Couldn't resist clearance miltoniopsis orchids

I stopped by a small nursery today to browse around and I stumbled across some clearance orchids. There were a small bunch of miltoniopsis orchids on a shelf and the bright orange clearance sticker caught my eye. They were only five dollars! I was trying to pick through them to find one to purchase. But after a while I thought, why just one? I ended up grabbing three. Each plant was $29.98 originally. What a deal! As expected for orchids that are marked down, the blooms are on their way out and are a little worse for wear.  I think they are still pretty and the plants looked healthy with plump pseudobulbs.  I have never rebloomed a miltoniopsis before, so wish me luck. Now I have a total of four of these. You can see my first miltoniopsis in this post: Last miltoniopsis flowers. And of course orchids they sell around here almost never have tags. If you know the ID, please let me know.

This red one has extra large flowers and is fragrant.  They are almost 3.5 inches across and 4 inches tall.

I thought this yellow one was a little plain, but still got it because it was fragrant and for the color.  I don't have any yellow orchids that have flowered. It was the only yellow one in the bunch.

And the last also has the smallest flowers. It's 2.5 inches across versus 3 inches for the others. But I like the more complex details and colors.  Unfortunately, I don't detect any fragrance.
Update: I did detect a fragrance the next day. A pleasant surprise.

Merry Christmas! Dendrobium Burana Sundae in the sun

I wish you all a very merry Christmas. I'm relaxing on the couch and noticed the sunlight hitting the flowers. I purchased this plant on Oct. 22 with four bloomed flowers. There are a total of nine flowers on the stem and they have all been opened for a while. They are still going strong. I thought I'd share.

Beallara Marfitch 'Howard's Dream' in full bloom

All the flowers finally opened.  I posted a picture of the spike forming in a previous post from November 1st.  Here is the link: Last miltoniopsis flowers.

The following picture shows the buds on December 9th.

And here is what they look like today.  There are two spikes with three flowers each.  The one hanging down bloomed a couple of weeks before.  The other just finished opening.  

Blooming phaleonopsis

I have a NOID phaleonopsis that bloomed today. It is from a branching of a previously bloomed spike. This is probably my oldest orchid, about 7 years maybe?  It hasn't really gotten any bigger as it looses leaves at the same rate they grow. I have that problem with all my orchids. How do I get it to grow more leaves? It seems like I only get 1 per year.

Bloom Update: Paph. Supersuk 'Eureka' AM/AOS x Paph. Raisin Pie 'Hsinying') x Sib

I purchased this paph. in bud on Oct. 22 2016 and it took a while for it to bloom. Here is a link to the post (New plant purchases!) I made on the day I acquired the plant.  

I love all the colors, textures and details of this flower. Here are some photos that show the progression.

Nov 18:

Nov 20:

Nov 21:

Dec 1:

Another new orchid: Looks like a Phal. Dtps. Sogo Yenlin "Coffee" ?

I have purchased more new plants in the last couple of months than I have in several years combined. I really need to stop. I don't really have room to put them. Good thing this is new acquisition is a mini phaleonopsis. I put it back on the shelf a couple of times but eventually gave in. I purchased this one for the leaves rather than the flowers. Variegated leaves! It didn't come with a tag. Please comment if you know the ID of the plant.

Phal. Yu Pin Fireworks X Dtps. Yu Pin Ocicat

I saw this orchid yesterday and I just had to get it. I've only seen one big lip orchid in person at the MOS orchid show.  They should be fairly new in the market, and I have read that the big lip is due to a mutation. The flower was a simple subtle orchid sitting in a bunch of flashier colored orchids which looked amazing, but I selected this one due to the shape and size of the lip. Also notice the branching in the flower spike. My other complex Phal. hybrids which are noids flower on a single straight spike.   Enjoy!

Orchid hual from Andy's orchids

This past weekend, there was a Friday orchid sale at Andy's.  A list of about 100 plants were 40% off.  I have purchased too many plants recently, but couldn't pass up the offer.  I purchased them online on Sunday, they were shipped Monday and I got them today 11/23.  I was a little worried about the cold temperatures at night, they dipped into the high 20's.  But all the orchids arrive live and well.  These genus are very new to me so I hope that I can grow them well. 

The plants were packaged very nicely.  It did come with a heat pack, but it was no longer warm.

After removing all the packing peanuts the plants are on the bottom.

Schoenorchis tixieri - A true miniature orchid.  And it looks like it already has a past flower spike.  

Paphiopedilum spicerianum - I think I count about five growths.  I was hoping that it would be in spike as this is the right time of year for it. But I guess I'll have to wait.

Neofinetia falcata (Onamisecai) - This has five fans as well.  So I think it should be a pretty mature plant. 

Leptotes bicolor - This one is supposed to be very floriforious.  I'm hoping it is large enough to bloom.

Chamaeangis (Microterangis) hildebrandtii  -  This had two old flower spikes so it is definitely blooming size.  I found a bunch of tiny snails in the moss, so I'll have to try and keep this away from the others. 

Schoenorchis juncifolia - Weeping plant that has blooms that are supposed to remind you of wisteria.

Sophronitis Cernua  - Smaller than expected.  I believe the bulbs are supposed to be about an inch, but they are a lot smaller.  I think I will probably have to wait a while for this one to bloom.

MOS Orchid Show and more new plants! 😜

I went to the MOS Orchid Show on Nov. 5, 2016 and of course I can't leave empty handed. This was my first orchid show.  It was exciting, but seemed a little small.  Here are a few pictures from the show.

The show had a small number of vendors. My first purchase was from Andy's orchids. They are well known for their 'orchids on a stick' and specialize is species orchids. Andy was very helpful and spent time showing me plants when I asked for easy to grow orchids as I still consider myself a beginner. I ended up buying a couple from his recommendations.

Dendrobium tannii. The color of the flowers differ from plant to plant. But I believe Andy said the ones they had were pink.  The flowers are supposed to last for months. The canes looked a little shrively and did plump after watering. But I'll need to keep them dry as winter is coming. I also pulled away some of the brown dried bits from the canes. I figure that it will give the plant more area for photosynthesis and I also found a tiny dead bug crammed in between one of the canes and the dried stuff. So cleaning up the orchid will help it harbor less pests. Good thing I didn't find any live ones.

Encyclia bractescens. It should have narrow star shaped flowers, red-brown sepals and petals, and the lip is white with fine lines of purple radiating from the center. I just love the moss that has grown all over. It looks like a very established mount.

Sphagnum moss (tillandsia usneoides). Not an orchid and actually an air plant but I always wanted some so I had to grab it.  I see people grow them in their vanda baskets along side the roots and this is what I plan to do with some of it. I'll also use some on a grape wood branch that has a few mounted air plants. I'll have plenty of leftovers. It was an enormous amount for only 5$. I know down south they can't get rid of this fast enough. But up north a tiny handful probably cost 15$ at a nursery so I was lucky to get it for such a deal! I hear it's hard to grow indoors during the winter due to the dry air, but Andy says it is easy, so we'll see.

Piping Rock Orchids specializes in Paphiopedilums & Phragmipediums but I didn't get any.  

Butterwort (pinguicula).  I purchased a butterwort.  Again, not an orchid but I'm also a fan of carnivorous plants. I have fungus gnats that will hopefully fall prey to the plant. They also have pretty flowers which remind me of violets. Carnivorous plants do not like too much mineral and salts in the water.  I'm hoping tap water will be ok as I don't have a tds meter and don't plan to buy one anytime soon.  It wasn't labeled with the name of the cultivar so if u know please let me know in the comments.

From Fair Orchids I purchased an orchid.  I was actually on my way out and saw this little guy and wanted to get just one more.  

Dendrobium jenkinsii.  It's a miniature orchid with golden orange flowers. The flowers don't last long but are supposed to cover the plant. Look! I see some growing root tips.

I wanted to purchase more, but controlled myself.  There was a vendor there that specializes in orchids from japan.  I was very tempted to buy a Neofinetia falcata orchid, but will hold off for a future purchase.