Unboxings are always filled with excitement and anticipation. Everyone loves to share the euphoria of a good unboxing. Read on to know about my delightful experience.

Today, I am excited because I unboxed my spring orchid haul. I did this after a very long time.

The reason being that I live in an apartment and grow my orchids on my windowsills. I have a limited grow space. So I make efforts to not crowd my grow space with more orchids than I can handle. Over the years, I have consciously cut down on growing my collection due to space constraints.

But being an orchid hobbyist means that the desire to buy new orchids is always stoked on the slightest of pretexts and so when Orchid-Tree, a Bangalore based orchid nursery, announced a 20% sale, all my good intentions of ‘no-more buying -orchids’ just flew out of the window 😁

At the outset, let me clarify that this is not a sponsored post. But I would definitely vouch for Orchid-Tree as the best orchid nursery in India. Not only do they have the choicest of orchids that are attractive and sought after by hobbyists, but their orchids are also healthy and of excellent quality. I have been buying from them since the past five years and they have maintained their standards very well.

While we are at it, I would also like to bring out the excellent packaging they do. Every time, their orchids arrive in ship-shape condition and it is a delight to unbox them. 

As an orchid hobbyist, I have had some pretty nasty experiences with orchid vendors who ship orchids that have been poorly packed due to which they get damaged during shipment.

Very often, this kind of stress affects the orchids and they may take months to recover, or worse still, they may not survive. So do insist on top quality packaging and quick shipment so that your orchids arrive in good condition.

There are a few other considerations you need to make before you decide on purchasing orchids.  I did give my purchase a thought as to whether the timing was right to buy orchids. I prefer buying orchids during the warm months, as they actively put out new growths.   This helps the orchids recover from transport stress and adapt quickly to their new environment. Summer is followed by rains and humid conditions, which further encourage  vegetative growth as in roots, leaves and shoots  in orchids. Therefore, the orchid will get enough vigour to flower during its bloom cycle.

This said, let me take you through my unboxing.

So, I purchased a total of eight orchids and a packet of bloom booster fertiliser. I was excited with this unboxing, as it had been a while since my last haul.

None of the orchids were in bloom as I prefer buying them during their vegetative growth phase. Moreover, as the weather gets warmer, the blooms start wilting and buds drop off due to the stress.

The pictures used in this post have been provided by Orchid-Tree.

Read on to learn about the orchids that have been on y Wishlist for quite some time.

1. Schomburgkia thomsoniana – So the first one is a mounted, small sized orchid. I love mounted orchids . it is so much like bringing a part of nature into my home. It is also called the Banana orchid. There have been changes in the classification of this species. Earlier, its genus name was Schomburgkia, but now they are  reclassified as Myrmecophila or Laelia. A species native to the Cayman Islands’ sister Isles, it is also the national flower of these islands.  The orchid is a heat-tolerant epiphyte commonly found growing in the scrub at sea level. Bright yellow coloured frilly-petalled flowers with purple on the lip make them very attractive. Flowers normally appear in summer.  The shape of the mount is good, but looks like it absorbs too much water, which is not ideal for a Schomburgkia. I will mount it on cork bark, which is my preferred choice of medium for mounting.
2. Dendrobium Jasmine – This is a healthy Dendrobium Jasmine. The canes are plump and healthy and the plant seems compact. Dendrobium Jasmine is s a hybrid which bears beautiful twisted and fragrant flowers. The pink and russet hues make for an attractive display. 
3. Phalaenopsis Doritis pulcherima Dwarf – It is a miniature phalaenopsis having thick, small leaves that are mottled. This orchid is sought after for producing compact, multiple basal growths that make for an attractive display even when the the plant is not in bloom. The flowers are pink, small in size and last up to 8 weeks. These orchid also grows very well when mounted.
4. Cattleya Dialaelia Snowflake – This is a cattleya orchid. It is a beautiful primary hybrid between Caularthron bicornutum x Laelia albida. The blooms are white with pink tints at the edges. This one is a fall bloomer. So I am looking forward to some beautiful blooms in fall.
5. Dendrobium Violet Yamaji Nalo – This is a pretty big one guys. I am wondering whether I was impulsive in buying a large size orchid. but the blooms seemed irresistible. Dendrobium Violet Yamaji Nalo is a hybrid of den. spectabile. The flowers are are a rich crimson colour, and very large in growth habit due to the spectabile species. It flowers from both old and new growths, making it an amazing specimen plant over the years.  This orchid is the biggest one in my collection.                          
6. Cattleya India Rose Sherwood – The plant is healthy and has a new growth as well. The site said that it is a matured plant. So I am hoping to see some blooms in the near future. It is the Cattleya (Ctt.) India Rose Sherwood, a hybrid cattlianthe registered in 1994. It is a cross between Cat. Naomi Kerns and Ctt. Chocolate Drops. I love cattleyas with red flowers and this one has red waxy flowers, which bloom in two or more in number.  I am sure it will make a great display.
7. Oncidium Catante Pacific Sunburst – This one is an Oncidium alliance hybrid. Oncidium (Odcdm.) Catatante ‘Pacific Sunburst’ is an easy-to-grow oncidium with a lovely long inflorescence of golden and rust coloured flowers. Its a heavy bloomer. The spikes can get real long and can branch out giving a grand show.
8. Epithecea Orange Blaze – It is an exquisite hybrid orchid that grows quite tall and can even reach up to 1 meter in height. It produces large., orange-yellow flowers. Growing them is easy. They are fuss-free and hardy. This orchid is young, so it may take a while to bloom.
9. Basfoliar NPK: 13:40:13 Fertiliser – I noticed that my orchids were not putting out as many blooms as I expected. So I decided to tweak my fertilising routine to include a bloom booster. Basfoliar 13-40-13 is a high phosphorus bloom booster and can be used as a foliar application. It contains phosphorous (P) and potash (K) in 100% soluble form and promotes healthy root development  and flowering in orchids.

That’s it guys. Thank you for reading the post. Do leave behind your comments on what orchids are on your wish list. Do subscribe to the blog to learn about all things related to growing orchids as a hobbyist.

Until my next, happy growing!