there's a red one, a green one, a very baggy one, and a regular form). This particular one is the green bracted form, but the flowers are, at least to my untrained eye, identical in all four forms. This particular species stays nice and small and tidy, and I believe every collection should have at least one. It's worth it just for the scent, which is sweet and spicy. This species is often referred to as the 'hay orchid' but I can't really fathom why. It will quite often produce two flushes of new growth each year, in spring and in autumn, but I have only managed to persuade it to flower in the early spring. Flower spikes emerge from the centre of the new growth while it is young, and the new leaf continues to develop while the plant blooms. I grow it warm and it does fine, but I know a lot of people grow it cool with good results as well.

Here is a gratuitous shot of the whole plant.

Over time, plants can become quite large, producing many spikes of flowers at a time. I haven't had my plants long enough to grow to specimen size yet, though.