Bloom Event - Ascovandoritis Thai Cherry

I am very taken with this plant. I'm not sure if the name is still correct as I know a lot of Ascocentrum species have now been included in Vanda. It is surprisingly difficult to find out. At any rate, this is a very beautiful little hybrid with lovely flower shape and colour. They might be a little small, but they are produced in quite a quantity and have excellent spacing on the spike.

I got the plant a couple of years ago, already flowering size, from a  nursery in Germany. They were superb quality and I have sold the other plants, but I had to keep one for myself because I love random hybrids like this. It has been growing steadily ever since, both root and leaf. It has had what I took to be the beginnings of a spike from between some lower leaves for absolutely ages, but the spike blooming now has come from nearer the top (what I would call a more normal place for a spike to appear). I wonder whether the bud lower down might eventually become a new crown of leaves. I can but hope.

Isn't that just the most lovely flower? The colour is much more vibrant than the photo shows, its really eye catching. It seems very like both its ascocentrum/Vanda and Doritis pulcherrima (now properly Phalaenopsis pulcherimma) in both flower shape and colouring. No scent that I can detect, but I wouldn't expect one from a hybrid like this. I have no idea whether the flowers at the bottom of the spike will still be in good condition by the time the flowers at the top open; I hope so. The spike is long and there are a lot of flowers to come.

I said the flowers were small, but I don't think they are out of proportion with the size of the plant overall. It is a slight pity that the leaves don't stay very 'clean' but this isn't uncommon; some orchids do have a proclivity towards this. It's not too bad, but not perfect either.

Still, I'm very pleased indeed with this one, definitely a keeper. For anyone who bought this off me on eBay, now you know what it looks like!

Bloom Event - Phalaenopsis 'Sweet Kizz'

I still haven't made up my mind whether I like this flower or not. I got it at Christmas from the sale bench at Burnham Nurseries. It had some marks on the flowers but other than that there was nothing wrong with it, so I bought it out of interest more than anything. At any rate, it flowered for months but when it finally stopped I cut the flower spike back to a node and it has now produced two branches, both with several flowers.

Notice that the lip is modified to almost resemble the lateral petals. It resembles a form of pleorism (in 'normal' peloric flowers the lateral petals are modified to resemble the lip), but kind of the opposite. I have no idea whether this is an effect that has been bred in to the plants to create a fuller flower or if it is simply a sport of one flower that has been artificially propagated by meristem. There appear to be a few of these on the market; I've seen a few grossly overpriced plants in garden centres and the like. There is actually no reason for them to be any more expensive, they are just as easily propagated as any other fancy Phalaenopsis. I can't find a great deal of information out there on these types, but I imagine they will become increasingly common.

I asked at the nursery whether the mutation was stable and was told it is. Sometimes on peloric plants, the modified flowers can revert back to their original form and the pelorism seems to be a result of cultural practises. I once bought a so-called peloric Phalaenopsis that had cupped flowers that looked almost tulip-like. The flowers lasted for months on end an the plant then produced a second flower spike of completely normal flowers. The plant looked very odd with one spike of peloric flowers and one spike of normal ones. I don't know what happened to that plant; it was quite a few years ago now.

It is a pity with this one that the flowers aren't quite perfect. The petals are a bit raggedy round the edges and the lip isn't quite symmetrical. Also, to my eye at least, the colour is a bit dirty. I know, I know, I'm being very critical. If I find a better one at a price I'm willing to pay, I'll probably invest in another one.

On a more positive note, it seems almost perpetually blooming, its quite pretty (from a distance) and its slightly unusual. It also seems a vigorous grower with a nice upright habit (quite often Phalaenopsis have a tendency to lean to the side and eventually climb out of the pot).

You can't really tell from this photo but this plant has at least ten leaves which is a substantial amount for a Phalaenopsis. Also, the roots tend to stay inside the pot so the plant stays tidy. All in all it appears a good plant. My criticisms of it are minor, really.

UPDATE - According to the oracle that is Google, these types are the result of a Taiwanese breeding program and are called 'Big Foot' Phalaenopsis. It seems it is still early days and my plant looks like a pretty poor example compared to some of the photos I saw. I look forward to seeing more of them in the next few years.

Bloom Event - Dendrobium anosmum

Wow. Just WOW! What a beautiful flower. This is only a baby plant and it will get a LOT bigger in the future, but my word what a lovely flower. They are rather larger than I expected but that might only be because they are on such a small plant. I got this species in a Dendrobium trade and to this day I believe I got the better end of the bargain. Hopefully the chap I traded with will read this and know how pleased I am with this plant (and the other two he sent me, but they aren't flowering yet).

I don't usually go for what I call wishy-washy pastel colours, but the dark splodges on the lip really  make the flowers stand out. The delicately fimbriated edge to the lip is lovely and the closer I look the more lovely it is. The plant unexpectedly produced two flower spikes from its newest cane (it has three) with two buds on each so there are flour flowers in total.

'Anosmum' means 'without scent'. I can't fathom why it got called that. When I walked into the growroom this morning I knew something new had opened, and I knew it wasn't the scent of Dendrochilum glumaceum (post on that coming soon). For four flowers to have filled the growroom with scent is quite something. Descriptions of the scent include 'raspberry sherbert' which isn't far off the truth. Actually to my nose the scent is exactly the same as you get on some hybrids of Dendrobium nobile (which I no longer grow) but is a lot stronger so you can tell what it is. A bigger plant in full bloom must be quite overpowering up close and I really look forward to smelling it.

There is a new growth emerging, too, so I know the plant is all set to grow away nicely. It will need a dry winter rest for it to bloom well so I'll have to remember to give it that, though I don't believe I need to chill it so that means it can stay in the growroom. As it grows the canes will get quite long so it will probably have to be hung (makes it easier to give it that dry rest). So far, it seems very undemanding. I also have two young plants of the white form of this species (var. dearei) which are also growing away nicely but which don't seem inclined to bloom just yet.

Comparing Eulophia - Species Or Hybrid ?

There is a condition in the orchid growing world that I call 'Species Snobbery' whereby a grower will look down his (or her) nose at any orchid that isn't a botanical species. I am glad to say I don't suffer from this condition. Quite often hybrids display the best attributes of their parents and are often far more forgiving of mistakes in culture than species can be. Of course there are numerous instances of a hybrid inheriting all the worst characteristics of its parents, too. Then there are the genera which for some reason the hybridists haven't been playing with yet. Into this category, at least to my mind, falls the genus Eulophia. As some of the sharper eyed of my readers might recall reading, I have in my possession a (an?) Eulophia hybrid. On its own, it has a lot going for it. There are 17 flowers on its flower spike, nicely spaced out on quite a tall stem.

Rather pretty, isn't it ? I still like the way the petals rise up above the lip like a little crown. The flower bears a resemblance in its form and colouring to Eulophia guineensis; one of its parents. In fact, the plant is a full three quarters Eulophia guineensis and carries lots of characteristics of its guineensis parent. Unfortunately, one of these traits is the unwillingness of it to bloom consistently. Eulophia guineensis is renowned for being bloom shy, and the hybrid is no exception to that.  Having said that, when it does bloom, the flower count and spike length is way higher than E. guineensis. The other species in the mix here is Eulophia euglossa which produces tall spikes with lots of flowers on. Sadly the flower is (at least to some people's eye) rather dowdier than E. guineensis, and this is another trait it has passed on to the hybrid, shrinking the lip size, washing out the pink colour and giving more brown to the upward pointing tepals. Luckily for our discussion, I do have Eulophia guineensis in bloom at the same time as the hybrid so I can compare them.

I will say right now that this looks to me to be a particularly good form of the species (line breeding I guess). You can see that the lip is much broader and more boldly coloured, and also that the upward pointing tepals are much pinker than the hybrid. Eulophia guineensis has produced two flower spikes from one growth (actually I have two plants; one has produced two spikes from one growth, the other has produced three growths and one spike...go figure). The flower count is lower with seven flowers on one spike and three on the other. Still a good show, though.  If we look at the flowers side by side, we can see the difference in flower size.

I should point out that the hybrid (on the left) is slightly closer to the camera, so looks slightly bigger than it actually is in relation to Eulophia guineensis on the right. I think you'll agree that the hybrid just has more washed out tones all round.

In terms of the plant itself (its a mistake to only look at flowers when making hybrids after all), they are actually quite similar. The hybrid has inherited taller pseudobulbs from E. euglossa, but they are not at all unweildy. The plant is slightly bigger than E. guineensis but isn't vastly bigger. Flowers are produced in the same way; as new growth emerges the flower spikes overtake them and bloom as the leaves are unfurling but before the new pseudobulbs have formed. As I mentioned before, Eulophia guineensis is known for being an unreliable bloomer.

Both of my plants have bloomed this year and I think I know what triggered it; though it might prove more luck than judgement. Once the leaves go yellow in the autumn, water is withheld completely. I don't give any water at all until new growth starts. Having said that, watering during the rest period doesn't seem to do any harm but it doesn't seem to get the plants going any earlier either. I don't keep them significantly cooler, just dry. I imagine they need to feel threatened before they decide to bloom. After all, if the plant is too comfortable it has no reason to bloom. Where the hybrid is concerned, Eulophia euglossa is a cooler grower, so I might have kept it too warm. Having said that, last year I put the plant in my (cooler) living room to bloom, only to watch the buds form and drop off one by one. I have several plants (not for much longer), and only one has bloomed.

Another thing with Eulophia guineensis and its hybrid is that they can take up quite a lot of room as they age. Each pseudobulb is quite fat and the plant will increase in width by at least a pot size every year. When repotting, there is a temptation to remove backbulbs and pot them separately to make new plants. This works fine and new plants invariably grow away fine, but I think it prevents the mother plant from blooming and this might be where their reputation for resenting disturbance comes from. I haven't found them to resent disturbance at all....repotted plants grow away just fine but tend not to bloom the following year. Potting on seems fine. Keeping the plants dry during winter does have the advantage of making the potting medium last longer than it otherwise would, but at some point flowers have to be sacrificed in order to replace the potting medium that is breaking down.

In summary, and tying back into the opening paragraph (which feels so long ago I'm almost tempted to post a link to it), I have to say I greatly prefer the species to the hybrid on this occasion. This hybrid has fallen into the classic trap of not being any better than its parents, having inherited only some of the good traits and quite a lot of the not so good ones. Of course, it is a very lovely plant in its own right and you can only be so scathing toward it when growing it next to at least one of its parents. Just to finish, look at the lovely nectar spur on the back of Eulophia guineensis; much shortened on the hybrid.

Bloom Event - Vanda Princess Mikasa Pink and Purple.

I can but live in hope that I am keeping up with the nomenclature of these plants. God forbid I should get it wrong! As I understand it, all of Ascocentrum has now been subsumed into Vanda (again), so these two hybrids that I have always known as Ascocenda are now correctly labelled as Vanda. Whether I agree that they should be in the same genus or not is not relevant here (I do!), but I do find the name changes stupendously tedious. Especially since the names will probably change again during the next round of name changes. As a rule, I tend not to change labels at all if I can help it. If I decide to sell a plant (it is not unheard of), I'll write a currently correct label then.

At any rate, here I present not one but two lovely Vanda hybrids. First off, we have Vanda Princess Mikasa 'purple'.

Unfortuately, the flowers seem to have opened at all angles on this one. This is, in fact, my only complaint about this hybrid. Its flowers are rather crowded on the spike, so they rarely open at the right angle. The colour in real life is much more purple than this photo which makes them look rather blue (which is ironic, since the photos of the proper blue Vanda I have always come out looking purple).

The plant is strong and healthy. I grow my Vanda in pots, as it is not practical for me to have them bare root as most growers do. There is a trend now for growing Vanda in glass vases (which I started myself several years ago) which works fine if you don't have too many plants. For me, it is much easier nowadays to grow Vanda in deep rose pots with coarse bark. Some take to this method of culture (such as this one), some hybrids don't. I have started an experinent with some other Vanda which needed something doing with them anyway using large pond pots filled with coarse bark, the idea being that the air can move around the roots more freely than it can in a pot. We will see how the plants do.

Here we have Vanda Princess Mikasa 'Pink'.

In real life, this is real bright smack-you-in-the-face bright pink, the phto has come out rather dull. This is another easy grower, just like the purple discussed earlier.

The pink variety has smaller flowers than the purple but they do tend to be better spaced on the spike. I All varieties (I have a blue and a white, too) seem to flower several times a year, giving a better turnaround than most of my Phalaenopsis. Even now that I've sold most of my Vanda, there always seems to be at least one in flower. The white one is in spike as I type this. Again.

Vanda do have something of a fearsome reputation for being 'difficult', and this is not entirely unfounded. This is mostly because they dislike the cold and dark winters we have (and summers, some years) this far north. Where they come from, there aren't such defined seasons as ours. In winter under natural light, Vanda deal with this by entering a semi-dormant phase where they stop growing and the root tips cover over with velamen until conditions improve. It can take several weeks of these improved conditions to wake the plants up again, by which time quite a lot of valuable growing season has passed. Not only this, the plants will not tolerate being too wet during this period, which causes problems if plants are grown potted. Most plants are sold bare-root and are hung up to allow air to the roots. In a nice humid warm greenhouse, this is fine, but the plants cannot survive like that in a heated living room as the humidity and light levels will be too low. The solution to this is to place the plant in the neck of a glass vase so the roots dangle down inside where some extra humidity is trapped. The green portion of the plant should remain in the open air, as the leaves are not so humidity dependant as the roots, and extra water round the leaf axils can result in rot. Growing them in vases has its drawbacks too, of course. Vases full of water during watering time are heavy and cumbersome. The filling and emptying of vases can result in the delicate root tips in the vase getting damaged which results in them stopping growth. Anyone with several Vanda will tell you that they take up a lot of space when grown in vases. However, good results can be achieved this way if one is careful.

For me, in pots under lights works well, so that is the method I shall stick to. I will post again regarding my pond pot experiment, either in jubilation or floods of tears, depending on the outcome.

Bloom Event - Phalaenopsis Liodora

"Whats's this?" I hear you say...... "Another Phalaenopsis?" Well, yes. Of all the Phalaenopsis hybrids I grow at the moment, this is one of my favourites. Liodora is a hybrid between Phalaenopsis deverenteriana (amabilis x amboinensis) and Phalaenopsis violacea. Not too complex a hybrid, then. The plant (and the flower) most strongly resembles its violacea parent with broad almost lime green leaves, a distinctly leaning habit and waxy, long lasting, fragrant flowers that are produced in succession over a period of several months or years. I guess the deverenteriana hybrid has increased the spike length to some extent. Here's a photo of the flower without further ado.....

I will say straight away that it is almost impossible to get a decent photo of this flower that does it justice in any way, but you get the general idea. I really wish I could include the scent in this photo because its just lovely and it fills the room, especially with more than one flower open. It is hybrids like this that make me want to grow more of the species. I'd love a nice clone of Phalaenopsis violacea (or bellina, i'm not fussy), but they seem expensive. One day.....

There is another Phalaenopsis hybrid called "sweet memory" that I have grown in the past that is very similar indeed to this one, and for very good reason. It's the same. I was told by one lady that this plant should be labelled as Phalaenopsis sweet memory 'liodora', but I can't find any evidence for this. In fact I looked on the RHS international orchid register to find out what it was supposed to be. There is a listing for Phalaenopsis liodora and there is a listing for Phalaenopsis sweet memory. Same parents. Same date. Same registered hybridizer. Go figure. I guess that means both names are correct so I'll just go with the name it came with.

Quite a good blooming this time. It grew a new flower spike at around the same time as all the other Phalaenopsis did, and it has produced more buds (at least all in one go) than I was expecting, so I'm quite pleased. It now has four flower spikes on it. This is one of those hybrids that shouldn't have its spent flower spikes removed until they are brown. All four spikes are green, and one of them is now producing buds. I hadn't thought to check whether it is the second youngest that is now budding, but I'm grateful for any flowers I get.

As you can see from the full shot, this hybrid does have its drawbacks. The leaves are large and rather ungainly, the flowers aren't as large as in the more complex hybrids, and there aren't many of them on the spike (at least not all in one go). Probably not to everybody's taste, although it definitely is to mine. There's something quite botanical looking about it. This hybrid does turn up periodically in garden centres (outrageously priced, usually). I've no doubt it appears on the reduced benches very quickly and doesn't get ordered again. I've had my plant for quite a while now, and am very pleased with it indeed.

Bloom Event - Phalaenopsis Sogo Yenlin 'Coffee'

Here we go again, yet another Phalaenopsis. You know how it is, you wait ages for a bus, then three come along at once. I warn you now, we're not done with the Phalaenopsis yet though I think, perhaps, we might give them a rest for this week, after this one.

Here we have a bit of an oddity in the world of orchids. A variegated one. I have to come clean right away and say that as a rule I dislike variegated plants with a passion, except for those that are naturally variegated. Phalaenopsis Sogo Yenlin 'Coffee' is not to offensive on the eye, though as the variegation is not too pronounced.

This is a miniature hybrid, of the type that I don't usually grow. I had four plants initially, but I have sold the other three. I kept one, though. Sogo Orchids is quite famous for orchid breeding in Taiwan, and I believe they supply quite a lot of the continental orchid nursieries with their starter plants. They now have a nursery in Denmark which supplies Europe with miniature Phalaenopsis, under the brand 'Little Lady'. Whether this is where my plant came from, I cannot say, as I bought it from a German nursery, though this is not one of the 'Little Lady' hybrids.

As you can see, the variegation is fairly subtle with just a pale cream border to the leaves. Possibly where plants are grown under less light, the green part of the leaf might be darker and provide greater contrast to the variegation. The flowers are not particularly special, though a nice colour, and nicely in proportion to the size of the plant. Being a miniature they are not easy to get a close up photo of.

I should point out that I have no idea what the breeding of these is. There are some truly wonderful miniature Phalaenopsis out there that have just been bred from small species, and I'll be posting photos of one or two of these at a later date as they produce blooms.

Bloom Event - Phalaenopsis 'Nemo'

This is another of those British grown plants I got a few years ago. I'm glad I kept one of them, although I'm not usually a fan of the stripy ones. It is rather unusual as it has a bold purple veining over a yellow background, and the plants are what I consider to be a very pleasing shape and size. Add to that that they are nicely arranged on the spike and you have a winner. Branched spikes, too.

I seem to have taken quite a nice photo there without realising it! The plant itself is growing to quite a size now and, against my better judgement, I'm going to have to repot or pot on once its done blooming, as not only is it climbing out of its pot, the growing medium is breaking down. Not that the plant is showing signs of distress at all, but it is better to act before it starts to decline. I shall repot back into coarse bark rather than medium to allow more airflow around the root zone as it will have to go into a larger pot. Here's a gratuitous close-up of the flower.

Such very delicate markings. I always think it is such a shame that Phalaenopsis come mostly without names. It seems somehow to detract from their mystique. I have to be honest and say that I have no idea whether the names on the few complex hybrids I have are actually registered with the RHS. As the plants are not bred in the UK, I would be surprised if they were. There seem to be relatively few named Phalaenopsis out there. I suppose one could argue that the more bred they are the less relevant naming becomes. Certainly with primary hybrids (species x species) and the less complicated hybrids, the name is important because it allows research into the growing requirements of the parents and therefore gives some pointers on how the hybrid should be grown. Having had a quick look on the RHS Orchid Register (Yes, such a thing exists), two hybrids come up when searching for Phalaenopsis Nemo; Hawaii Nemo and Younghome Nemo. Neither of those look anything like my plant, and one of them was registered long after I got hold of my plant. Not very helpful, then. Luckily, these complex hybrids are all grown pretty much the same and are almost indestructible provided their conditions are right.

As you can see from the shot of the whole plant, the roots are really starting to wander. This is quite normal, and provided there are roots inside the pot too, is a sign of a healthy plant. Also note that the leaves are quite a pale green. This is partly due to the breeding of the plant (some are paler than others by nature), but also partly due the plant being grown under comparitively high light. As I can grow under lights, I can get away with providing the plants with much higher levels of light than they would usually be able to withstand. If I were to provide sunlight of this brightness, the plants would have burned. However, as the plants do not burn under lights, the extra brightness has contributed to the spike length as well as flower count and colour.

You will notice that a couple of leaves at the base of the plant have started to yellow. In most hybrid Phalaenopsis, the flowering season seems to coincide with the plant entering a semi-rest period. The plants stop growing leaves and root growth slows right down while the plant concentrates on building its flower spike. Phalaenopsis do not have pseudobulbs, unlike many orchids, and the energy to build flower spikes has to come from somewhere. The thickened leaves act as a storage facility for both water and nutrient, and as this gets depleted from lower leaves, they yellow and eventually drop. After blooming, the plant will produce new leaves to replace those that drop at this time. I like to call it a 'mini autumn' In orchids with pseudobulbs, the same process takes place, except that the usage of extra nutrient and water is shown by a wrinkling of pseudobulbs, especially the older ones. Re-potting after blooming will encourage the plant to make new roots and foliage at a faster rate than it would have done otherwise.

Bloom Event - Phalaenopsis wiganiae

Phalaenopsis wiganiae is a primary hybrid between Phalaenopsis schillerana and Phalaenopsis stuartiana. I've not seen it since I got it. It came from the same place as Phalaenopsis kuntrarti rarashati. I repotted it into coarse bark after it was done blooming, and then regretted it for well over a year because it really sulked. That's the difference between the less complex hybrids and the big blousy mutants we usually see around. They are just a little bit more sensitive. However, once it had finished making me feel guilty for having the audacity to disturb it, it put on good root and leaf growth (it never carries many leaves at a time, only usually two or three), and has now rewarded me with a flower spike worth looking at. So, without further ado, I should probably show you what all the fuss is about...

I can see both the parents in the flower. They are numerously produced but aren't very big, actually. No scent. I can't call it spectacular, but it does look a bit more 'botanical' which to my mind makes it more interesting. I love the spotting on he lip and the lower sepals which comes from the Phalaenopsis stuartiana side of the family (also in spike, you'll see in the next few weeks). I haven't tracked down a Phalaenopsis schillerana at a price I'm willing to pay as yet, sadly, but it's on my list. The pink colour comes from schillerana, though it is quite washed out in this hybrid.

One of the things I particularly like about this hybrid is its foliage, which comes from both parents, the silver markings make the plant very attractive even when its not in flower. I'm not certain what the purpose of the markings are, but possibly they aid in the collection of light in its parents natural habitat. Possibly they aid in its camouflage in dappled sunlight so predators can't see it so easily.  At any rate, its lovely.

The roots are slightly flattened and more silvery than they are in the complex hybrids, and seem even more apt to wander; everywhere except in the pot. This is obviously a throwback to the parents natural habits, and makes perfect sense. Many times I have been asked if a Phalaenopsis needs to be repotted because its roots are growing outside the pot, and I always explain that this is what they do. People say they look untidy, but I have never thought that. To me they are one of the things that set orchids apart from other 'houseplants' (a term I have never liked); flowers are almost an added bonus.

Flower spikes are branching. I think this one still has some growing to do. This is realistically its first proper blooming under my care. I will be very interested to see how it performs in the future.

This plant lives in my growroom with all the other Phalaenopsis species and hybrids, and gets watered and fed just the same. All are growing and doing well now so I must be doing something right. I may well post another photo when all the flowers are out. It is almost a shame that I trained the spike to grow upwards, but it would have got in the way if I'd allowed it to ramble as it pleases. In future, when I get better at orchid growing, I'd like to grow one of these mounted on wood to mimic its natural habitat to see how it does.

No ID Cattleya Revisited - Multicoloured flowers !

Well. How interesting. A few days ago, I published a post concerning these Cattleyas and their flower colour. I very helpfully include a photo below to refresh our memories.

The pink was quite strong on a plant that last year had white flowers. Interestingly, another bud opened today off the same plant but a different flower spike. The following photo shows the result....

Barely a trace of pink at all. During my original post I mentioned that the only significant difference I could think of between last year and this is light levels. When an orchid comes into bloom in the growroom, I move it into my living room so I can enjoy the blooms. This particular plant had two flower spikes, only one of which was open when I moved it. The second spike finished its development under lower light levels, and the buds have opened white. I think this pretty much proves my point. I do expect these new flowers to flush pink, but I doubt they'll be as strongly coloured as the others.  Ooh, I do love a mystery !

Bloom Event - Phragmipedium silver rose 'pick n mix' x schlimii

I don't grow an awful lot of slipper orchids. Having said that, there will be another post in the coming days. I got this beauty from Ratcliffes Orchids (who I hear are closing down, which is a terrible shame) at a show about a year ago. Being a Phragmipedium, this enjoys rather wet conditions, so I grow it in Rockwool cubes. Rockwool is basically glass fibre spun out to the consistency of candy floss (OK, OK, excuse the hyperbole) and cut up into cubes. It has the virtue of holding a LOT of water and air and never breaking down. Phragmipedium are generally not difficult to grow. I suspect that this particular hybrid (due to the amount of P. Besseae in its backgrownd) could do with being grown rather cooler than I can manage. Maybe I'll put it in the cattleya room which is usually a little cooler than the main growroom. 

The flowers on this hybrid are actually rather small and are borne once at a time sequentially from the top of the flower spike. The flowers drop without warning in perfect condition just as the next bud begins to open. I seem to get four or five flowers per spike. As you can see, they are an attractive colour and texture, and have the terrific bonus of being very fragrant. I have grown to never expect any scent from a slipper orchid. It took me ages to work out where the smell was coming from. One flower can be smelled from across the room at certain times of the day. A friend tells me this trait comes from P. schlimii.

This plant does have its negatives, though. Along with several superficially gorgeous hybrids involving P. besseae, this plant has a very annoying tenancy to produce new growth from a rather long piece of rhizome. This in itself wouldn't be a problem except that it insists on growing vertically upwards rather than along the surface of the growing medium. This means that it is very difficult to keep the base of new growths in contact with the growing medium and if you don't, they won't produce new roots. Cue frequent repotting. This would explain why we don't see these plants nicely clumped up with several flower spikes at once.

I should explain that the growth habit in Phragmipedium is at least superficially similar to that of the more commonly grown slipper orchid, Paphiopedilum. A fan of leaves is produced, which produces a flower spike bearing one or several sequential or simultaneous opening blooms. The fan then gradually sends its energy into new growth and eventually dies. It is actually no different to other sympodial orchids (most of them, don't ask), except that no pseudobulbs are produced. Usually new growth or growths are produced directly from the base of the existing fan of leaves, producing an attractive clump of foliage, but some species produce a length of rhizome first so the new fan is produced at a distance from the mother plant. "Why are these plants used in hybrids?" I hear you ask. Mostly, they have superior flowers in some way or another, or they might be good growers or strong rooters. Hybridizers can often breed these undesirable traits out. Sometimes they can't. In this case, since P. schlimii usually behaves itself, I hold P. besseae responsible.