Bloom Event - Paphiopedilum Sue Worth

Regular readers of this blog will realise that I have been a bit of a hypocrite where Paphiopedilum are concerned, always saying that I'm no lover of slipper orchids yet continuing to grow a fair number of them anyway. This has now changed, however, and most of my Paphiopedilum (and Phragmipedium) have now been safely re-homed like poor unloved stray cats. I am left with only three Paphiopedilum, one of which is the diminutive and well-behaved Paphiopedilum Sue Worth. 

Although I have been the custodian of this primary hybrid for some considerable time and have even bloomed it before, this is its Kev's Orchids blog debut. It is a hybrid between Paphiopedilum sukhakulii and Paphiopedilum charlesworthii and seems to have inherited some nice characteristics from both its parents. I have heard this hybrid described as 'good breeding stock but not one you'd grow on its own merit' but I think this is a rather unfair assessment. The plants are small and neat, flowers are large and on fairly short stems that are self-supporting, flowers are long lasting with attractive colour and markings and shape. They are temperature tolerant (which can't be said for at least one of its parents) and fairly forgiving of under and over watering. My only real criticism of it as a hybrid is that it is rather slow growing. This needn't be a problem in and of itself of course, provided the plant is also well -behaved and stays looking attractive while it is busy not flowering. Whilst bemoaning that it is a slow grower, it must be pointed out that it is by no means the slowest of Paphiopedilum; its just slower than most modern hybrids.

The main bone of contention from what I can see reading further afield (i.e. Google) is that this is just a weird combination of species and many hardcore Paphiopedilum growers (yes, they do exist) can be a bit vinegar-faced about such hybrids, and question why such crosses are made, as illustrated by the quote in the last paragraph. Whatever the initial reason for the cross, it seems a good way of getting the lovely spotting from P. sukhakulii in to modern complex hybrids and perhaps getting the lovely markings on the dorsal sepal into P. maudiae types.  All of this is quite interesting to me because I find P. maudiae types quite ugly with mis-shapen flowers, at least to my eye, whereas P. Sue Worth produces a very neat flower.

I suppose, if I was to be super critical about it, I'd probably say that I'd like the dorsal sepal to be a bit bigger, and the lip to be a bit smaller. Then again, it is these imperfections that give the flower its personality and without them it would be too generic and I might as well go to a garden centre and buy something with no name. I also like the fact that it doesn't seem to mind the warm temperatures in my growroom which quite a few Paphiopedilum, especially the plain, strap leafed types (one of which is a parent of P. Sue Worth) seem to dislike. Mostly it stops them flowering well, rather than causing damage, but a non-blooming plant is of little use to me, even if it does grow well. Breeding temperature tolerance into modern hybrids is also a good thing, so that might be another idea behind the breeding of this hybrid.

As you can see, that flower is a good size for a plant that small. It is growing in a 9 cm pot and this is the second time it has bloomed in that pot. A new growth has already started, and I'm hopeful of a second new growth, too. Now we know that the plant will stay small and produce good sized flowers, we will have to wait and see how well it clumps up and whether a decent sized multi growth plant is possible with this hybrid.

One thing I always forget to mention with Paphiopedilum is how fascinating it is to watch the flowers open. More than any other orchid I grow, the flowers remind me of an egg cracking open and I always love to see the petals in the process of unfurling. I think the blooms are more beautiful at that time than they are at any other.

As well as showing the flower in the process of unfurling, the above photo also nicely shows how attractive the foliage is, a characteristic it has inherited from P. sukhakulii (P. charlesworthii has quite plain strap like foliage). Out of bloom, it could possibly be mistaken for a P. maudiae type, but the foliage is somewhat narrower, stiffer, and rather less glossy. I'd go so far as to say that this hybrid is rather more forgiving than P. maudiae can be, though it does help to get a healthy plant to start with.

Overall, I rather like this plant. Whether it will be a long-term keeper, I can't say but I certainly don't object to it taking up a small amount of space on my bench so I'm not in a hurry to get rid of it just yet.

Bloom Event - Paphiopedilum no ID

With the exception of the ubiquitous Phalaenopsis, there are getting very few plants in my collection that have no name. This isn't as snobbish as it sounds; I just like to do research into my plants to make sure I get the best out of them. If I don't know what a plants background is, I might grow it too hot or too cold (less likely); it might need a dry rest, or extra water - there's no way to know for sure. At any rate, I only have two Paphiopedilum with no name. One is a multi-bloomer that doesn't bloom (too hot, I'm sure), and the other is a delightful complex hybrid that does very well indeed for me. It is so nice both in bloom and as foliage and growth that I'm sure it must have a name and I really should make some effort to find out.

From talking to some people who know more of Slipper orchids than me, it seems that it probably contains some P. tonsum somewhere in its background, and probably some P. maudiae too. As I keep on saying, I'm not a big fan of slipper orchids as a rule, but this is a real favourite of mine. It blooms very regularly, at least twice a year and this time there are not one but two flowers. Now normally I wouldn't bore you with two flowers off the same plant but this time I have to make an exception because the second flower has turned out a bit.....weird.

Notice the spotting is heavier than on the other flower but only on one side. Ditto with the purple cast on the right hand lateral petal. I knew there was something funny going on as soon as the bud emerged from the crown because one side was purple and one side was green. I should have taken a photo, really, but I kind of expected it not to open.  I'd love to know what has caused this,  but I suppose I never will. It will be interesting to see whether the new fans coming up from the one that produced this flower will show the same mutation or whether they will come up normal. If they come up like this, I'll divide the plant and grow it on separately as a curiosity.

One of the things I like about this plant, apart from the pretty flowers, is that the foliage is very nice and always stays clean. It doesn't drop leaves or get brown tips so it always looks in tip-top condition. I wish more orchids performed like this. It also seems very willing to clump up and produce more than one flower at a time as well as not having a specific season to bloom.

The only thing it is missing is that name.

Bloom Event - Paphiopedilum (macabre x grandmaster) x charlesworthii

I'm going to have to stop saying that I don't grow many Paphiopedilum as it's clearly a lie. Today I show you another one. I got this as a bit of a punt really because it was not in bloom when I got it but it is a cross of P. charlesworthii so it ought to be interesting, oughtn't it? Also, it wasn't expensive either (a tenner from Burnham Nurseries) and seemed a nice quality, blooming size plant. This was only at Christmas so I'm very pleased to see it bloom so soon. No sign of new growth yet, but I expect it'll get its act together once it's done blooming.

I absolutely love the spotting on the petals, and the markings on the dorsal sepal. Just goes to show sometimes a punt can pay off, doesn't it? A very nicely proportioned flower indeed. Here's a full frontal.

I'm not sure what my problem with Paphiopedilum is, really. They just don't excite me, you know? I have heard of a horticultural affliction that some gardeners of tropical plants suffer from (me included) called "Cactus Blindness" whereby you can appreciate a nice specimen but, fundamentally, they all look the bloody same. Perhaps I suffer from "Slipper Orchid Blindness". Now that's a rather specialist form of horticultural hypochondria. I have been mooting the idea recently that I should grow less Paphiopedilum than I do and instead focus more on Coelogyne and Dendrochilum that I like more. I can't say that I can't grow Paphiopedilum (at least not the hybrids I have) because they grow well for me. I can only hope that I'm not hurtling down the slippery slope that a lot of orchid growers do. I have noticed many times with orchid growers that the older they get, the more they like to grow the orchids with the tiniest possible flowers, finally ending up growing Pleurothallis and its allies. I mean, why bother growing a plant that bears flowers that are too small to see? I don't mean to disparage the people who grow Pleurothallids at all, of course, and I am aware that there are plenty of them that produce large and attractive flowers, but they are in the minority.

Anyway, went rather off topic there, didn't I? This particular plant is nicely proportioned as well as having a handsome flower with quite dark foliage with some purple speckling towards the outside of the centre of the crown. Some Paphiopedilum have handsome flowers and enormous floppy foliage, or teeny weeny fans of foliage and huge flowers (not a problem for some, but I think the plants look out of proportion). I have said all along with orchids that the are truly knockout flowers on quite scruffy looking plants and this is often true, but Paphiopedilum quite often have nice foliage so they look good even when they aren't blooming.

Having said I am considering growing less of these, I think this one is a keeper. There are a couple like that. I don't think there'll ever be none at all but I can tweak the collection to just keep the ones that I particularly like. I'm only trying to please myself, after all.

Bloom Event - Paphiopedilum King Arthur

I keep saying I'm not a big grower of Paphiopedilum, but I do have a fair few. This is one of my older ones and it blooms quite regularly. As a complex hybrid, it seems adaptable to conditions which wouldn't necessarily suit some of the species in its parentage. It is almost plain leafed but does have some faint markings with fairly glossy narrow foliage with delicate purple markings at the base and along the midrib on the back. I very much like the colour on this one, as it is nice and rich. I imagine, given the specific colour, that my plant is the cultivar 'Bourgogne' though I wouldn't swear to it as it didn't come to me as that.

One trait that I always notice with 'King Arthur' is how shiny the flowers are. The petals and pouch are really glossy, like they have been lacquered. Blooms take a good week from opening before they are properly unfurled and expanded to their full size and shape, and this is rather a large flower, but without the chunky artificialness you get with some of the more complex 'bulldog' Paphiopedilums. This hybrid looks to me to be much more simple than it really is.

This is a tough, easy to grow plant that seems to grow into a clump readily, and will produce multiple blooms with time. I have it planted in a deep rose pot filled with moss and bark chips.

It can be seen quite clearly on the above photo that this plant seems to like to climb. This is a habit I usually associate with certain Phragmipedium hybrids, but not usually with Paphiopedilums. The fan closest to the front has a noticeable length of 'stem' beneath it, and the new growth just emerging on the right is standing proud of the growing medium. At first I thought there might be a root problem and the plant was trying to get away from its growing medium, but when I turned the plant out of the pot, I discovered a very healthy and vigorous root system, so this can't be it. There are still a couple of unflowered growths sitting at the correct level, so I can't just pot it deeper or they'll rot off. The only option I can see is to divide the plant up and plant each division at the correct level. I don't really want to do this, though, as I wanted to grow it into a specimen plant. I suppose I could divide the plant up and re-plant all the divisions at the correct level in the same pot, but that goes against all my instincts as an orchid grower!

This just goes to show that each plant has its idiosyncrasies. This especially applies to Paphiopedilum as they can't be propagated by meristem like many other orchids can, so each plant is either seed grown (more likely) or an straight division of a larger plant. If all of the 'King arthur' in this batch has been seed grown, it follows that each plant will be slightly different, and this weird habit my plant has is something specific to it. I guess I'll just have to live with it and do what I think is right when it is time to repot. Here's a shot of the entire plant to finish.

Bloom Event - Paphiopedilum leeanum

As I keep saying, I'm not a big grower of slipper orchids. That is why I seem to post so many one here. There are plenty more in spike ! Anyway, say hello to Paphiopedilum leeanum. This is a primary hybrid between P. spicerianum and P. insigne. I don't know enough about either of these to comment on what they have passed to the hybrid. What I can say is that it seems an easy if slow grower, and seems to bloom at around this time of year (Time of writing: December 2015). There are actually two of these in flower. I have several plants; a hangover from the days when I used to sell a few plants. All seem healthy and are growing nicely. It is always an emotional rollercoaster watching new plants settling into my conditions. These seemed healthy on receipt though, and I haven't lost any. There was an attack of red spider mite during the summer but they seem to have shook it off very well although the leaf damage never heals. They grow in my warm growroom (I have read that plain leafed Paphs such as these need cooler conditions, but they don't seem to care).