Another Trip To Waldor Orchid's ..
A more or less local Orchid Farm .. We took a trip out there last Saturday, braving the rain. It was coming down pretty heavy, making the roads flood at the edges and making it very hard to see well. We were determined to get to the Orchid farm regardless since we had been looking forward to it for a while. They are only open on Friday's and Saturdays, so rain or no rain.. we were getting there.
January 30th, 2020 ..
That was the day I wrote my first post about Orchids .. And yeah, I knew pretty much nothing about them. We owned two orchids at the time; two Phalaenopsis Orchids.
Here is an excerpt form that post ...
I Have Two Different Types Of Orchids ..
And the most frustrating thing is I know nothing about either one of them. I can tell you that one of them blooms off of one strait stalk in either 8 or 10 flowers, while the other is more branched and erratic in its bloom numbers. They are different colors and the plant leaves are slightly different too. I am obviously quite smart enough to notice all the little differences, but to dumb to buy an orchid book or take an orchid class.. anything to learn about them. Even though I only own two plants, I am really quite fascinated with them. What is my hold up on wanting to learn more about them. More To Come ..
More To Come..
Fifteen (15) more to be exact.. Well I suppose it was more like 18 but we lost a few over the years due to no fault of my own. Let's call it part of the learning curve to teaching myself about the Orchids we have in our collection. So yes, we are up to 17 Orchids now in our growing collection. A short but long trip from the two we had on January 30th 2020.
How About Those New Orchids?!
I rambled on enough about the past .. It's now time to give you all a short introduction to a few new Orchids we picked up while visiting Waldor Orchids. As we strolled through the greenhouses at the farm, we kept our eyes pealed for anything different and exciting. We almost settled on purchasing a rather large mature plant but in the end decided on purchasing three smaller plants instead.
Carefully packed up for the short trip home.
I also know that 
PIRATES BOOTY!!! ARRRR..
This will just be a short intro to these new Orchids, since I still have a lot to learn about them. There is one in particular that I know zip, zilch, nada about.. and we'll start with her first.
First New Orchid Intro ..
Maxillariella tenuifolia
'HAUPIA'
AKA - Coconut Orchid
The Coconut Orchid .. Is a pseudobulb type orchid that grows in a rhizome fashion with its small pseudobulbs on top of stems. The leaves are singular per pseudobulb, and when you have a nice grouping of them like we have, it appears grass like. We were quickly drawn to this soft grass like appearance. This feature alone was worth the purchase.
The flower stems grow from the base of the pseudobulb, and are rather small and dainty. The Coconut Orchid gets its name from the way these flowers smell.. like coconuts! Our very own pina colada flowers. A few just started to open up yesterday and I was able to get my first deep smell of them. YUP! Smells just like coconut. Made me smile.
The plant is very compact and enjoys a small pot. It likes bright light and will thrive in the same conditions that our other Orchids thrive in. The grower stated that the plant is not very picky, will bloom in the spring, is easily propagated, and prefers watering about twice per week.
Here are a few photos of the flowers that just began opening. I wish you could smell them.. Devine!
Second New Orchid Intro ..
Brassolaeliocattleya - Dan O'Neil
'Jubilee'
I am just going to refer to this new girl as another Cattleya Orchid .. She is very similar to the other one of our Cattleya's that just bloomed (Jewel Box - Red flowers). You may have seen that in one of my last few posts. Well, this one is a more complicated hybrid called a "Intergeneric Hybrid" consisting of multiple genera of Orchids.
Are you ready for this one??? .. The Orchid is called Brassolaeliocattleya and is an intergeneric hybrid between the following genera; Cattleya, Brassavola, and Laelia. And to further complicate things it's also a cross between these two orchids.. Cattlianthe (Ctt.) Chicanery and Rhyncattleanthe (Rth.) Orange Nugget.
This Cattleya Hybrid Orchid .. Is also quite different than all of the other we have in our small but growing collection. This is also a rhizome style plant with pseudobulbs that are slightly elevated. Like our other Cattleya, the flower stems will emerge from flower sheaths formed at the top of the pseudobulbs. There are exactly two leaves that form on the tops of each pseudobulb, unlike the other Cattleya that has one leaf per bulb.
But when it comes to this Orchid, it's all about the flowers! .. Take a look at these beauties. Such an incredible, superb shade of orange. They simply command our attention as we enter the room. You can't help but quickly notice the splash of brilliant orange in the corner of the room. We love this one and are so thrilled to have purchased it. The bonus was that she had the buds formed and was ready to bloom as soon as she arrived home.
A few more weeks of visual pleasure until we will have to wait another year to see them again.
Third New Orchid Intro ..
Vanda
Wilas x Dr. Anek
Our Second Vanda Orchid has arrived!!! .. And there is no way I can hid the fact that this Vanda is in full bloom. What an incredible display of beauty. These flowers are a rich shade of magenta, unlike our other Vanda that will eventually bloom indigo colored flowers.
This rather large gal is a really beauty. She is mature and has a nice foliar pattern that is quite healthy. This particular hybrid is a cross between two Vanda orchids, Wilas and Dr Anek. Her root system still has a bit of growing to do, but is more than efficient in order to support the plant.
Kiki! .. This new Vanda came with three little kiki forming at her base. They are no where ready to be removed since they have no established root system of their own yet. It may be a few years until they are ready to be separated from their mother.
How About Those FLOWERS?!! Simply beautiful.
I think this was a good introduction to our newest three Orchids. I can't wait to see how these beauties develop over time. I am also excited to start learning a bit more about them as I get the time to do so. For now we'll keep a close eye on them and get them all settled in to their new environment.. Our home.
Welcome Home
“It is when we think we can act like God, that all respect is lost, and I think this is the downfall of peace. We lie if we say we do not see color and culture and difference. We fool ourselves and cheat ourselves when we say that all of us are the same. We should not want to be the same as others and we should not want others to be the same as us. Rather, we ought to glory and shine in all of our differences, flaunting them fabulously for all to see! It is never a conformity that we need! We need not to conform! What we need is to burst out into all these beautiful colors!”
― C. JoyBell C.
