Wilsonara "Tiger Brew" orchid

Here is another one of my interesting orchids that just finished flowering - it's Wilsonara "Tiger Brew" and again, it's intergeneric hybrid between oncidium, odontoglossum and cochlioda.

It have large yellow blooms with many different burgundy color markings with each flower seems to have different patterns. The flower spikes are long and cascading, with each flower opening at different times.

This orchid have a bit of an "attitude" - it's not easy to bring it to flower since it's very particular in regards to light requirements - too much and it dry out and goes all yellow and with not enough light it will not develop flower spikes, so it's constantly moving around greenhouse in the hope of the ideal conditions. It also likes warmer growing conditions, a lot of air movement, wet and dry cycle which can be a challenge even to an experienced orchid grower.

Still, each flowering season it's a waiting game to see if "Tiger Brew" will reward me with it's special and unusual blooms, and when it does, everything is forgotten - just huge appreciation and enjoyment of it's unusual and magical blooms.

Beallara Marfitch "Howards Dream" orchid

This beautiful orchid from my collection is one of the interesting hybrids from the orchid world - it's intergeneric hybrid between Miltonia, Brassia, Cochlioda and Odontoglossums and it's currently in flower.

The blooms are really quite large and spectacular and the color is purple-grape tones with many interesting white markings on the petals. The flower spikes are quite long with about 6 to 8 very large flowers, all seems to maturing and opening at different times, giving extending flowering time.

I've had this orchid a few years now and while it's not difficult to cultivate, it does have it's own specific requirements - it's rather sensitive to strong light and prefers shadier situations either in greenhouse or under the trees, especially in summer. It likes a lot of watering while new lives and flower spikes maturing, following by drier cycles, it likes to be warmer in our winter months with a lot's of air circulating around it.

When growing conditions are perfect, it would flower twice a year - in mid autumn as now and in mid spring, showing off it's spectacular huge purple flowers that lasts for about 6 weeks.

This is one of the orchids that can present quite a challenge and beautiful discovery rewards to an orchids lover, but when all elements come together in a growing cycle, it shows it's magnificent, special blooms.