Pink Rock Orchid - Thelychiton kingianus (formerly Dendrobium kingianum)

Dendrobium kingianum 

Some of my dendrobium orchids started it’s seasonal flowering and the first one is always  Pink Rock Orchid. It’s one of the easiest orchids to grow and always rewards with small, fragrant colourful blooms. 

It’s Australian native and very hardy, can withstand extreme temperatures and adapted to various weather conditions. Pink Rock Orchid occurs from the coast to nearby ranges between the Hunter River in NSW  and Rockhampton in QLD  where it usually grows on rock in forest and woodland.

It likes bright light, plenty of water during growing time, good ventilation and very occasional feeding  - other than that it’s not fussy and producing brilliantly coloured flowers year after year.

 In nature it grows on branches of trees or on rocks but can easily grow on windowsill with plenty of light.

Some of my flowering phal’s

Most of my Phalaenopsis orchids in bloom at the moment, showing their many colors and textures and some with scents. They will flower for a few months and it’s nice to welcome their new flowering season.  I took these pictures with my phone instead of trusted camera and not exactly sure of the results, although the pictures are ok I prefer to show more details of any flower.

Most of my orchids in a kind of in between flowering stage at the moment, so a lot of repotting, sorting out and general maintenance happening in the greenhouse. And waiting for new and exiting blooms to emerge for another season. 

Notes - new cascading cymbidiums orchids

New exiting range of cascading cymbidiums been released by Paradisia nursery in Victoria - beautiful long arching spikes, strong vivid colors, healthy, robust plants - everything any orchid grower and collector wants to see.

To show off their beautiful blooms they need to grow in the hanging baskets so that they can cascade freely, displaying multitude of flower spikes. Below is the pictures of these new generation cymbidium orchids.

Cymbidium Paradisian "Passion"

 

Cymbidium Pradisian "Black Lip"

 

 

 

Cymbidium Paradisian Tiger "Golden Falls"

Cymbidium Paradisian Ruby "Pinky"

Cymbidium Paradisian Bell "Smiley Face"

Cymbidium Paradisian Choice Dreamer

Wilsonara “Stirling Tiger”

One of my wilsonara’s flowering at the moment. it’s a cross between Odontioda 'Florence Stirling' and Ondontocidium 'Tiger Hamburhen” and it flowers with these large beautifully colored blooms.

It have long arching spikes that produce many flowers and very light herbal scent that reminds me of thyme and a bit of an attitude that demands attention. With me, “Stirling Tiger” seems to be flowering every other season and it gets moved around green house a few times in search of correct light requirement - too much light and it goes all yellow and with less light it’s just not flowering. It prefers warmer situation with a lot of air movement, and definitely wet and dry periods of growing.

Despite all this fussing, I still enjoy seeing it in flower and forgive it all of it’s shortcomings as long as I can see, smell and touch this special and magical orchid.

Cymbidium orchid - Brown Beauty

Cymbidium Brown Beauty

This cymbidium orchid flowering at the moment, It’s Brown Beauty that turning out quite an interesting cymbidium.
 It came to me couple of years ago as small seedling and been growing and maturing since then. It’s been sitting on the bank bench for a while and last year developed a couple of small flowers that was difficult to judge, however this season it actually started showing it’s full potential and decided to bloom with these rich, dark brown colors. It probably needs a couple of more growing seasons to mature fully, but it shows great promise.

It’s a medium size plant, very compact in it’s structure and as all cymbidiums in our climate it flowers in our winter when not many plants are in flower, giving long bursts of color in winter time.

Dendrobium orchids - Latouria type

Latouria dendrobium Little Atro

Latouria dendrobium Roy Tokunaga

Latouria dendrobium shiraishii

Some of my Latouria dendrobiums currently in flower - they are fascinating genera that include about 50 different species with majority native to Papua New Guinea and some to Samoa. They grow in hot, humid steamy rain forests attached to the trees in the area’s of year-round rainfall.

The plant size ranges from small to very large and they have very long lasting flowers. Some of Latouria dendrobiums are among the most spectacular in the sub tribe and these days becoming very popular in cultivation.  Because of their remote habitats, very little was known about many Latourias until quite recently, when several species that had been ‘discovered’ early in the century.

  There are also many hybrids been produced with crosses of the original jungle plants that are very desirable to orchid growers and collectors and they command high prices. Australian grower Hermon Slade in the 1950’s and 1960’ and Roy Tokunaga of Hawaii in the 1980’s and  1990’s produced many interesting crosses that are very popular today. One can always recognize Latouria dendrobiums - they are in the class of their own.

They are not easy orchids to grow and because of their nature require specific conditions to thrive and to flower -  they need filtered shade and not too much light, they like to be growing in moist conditions but not wet, they like resting in winter but not completely dry and can go backwoods very fast if they don’t get enough ventilation or humidity. I am forever learning with these orchids and adjusting my growing routine with different seasons and weather changes.

But when they start flowering I always enjoy their special blooms and appreciate Nature creating these beautiful, unusual orchids.