April 2016 – The Orchidist

Cattleya Mossiae Semi Alba ‘H&R’ In Bloom

Posted on April 28, 2016 by Timothy

Cattleya mossiae semi-alba ‘H&R’ has long been on my list, and I was recently lucky enough to acquire this one–

He was in bud when I bought him–I pretty much left him alone but kept an eye on him and the flowers opened up beautifully–They are almost the size of my hand–

The scent is deliciously floral–And the colors are fantastic in the lip–

C. mossiae is a species native to Venezuela–This is the semi-alba form–

Semi-alba orchids are white with a colored lip–The typical variety of C. mossiae is actually a lavender/pinkish color–The semi-alba form occurs naturally, but is uncommon–

Looking up into the lip to see the column–I believe the ‘H&R’ denotes the orchid nursery that sold this particular Semi-alba Mossiae–

Side view–The lip is amazing inside and out–

An absolute masterpiece of nature–

Bletilla Striata

Posted on April 14, 2016 by Timothy

One of my favorite orchids and an easy one to grow here in Georgia is Bletilla striata, a species from China and Japan—

Bletilla striata is very common in yards around Atlanta–This species survives the winters here and can grow into large, impressive clumps–

I grow mine in terra cotta pots–This year they wintered under the pecan tree in the yard, covered by a layer of mulch–Now they sit with other pots of Bletillas on the steps of the deck–There they get dappled sunlight–I love the ruffles on the lip–

Bletillas are inexpensive compared to other orchids, and well worth choosing for the yard–The pleated leaves are a striking landscape feature when they are not in bloom–

Dendrobium Loddigesii

Posted on April 6, 2016April 6, 2016 by Timothy

This is Dendrobium loddigesii–It is an Asian species of orchid from Vietnam, China, and Laos–

I got this little guy as a small keiki (an offset) 2 years ago–He was about 4 inches long–He is still pretty small, but this species does not get very big–He is finally taking to his mount–

D. loddigesii didn’t bloom last year, but this year I gave him a cool and pretty dry winter rest–He produced two buds, one of which has already opened–I love the colors and the heavily fringed lip–

I have yet to detect a scent, but the plant is young, and the first flower hasn’t been open long–Color aside, the most noticeable thing about the blooms is their amazing crystalline texture–Cool!–

Month: April 2016