A Return Trip to San Diego!
The boyfriend and I took another lovely weekend trip to one of my favorite cities specifically so I could attend the annual Open House of one of my favorite nurseries, Sunset Valley Orchids. I already bought an impressive haul from them earlier this year and was told about the event. The trip was so much fun and I got to see some really beautiful plants. Here are the orchids I took home with me:
*all pictures below are references from the website or from google
Cattleya purpurata var carnea
Talk about stumbling across a treasure! Here is an orchid I have on my wishlist and wasn't thinking I would find within budget anytime soon. I was quick to scoop up this species cattleya, despite the orchid not looking the greatest. This look like a seedling plant that has just reached or is reaching maturity. The bulbs are shriveled and the leaves are looking a bit leathery. I checked the roots and found them to be alright, even after quite a bit of cutback. I'm hoping those bulbs have enough energy for Carmine to finish growing an existing growth and put out some new roots.
Lc. Blue Rose 'Dark Blue' x Lc. Love Knot f. coerulea 'SVO' HCC/AOS
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| flower ref reddit |
This miniature cattleya is quite adorable with short, fat pseudobulbs and compact, round leaves. Bluebell is quite the charmer and I can't wait until she gets to mature blooming size. This small orchid should be about 5 inches in height at maturity with blooms 4 inches across. What a huge flower in comparison to the plant! She has one maturing bulb and a nubbin that looks like its starting to swell up at it's base. A gorgeous blue catt that I'm in love with.
C. Leoloddiglossa 'SVO Speckled Blue' FCC/AOS x C. loddigesii f. coerulea 'Blue Sky' AM/AOS
Another amazing blue cattleya hybrid that I'm looking forward to is Sky. She is supposed to have a light purple, flared flower with darker purple speckles and a darker purple lip with a stroke of contrasting yellow. Its a color combination I just couldn't pass up. She's got a maturing cane but no new growths or nubbins as far as I can see. I placed her, along with the other blue cattleyas I purchased together, on the window shelf where they will all get plenty of light and direct sunshine in the late afternoon.
Lc. Tokyo Magic 'Hihimanu' x C. lueddemanniana 'Arthur Chadwick' AM/AOS
A striking color combination that I'm looking forward to seeing. I'm not a fan of pink flowers usually, leaning toward sunset colors and the coerulea orchids but this cross caught my eye. Charming is a mature size with squat, plump bulbs and round, compact leaves. Her latest pseudobulb is producing a sheath so I have a good chance for flowers if she doesn't get too shocked from the repotting process.
Slc. Donna Pasanen 'SVO' x Slc. Tropical Star 'Peter's'
A miniature cattleya that immediately caught my eye is this little cutie. Tropicana is going to be about 8-10 inches tall with stems of flowers in clusters of 5-7. I'm in love with those vivid sunset colors of orange, red, coral and yellow with red lips and the flares should make for an interesting bloom. Peter developed this grex, hilariously enough, but I purchased it from SVO. She is at blooming size since her latest pseudobulb is growing a sheath. Her bulbs are short and fat, with tapered leaves but no new growth as of yet.
Slc. Granata Sunrise
A cross between Lc. Tokyo Magic '6-1' AM/AOS and Slc. Wasp Nest 'Red Red' HCC/AOS and the orchid I am most looking forward to seeing in bloom. The flower reference provided on the SVO site immediately stole my heart and I am just completely in love with everything about these blooms. The colors are like the sunrise Twilight is named after, with yellow orange sepals on flowers that have a golden background layered with pinks and corals along the petal's edges. The lip takes on the blush of pinks with a center in yellow flared with a deeper pinkish red color. She will bloom in clusters of 5-9 flowers on strong stems above the leaves. Her roots looked great during the repot and her squat little bulbs are healthy and plump. She has one maturing growth and a new nubbin that is swelling up nicely.
C. Orchidglade 'SVO' HCC/AOS x Slc. Fire Fantasy 'H&R'
Sensing a theme here? Another sunset orchid that I loved is this beauty. The flowers should be closer to the second picture with more oranges and peaches added to the petals. I'm hoping that Flicker keeps the ruffled trait of the Fire Fantasy but the shape of Orchidglade is more appealing to my tastes. The flowers have a high chance to be flared and I love the reddish splashes on those tips. She's a lovely addition to the collection. Her bulbs and roots look great and she has one maturing growth that is just starting to push out leaves.
Slc. Angel Eyes 'SVO II' AM/AOS x Slc. Picotee Fire 'SVO'
This cross caught my eye because I just love the way each of these parents look. Both of these parents have beautiful blooms in colors and patterns, while different from one another, are both lovely to my eyes. I am hoping this seedling will have an interesting cross between the parents with some flaring, keeping the picotee and that splash color pattern, and all on flowers in sunset colors. Brighteyes' bulbs and roots look great and she has one maturing growth that is just starting to push out leaves.
Pot. Dal's Emperor 'SVO' x Slc. Sweet Jewel 'SVO' AM/AOS
Another interesting color combination that caught my eye was this cross between orange flowers and yellow lips. Peaches will have quite a novel color cross if she comes out as Fred predicts for this hybrid cattleya but even if she comes out pinker than the desired orange/salmon color like in their reference photo, I will still love this beautiful flower. The parents both have flowers that I would love to have so I imagine the cross will be quite lovely as well. She is a compact, bifoliate cattleya with a beautiful blush of reddish purple on her light green leaves due to the anthocyanins produced in the presence of high light. She has two maturing bulbs and hopefully will put out some new growths soon.
Fdk. Beverly Danielson (GIFT)
A lovely surprise gift for attending the open house was a gift orchid! This was mine and isn't she a lovely cross? Bevy will be my first catasinae type orchid I will be caring for. Carlos gave me a brief rundown while helping me bag up my purchases so hopefully the repot will take well and I will be getting a look at those blooms one day!