My Temperate Orchid Thread

[NBLD]

Nice!!!

 

[cody]

awesome pics dude

i just ordered aplecrum hyemale, epipactus gigantea, palustris, e. gigantea 'serpentine night' and dactylorhiza fuschii 'bressingham bonus'. have any words of wisdom oh great grower of temperate orchid species? i'm hoping my bletilla striata and bletilla x yokohama will bloom this year. i really want to grow some cyps, but they're still so expensive.

 

[Cthulhu138]

Nice ! I'd like to add E.gigantea 'Serpentine Night' and some more Dactylorhiza species in the spring. I assume you got these from Keeping it Green ?

 

[cody]

nope, far reaches farm and arrowhead alpines. i'm always a bit leary about ordering online, i've been burned too many times. do you recommend keeping it green?

 

[Cthulhu138]

Yeah, they're great. Lots of temperate orchids. Never heard of the the one you mentioned.

 

[cody]

arrowhead alpines is in michigan and is where i'll be working this spring. they have a few cyps, so i'll try to pick them up then. far reaches farm is new to me, but came highly recommended. i'm looking at k.i.g. right now, will probably make a small order there.

 

[Cthulhu138]

I'll have to check that place out in the spring. None of my Cypripedium bloomed last year because of the mild winter we had. They never really got the deep freeze they need.

 

[Cthulhu138]

Orchis italica is putting out a bloom. This may be the only specimen of this species in the United States.

 

[Cthulhu138]

Orchis italica in full bloom.

Ophrys ferrum equinum just starting to bloom.

 

[mato]

Even better than I expected. I can just picture some Hellenic goat herder watching this flower waving around in the wind, like some divine visit from the forest nymphs (minus the phalli).

 

[hcarlton]

Is it just me, or do the italica flowers look like they're smiling at us?

 

[Wire Man]

You are an orchid wizard!

 

[Cthulhu138]

Here's some more wizardry for you Graham..........

More Orchis italica pics.

Ophrys ferrum equinum opened it's first bloom this morning.

 

[cody]

love the ophrys ferrum equinum, the labellum is so unusual.

 

[Pk93]

Love all of the orchids! That Ophrys is amazing! Alas I find that they are near impossible to get ahold of in the US, Im so envious >_<..

 

[Cthulhu138]

Love all of the orchids! That Ophrys is amazing! Alas I find that they are near impossible to get ahold of in the US, Im so envious >_<..

Thanks. It took me years to track down someone who grew the genus.

 

[Pk93]

Dang, that is commitment for sure.. I always thought that Ophrys (at least in their native habitat) heavily rely on their symbiotic relationship with a mycorrhizal fungus; is this true? If so how do you account for this?
Sorry for all the questions >_<

 

[Cthulhu138]

They only rely on mycorrhizal associations for seed germination. I just grow mine in coir with a little lime mixed in.

 

[mato]

Man, that's awesome. Wouldn't mind setting up another planter on the balcony just for temperate orchids.

 

[Cthulhu138]

Many species would do great year round in your area. Lots need high shade and some, like these last 2 I posted need a very dry dormancy.