Trip Report: Orchid Show in Wichita, Odds and Ends

This is the final episode of the 6 part series on the orchid show I attended in Wichita a couple of weeks ago.  If you haven't already, read about the exhibits, slippers and Vandas, Dendrobiums and Encyclias, and uncommon orchids I saw there.  This last post will just feature any pictures that I have left that I wanted to share.  There's not a real unifying theme among them.

First, I'll show off the two plants I purchased at the show that I haven't already shown you.  I purchased a Holcoglossum wangii from Oak Hill Gardens.  I have been seeing this genus for a while and knew that Oak Hill had a couple species for sale as mounted plants, so this was on my want list before I went to the show.  We picked out a nice, full plant to add to my terete leaved orchid collection.

Holcoglossum wangii hanging in my greenhouse

I'm sad to report that Oak Hill Gardens, one of my favorite orchid vendors, is closing their doors soon.  They are selling their orchids to another grower and selling their property to a non-orchid nursery company or something like that.  I have purchased more plants from Oak Hill than any other grower and I wish they were still going to be in business.  They have reasonable prices and grow a lot of species orchids.  They will be missed.

Anthurium marmoratum back at home

The other plant that I purchased and haven't yet shown off is not an orchid, but an aroid.  It is Anthurium marmoratum and is a really nice plant (above).  I have only seen this plant for sale on occasion on eBay and it is always much more than I paid.  I purchased this plant from Prairie Orchids.  They also had some really nice velvet leaf Anthuriums in their exhibit (pictured below).

A couple of Anthurium in the Prairie Orchids exhibit

The largest genus in the orchid family is Bulbophyllum.  I am not particularly drawn to this genus, but there are a couple of species that I like.  Below is a Bulbophyllum with rather large flowers (for the genus).

Bulbophyllum lobbii var. sumatranum 'Lenny'

The picture below is fairly representative, but there is just no comparison to seeing this plant in person.  This jewel orchid, Macodes petola, looks like lightning is running through the leaves.  It is really something to see, and this particular plant was very healthy and larger than any I had seen before.

Beautiful jewel orchid, Macodes petola

There are people who are absolutely fanatical about Neofinetias.  It is a tiny genus of just three known species, and yet there are hundreds of cultivars and intergeneric hybrids, including the genera Darwinia and Ascocenda.  The most common species, Neofinetia falcata, is known as the "Japanese Wind Orchid," and these plants are displayed in artistic displays and beautiful Asian pots like bonsai plants through Korea, China and especially in Japan.  The flower of the pure species Neofinetia falcata is white, but cultivars have light highlights of pink, purple or orange.  Hybrids can result in muted solid colors, like the plant pictured below.

Neofinetia hybrid for sale at Michel Orchids table

I have started growing several Cymbidium recently, primarily because they were given to me.  I would like to be able to grow these well, but the culture is different enough from my other orchids that I don't know if I will succeed.  All of my Cymbidiums produce their blooms on upright stalks.  Other Cymbidiums have pendulous bloom spikes that hang down from the plant, making these plants best suited to baskets or some other set up where the blooms will not just be laying on the ground.  There was a nice pendulous Cymbidium on display in Wichita (below).

Pendulous Cymbidium finlaysonianum 'Zia's Ray'

I hope you enjoyed my orchid show pictures.  Stay tuned for some photos from the orchid show I attended in Oklahoma City a couple of weeks later!

Plant Find: Two new jewel orchids

My good friend, Warren, recently sent me some starts to a couple of jewel orchids.  This is the same Warren who gave me the Sarcoglottis last year.  What a great friend!

My new jewel orchids are Macodes petola and Ludisia discolor.

Macodes petola

The Macodes has bright green leaves (though mine are more yellow right now) with prominent veins that look like gold thread.  They are notoriously hard to photograph in a way that shows off their attractive veins.

Ludisia discolor

The Ludisia looks similar to another jewel orchid in the Macodes genus - Macodes lowii.  However, M. lowii has rounder leaves and more prominent branching of the veins, while Ludisia discolor has pointed leaves and bold red parallel veins.  Both of these orchids have very dark leaves, but I think Ludisia discolor is darker.  In fact, Ludisia discolor is sometimes called "The Black Jewel Orchid."

The newly dedicated orchid terrarium

I talked with Warren about how to best grow these orchids, since they are a little different from some of the others that I grow and he suggested a terrarium.  So, I decided to do a little remodeling in my tall glass terrarium that has been more or less vacant for a while.  It now contains these two jewel orchids, my Macodes lowii and an Anthurium bakeri seedling.  I am setting this terrarium in a shady place in my greenhouse and hoping to get some good results from these orchids.

What do you think?