Dendrobium anosmum This species is quite amusing because its name literally means ‘no scent’, but nothing could be further from the truth. It is often described as smelling of raspberries, but I can’t say I could smell them. The scent is far sweeter than that and quite delightful. I obtained this plant a few years ago in a trade as a keiki. It is still quite at home in a 9cm pot, though the canes are starting to grow longer now. … [Read more...]
Orchid of the month
My name is Kevin Wigley and, as I have been invited to write a monthly article for the Orchid Study Group, I thought it might be good to introduce myself and give you all an idea of who I am and what I’m all about.
I suppose I must have been growing orchids for somewhere between twenty and twenty-five years now, so I guess that makes orchids pretty much a lifelong passion of mine. I won’t divulge my exact age, so let’s say I tick the 35-40 box when form-filling. I live in the Midlands, not far from, but not in Birmingham. During office hours, I work for a small family- run plastic moulding business, specializing in low volume parts for various other industries, ranging from aerospace to construction. I would love to be able to make a living out of my hobby, but in this modern age of cheap, imported plants and throwaway culture, I haven’t found a way of realizing this dream in a way that doesn’t seem to me a sell-out.
I don’t have a greenhouse (at least, not that I use for growing anything other than tomatoes). I grow my orchids in an adapted room in my house, under lights. This generally seems very agreeable to the orchids, and I think that my results are improving year on year. I rather fancy that were I to build a greenhouse in the future (which isn’t impossible), I would discover that it comes with a wealth of problems of its own, much the same as growing under lights does.
I am, by my own admission, very much an amateur orchid grower, and I don’t get involved with growing from seed and that side of things, as I’m far too impatient to wait for babies to grow to flowering size. Far better to leave that to people who know what they’re doing. I guess I must own probably three or four hundred orchids, mostly in the intermediate to warm-growing category, since there’s no point growing orchids that aren’t going to thrive for me, just because I think they’re pretty. I’d be lying if I said I hadn’t killed my fair share of orchids through choosing plants inappropriate to my growing conditions. These days, I try (not always successfully) to exercise a little more restraint. I have a particular penchant for Coelogyne, and Dendrochilum, though my favourite tends to be whatever happens to be in bloom when I’m asked.
Hopefully, as we get to know each other a little better over the coming months, I’ll give more information on how I grow specific plants and on the growing conditions in my grow-room. It would also be nice to show that anyone of any age and ability can successfully grow orchids, and that there really is no secret mystique to this hobby at all.
March 2020 – Angraecum sesquipedale var angustifolium
Angraecum sesquipedale var. angustifolium I bought this plant at a show because it was cheap. I’d been growing A. sesquipedale for ages before this, but hadn’t managed to flower it (not big enough). As this present plant is no larger, I didn’t expect blooms from it either. It turns out that A. sesquipedale var. angustifolium is rather smaller in its proportions than the standard form of the species, with narrower, leaves and much … [Read more...]
February 2020 – Wilsonara Fortissimo
Wilsonara Fortissimo Wilsonara Fortissimo is a lovely intergeneric hybrid. Sadly, I can find very little information about it online, so I can’t say anything definite about its parentage. It has a classic ‘Chocolate Oncidium’ scent such as you might find in Sharry Baby or Katrin Zoch, but the blooms are marginally larger than in either of those hybrids. The flower spikes are quite tall, up to 2 feet, and usually have several … [Read more...]
January 2020 – Coelogyne trinervis
Coelogyne trinervis Coelogyne trinervis is a warm-growing species from Thailand and its surrounding areas, found at altitudes of up to around 100m. Although this species grows in deciduous forests in its native habitat, it does not require a cool rest, since the trees in which it grows are deciduous during the dry season. As such, it is encouraged back into growth by the onset of rain. In cultivation, it is not necessary to dry this … [Read more...]
December 2019 – Maxillariella variabilis
Maxillariella variabilis (still referred to as Maxillaria variabilis by some) is a miniature species found over much of South America. Being so widespread, it is quite amenable to a wide range of temperatures and performs well for me in my warm growroom. As it happens, I have several plants, and they too grow well, especially after being outside for the summer. The foliage is narrow and the pseudobulbs bear one or two leaves. … [Read more...]
November 2019 – Vanda vietnamica
Vanda vietnamica This used to be the only species in the monotypic genus Christensonia, but has recently been transferred to Vanda. It comes, not surprisingly, from Vietnam and grows at low elevations. It is a small species by Vanda standards and has much more in common with species such as V. cristata and V. pumila, both of which also used to belong in a different genus. Vanda vietnamica is an upright, monopodial, leathery-leaved … [Read more...]
October 2019 – Zygopetalum James Strauss ‘Scentsation’
Zygopetalum James Strauss 'Scentsation' I’ve always had rather a soft spot for Zygopetalum, though I’ve never been good at growing them. This plant was obtained from my local branch of Dobbies for an undisclosed sum! As the name implies, the scent of this hybrid is very strong and most pleasant. I find many zygopetalums to have rather a soapy scent, but the fragrance of this one is nice and spicy, and really does fill the … [Read more...]
September 2019 – Dendrobium amethystoglossum.
Dendrobium amethystoglossum hails from the island of Luzon, in the Philippines. It is a relatively large-growing Dendrobium, though smaller growing forms are to be had. My plant grows in a clay pot, as the stems do not grow directly upwards, but apically tend to arch out, making the plant rather top-heavy. The canes are quite thick, growing to around 45 cm tall, or more, and become leafless after 1 or 2 years. The leaves, though fairly … [Read more...]
Dendrobium hercoglossum
Dendrobium hercoglossum Dendrobium hercoglossum is not as widely grown as it deserves to be. I purchased my plant two years ago while in flower, and was very pleased with it. In the past, few Dendrobium species have thrived for me, but this one has. After the blooms had faded (after several weeks), I potted it into my trusted mix of medium bark chips and sphagnum moss, and the plant grew away very quickly. It produces several canes … [Read more...]
July 2019 Coelogyne Orchideengarten Sabine
As a genus, Coelogyne has relatively few registered hybrids, though nurseries like Orchideengarten Karge, in Dahlenburg, Germany, are working to redress this. Quite a few Coelogyne hybrids have been registered by them in the past few years, all bearing the name ‘Orchideengarten’ followed by a person’s name (it turns out that the Orchideengarten hybrids are all named after members of the Karge family). As an avid grower of Coelogyne, I … [Read more...]
June 2019 Dendrobium Green Elf
Dendrobium Green Elf is a very attractive Dendrobium section Latouria hybrid between D. convolutum and D. alexandrae. I acquired this plant from a German nursery about a year ago. I have always liked Dendrobium sect. Latouria, but had assumed from what I had read that they were difficult to grow. How wrong I was. They seem to like more water than many Dendrobium cultivars and don’t seem to have a strict rest period. I get the best … [Read more...]
May 2019 Bratonia Royal Robe
Bratonia Royal Robe is a lovely, intergeneric hybrid that although registered only in 1986, is rapidly becoming a classic in its own right. It used to be quite common around 10 years ago, but seems to have fallen out of favour recently. There are several named clones of this hybrid, though my plant didn’t come with a clonal name. I got it from Madeira via eBay and it was a nice healthy plant even then, even though it took two years to … [Read more...]
April 2019 – Spathoglottis plicata
I have always liked the look of Spathoglottis, but until recently, I hadn’t seen one for sale at a sensible price. I knew I had appropriate conditions for them, so when I finally found some for sale at a German nursery I couldn’t resist ordering some. In fact, I got two plants, but one is much more advanced than the other, so I shall discuss the yellow one here. Spathoglottis is a genus of around 49 species distributed mainly in SE … [Read more...]
March 2019 – Coelogyne sparsa
A few years ago, I bought a plant labelled Coelogyne sparsa from the ubiquitous German nursery that I constantly talk about. I hadn’t seen this species for sale before, so I was quite excited to be able to get hold of it (C. sparsa is one of the ‘warm whites’ since my conditions are far too warm to grow C. mooreana and many of its hybrids). As my regular readers will know, this turned out to be C. chloroptera which wasn’t what I had … [Read more...]
February 2019 – Psychopsis papilio alba
Psychopsis papilio is one of those species that has a rather bad reputation for being difficult to grow, perhaps not unfairly. My plant is the more unusual ‘alba’ form, and was given to me by a friend, so I would feel especially guilty if it died through any fault of mine. He had it growing in a mixture of medium bark and perlite, which seemed to suit it under his culture conditions (he grows his plants slightly cooler than I do, so it … [Read more...]
January 2019 – Epidendrum Pink Cascade
Epidendrum Pink Cascade is a primary hybrid between Epidendrum ilense and E. revolutum. As far as I know, it is only available from Burnham Nurseries in Devon, and it is there that this hybrid was made. I am not sure exactly when this occurred, as information is rather scarce, but I don’t believe I’ve seen an adult plant yet (note the difference between a flowering size plant and a mature adult plant), but the young plants that I have … [Read more...]
December 2018 – Milmiltonia Sunset
Milmiltonia Sunset is rapidly becoming one of those hybrids that one can almost become tired of seeing. It’s everywhere - DIY outlets, supermarkets, garden centres, etc. Yet somehow, one only has to glimpse its beautiful flowers, and its ubiquity is instantly forgiven. My plant was from a DIY store and was very cheap for a multi-lead plant that even came with a decorative pot. The parentage behind this hybrid appears to be … [Read more...]
November 2018 – Coelogyne pulverula
Coelogyne pulverula (still known to many as C. dayana) is one of the warmer growing species in the Tomentosae section of the genus. Allied to other similar species, such as C. rochussenii and C. tomentosa (formerly C. massangeana), it comes from similar areas (Java, Malaysia and Thailand). It grows easily and quickly in warm conditions, but tends to be absent from many collections because it does not flower until it has reached a large … [Read more...]
October 2018 – Coelogyne – Lyme Bay
Coelogyne Lyme Bay is one of those hybrids that everyone seems to have heard of, but few seem to grow. This is a great shame, as it is easy to grow and flower, and appears not to grow too big. I have two plants carrying this name. One of these is a division of a mother plant from Burnham Nurseries (who first made the cross from selected forms of C. speciosa and C. usitana in 1996), and should probably carry the clonal name ‘Burnham’, … [Read more...]
September 2018 – Coelogyne chloroptera
This month’s orchid is a charming species of Coelogyne from section Lentiginosae that isn’t often seen, more’s the pity. I got it from a German nursery a little over a year ago, labelled as C. sparsa. It wasn’t until it bloomed a few weeks later that I realised I’d got a mislabelled plant (my search for C. sparsa carried on for a few more months and although I have now found a plant, I haven’t bloomed it yet, so I can’t be sure it is … [Read more...]