I've been really impressed by the mass blooming of Phalaenopsis I've had recently. I put it all down to the cooler nights at the back end of last year (In the UK we had a very warm autumn. This may seem counter-intuitive, but what it meant was that the nights stayed warm outside, so I could leave the growroom window open overnight, resulting in slightly cooler temperatures indoors). The difference from 'normal' conditions could only have been 2C or so, but it seems to have been enough to trigger practically all my Phalaenopsis to initiate spikes. Of course, it takes a couple of months for even the fastest of them to get from spike initiation to open blooms, so I'm still reaping the benefit of all this now.
Now I've started to write, I can't remember what photos I've taken (always the way), so I'll start with Phalaenopsis Mini-Mark since I know that one is in bloom.
I always like this when it blooms, but every time I think it could just do a little better at it. I used to have several plants, but have managed to sell the majority of them now, leaving me with just two. I didn't even keep the biggest and best for myself. How very public spirited of me! This is probably as miniature as hybrid Phalaenopsis get. The plant is as diminutive as the name suggests, and hardly takes up any space at all. One of the reasons I like this one is that even though it is a miniature, it looks in proportion to itself. A lot of the so called miniatures on sale at the moment look like a standard size Phalaenopsis in small proportion. That probably doesn't make much sense, but to me they just look wrong, somehow, as though they have been forced into a skin thats too small. Anyway, P. Mini-Mark is a very pretty flower. I just wish it would produce more flowers on longer spikes. I'm sure its capable of it, so I guess it really is just a case of my impatience. I was told (and have since read) that all the plants of this cross in Europe are virused. If my plants are virused, they don't show any sign of it that I can see. At worst, they seem a bit on the slow side but that really is all.
The plants originally came from a nursery in Germany (no, not Schwerter), and have always stayed around the same size. Roots are healthy and new leaves grow every year, so I don't worry about them. Yes, I know the leaves are rather pale in comparison to a lot of Phalaenopsis, but remember that I grow them in much brighter light than most people.
Next up we have a first blooming from a plant I got from eBay... Phalaenopsis Tsay's Evergreen. This really is a pretty little thing. Having had a quick Google for this hybrid, my flower seems much greener than most of the pictures I have seen, but it has only just opened so it probably needs a few days to get its proper colour. I really love the shade of green, though.
I suppose we might call this a 'novelty' hybrid, though it is a little more complex than many novelties. Usually, by 'novelty' we just mean any Phalaenopsis hybrid that differs from the usual types seen in the garden centres sold without names in their thousands. Phalaenopsis Tsay's Evergreen is a nice small plant that I repotted as soon as I got it (as I do with most new purchases unless there's a specific reason not to). It was perfectly healthy, but I was still glad to see it spike as it is usually a sign that the plant has settled down. Only one flower on the spike, but I rather fancy that if I leave the spike after the flower fades it may produce more as is common with a lot of these types of hybrids (or any types of Phalaenopsis hybrids). It carries a light fragrance, but I can't quite make out what it reminds me of. Sadly it doesn't show on the photo, but there are in fact markings on the flowers if you look closely.
It is clearly still only a baby, so the flower count will increase over time (though I imagine it will never produce more than 2 or 3 per spike at a time. Hopefully there will be several flower spikes in future so it should give a good show. It isn't a huge flower, but it isn't grossly out of proportion with the size of the plant, and the size might increase as the plant gains more strength, too.
Next up is another novelty hybrid, Phalaenopsis Sogo Rose. I have had this plant for quite some time now, and it has flowered several times. For the first time in its career with me, it has produced two spikes this time, the second of which is blooming slightly later than the first. I very much like the colour of the flowers, as well as the shape and heavy texture they have. You'd think that the more heavily textured flowers might last longer than the thinner flowers of the more common hybrids, but this doesn't seem to be the case. I'm not saying they're short lived, they just don't last longer.
As is often the case with novelty hybrids following this breeding line, there aren't a vast number of flowers per stem, but they make up for that by being pleasantly fragrant, a trait which always gets brownie points with me. I like that while flower spikes are green they can produce buds for years to come, so old spikes are not to be cut off until they are absolutely brown and dead. I seem to be developing a liking for these novelty hybrids, don't I?
Looks nice and healthy, doesn't it? The first spike has gone over now, but has already started to produce more buds; there's one just about to open as you can see on the above photo. At some point soon, I think I'll have to get round to giving this plant a new pot as there are quite a lot of roots wandering now and there is getting to be bare stem at the base of the plant. It doesn't usually carry quite as many leaves as it has now; I assume the extra feed its been getting is helping with that.
Next up we have a couple of species just starting to bloom. The first of these is Phalaenopsis mannii. I got several plants of this species together and have sold all but one. They all went through some sort of root crisis after I got them, and I repotted them all into coarse bark. I think a couple of them then missed the water when I went round with the spray gun and, believe it or not, they got attacked by red spider mite. Dark times indeed. However, the plants bounced back nicely once I had worked out what the problem was, and the mites moved on to pastures new (or got drowned in soap). My plant started to put on strong growth, both leaves and roots, and has now put out a flower spike.
To me, this flower has quite a strong resemblance to P. cornu-cervi, though the plant is different looking, as is the flower spike. I really like the hairy lip. They aren't huge, but they are generously produced from a spike with an ever extending tip so blooming should last for some time once it starts. There are a couple of colour forms of the species (I also have the Zarbitter cultivar but it hasn't produced a spike as yet), but this is the regular form. The flower has a slightly odd fragrance, at least to my nose; it reminds me of frazzles (bacon flavour crisps). Not unpleasant at all, just a bit weird on an orchid.
We are right at the start of the bloom cycle and the spike is still growing.
The plant itself is rather large, even for a Phalaenopsis, so its a good job the flower spikes get good and long! You can just see on the above photo that the new leaves are pleasantly purple spotted so the plant has at least a bit of interest when it is out of bloom. The foliage is a good deal thinner than many Phalaenopsis, so the plant has a somewhat floppy appearance.
The second species in bloom used to be in genus Sedirea but has now been reclassified to be part of Phalaenopsis, so its now called Phalaenopsis japonica. A very nice diminutive species with long flower spikes of interestingly marked flowers. I got this species (as some may remember) from Schwerter as part of my first order back at the end of February. It had the beginnings of a flower spike back then, but no more than that. The spike has grown quickly, and now flowers have started to open. A couple have blasted, but there should still be plenty to enjoy.
Very pretty, I think you'll agree. Unusually for a Phalaenopsis, there is a nectar spur at the back of the flower, and the flowers have a very pleasant fragrance that reminds me strongly of lemon balm or lemon verbena. I have read some horror stories about this being difficult to bloom. I can't take any real credit for these flowers, so I suppose I'll have to wait and see what it does when its next bloom cycle arrives. Just in case you've forgotten, here's a couple of photos of the whole plant.
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