Toronto Gesneriad Society Show, 2010

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I went to the Toronto Gesneriad Society Show earlier today. It was my first day off since I started working last Saturday so I told myself I would decide to go or not based on whether I slept though it or not. I didn't.

Here are some pictures:


Episcia 'Ember Lace' - If I could grow Episcia at all this cultivar would be at the top of my list.


Episcia 'Blue Nile'


Streptocarpus 'Purple Panda'


Streptocarpus dunnii


Saintpaulia 'Demer's Pixie Belle'


Saintpaulia ionantha subsp. orbicularis


Chirita liboensis - My favourite of the show. Large Dark leaves with huge numbers of flowers. The plant was pretty big as well compared to the Chirita cultivars I grow. Very striking.


Columnea pulchra 'Orange Crush'


Kohleria 'Pink Shadow'


Sinningia sp. Florianopolis

Southern Ontario Orchid Society Show, 2010

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As promised, a selection of my favourite pictures from the SOOS show.

Including the ones I posted yesterday there are 75 pictures from the show - you can find all 75 pictures here.

This post will be light on words, heavy on pictures. Enjoy!


Vanda Sansai Blue


Propetalum Mathina


Miltoniopsis Maui Sunset '409' - Really like this one.


Angraecum leonis


Vanda Nok x Vanda Yip Sum Wah


Paphiopedilum Leopard x Macabre #1 - My own NOID Paph. seems likely to share parentage with this plant, likely from the same or a very close cross.


Paphiopedilum Macabre - Paphs and Phrags were extremely well represented here.


Phragmipedium Magdalene Rose x besseae


Cymbidium NOID


Dendrobium Katsuura


Cymbidium Leo

Southern Ontario Orchid Society Show, 2010

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I spent this morning at the Southern Ontario Orchid Show. Got there at around 10:30 and stood in line for half an hour. Paid my entry, checked my coat and went for the sales tables. Here was my haul:

I started by looking through the two rooms for plants on my sales list and found an Aerangis fastuosa from the same vendor I got my Aerangis biloba from last year. I was super tempted by a few Oncidium alliance intergenics and hybrids but for now I was going to keep on trucking with my list.



Aerangis fastuosa

By the time I cleared the second room I was sure I wasn't going to find a ton of stuff from my list so I expanded to things closely related to things on my list.



Phalaenopsis philippinensis


Phalaenopsis philippinensis - showing the underside of the leaves.

Phalaenopsis philippinensis was a good alternate to P. schilleriana (the silver markings are not as attractive but it does have the bonus maroon colour to the undersides of the leaves and to the new growth.



Ludisia discolor var. alba

Ludisia discolor var. alba was the most exciting jewel orchid I saw. I'd have loved to get a Macodes sanderiana but there were none to be found. The Ludisia was pretty cheap though and it is nice so on the whole I'm pretty happy with it.



Milt. Rene Komoda 'Pacific Cloud'


Milt. Rene Komoda 'Pacific Cloud' Flower

Back at the table where I found my Aerangis while there were many stunning Oncidium intergenics in bold colours with all sorts of spots and elongated pointed petals and all sorts of nonsense (which is not to say I didn't want them all mind you, just no space and not enough money) this Miltonia. The flowers are smaller than many and the markings are so simple but it was so striking. I bought one with three spikes, one basically fully open, another starting to open and a third not open at all, but with only 2-3 buds on it. It's a small plant but I think it's fantastic.



Neostylis Lou Sneary 'Bluebird'


Neostylis Lou Sneary 'Bluebird' Flower

My dad had asked us to look for an orchid he used to have which was "yellow" and smelled like "Cinnamon." Couldn't find it but I figured he would like this anyway. It's blue (ish) and smells amazing (sort of like Jasmin and allspice). So... you know, close enough right? And only $25 for a fairly big plant as far as these things go.

It is a cross of Neofinetia falcata x Rhynchostylis coelestis and should be about a million times easier than a Neofinetia but I'm a little concerned I don't have Vanda appropriate conditions. Will have to see how this goes.



Sarcoglottis sceptrodes

My mom picked this out though I'll admit I'd already been eying it. Another orchid grown for its leaves. It's supposed to be easy but too much light and it will get more red but lose the variegation, too little light and it will lose the red but keep the variegation. Have to do a lot of research on this. It's supposed to be easy, according to the person who sold it to her.

I also took about a bajillion pictures (actually only some 180 +/-, and many of those are of name tags) of the show plants which means it will take a fair bit of time to get those sorted through so you may see them later tomorrow or maybe Monday, or maybe spread out over a few posts. But I think right now i need to have a nap.

P.S. - If you're in/near Toronto and didn't go to the show today I definitely recommend going tomorrow.

Southern Ontario Orchid Society Show, 2010 preview post

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The Southern Ontario Orchid Society Show is this coming weekend (February 13 & 14) and I'm looking to be prepared this year. Last year I was barely starting out in orchids and went with a short list of things to look out for in the show and things to try to buy. At the end of the day I was overwhelmed by the massive range of plants exhibited and available and walked away with only one plant, my Aerangis biloba and a much increased desire to know more about orchids.



Dendrochilum sp., Picture taken at SOOS Show, 2009

Over the past year (past two months especially) I have read so much about orchids, learned a lot and collected a few. I've decided to focus my collection over the next year on primarily the groups of orchids I have had most success with - Phalaenopsis, Paphiopedilum (had success but not so much looking to increase numbers here), Angraecoid orchids (possibly one of my favourite groups of orchids) and Jewel orchids. Oncidiums are likely a group I will be branching out into so I will not rule them out here.

Dendrobiums are something I will be looking into eventually but not yet - I don't really have anywhere suitable to give even the most forgiving hybrids the winter rest they need. Dens also need brighter light than I can promise them. Cattleyas need more light as well so I'll be holding off on more of those for the time being as well, though if the ones I already have start to do well that will change. That won't be this week at any rate so for this year no Catts.



Odbrs. Fangtastic Bob Henley, Picture taken at SOOS Show, 2009
This flower reminds me of a ripe banana and I think I'd buy one if I saw it for sale.

So this year I fully intend to buy at least:

One of Aerangis fastuosa (supposed to be amazingly fragrant with a "sweet and spicy" fragrance that can fill a room from a single 1" flower on a 3" plant) or Angraecum didieri (Tabbie describes the fragrance: "Early in the evening the pale green and white star begins to smell like a spicy sweet melon. Later the fragrance becomes darker and more intense, exuding scents which are sometimes musky, sometimes laced with smoke, and sometimes exactly like black licorice or sweet anise candies." I would be very tempted to get both. Both are hot growers (Ang. didieri being more adaptable to cooler temperatures as well though that doesn't matter much in my terrarium) suitable for low light and prefer humid conditions, so either would be best suited to life in my terrarium, in my bedroom.

Miltonia spectabilis var. moreliana is one I wrote about previously. Another flower described as being like black black licorice. Strange, I don't even like black licorice that much as a candy but it's interesting in a flower.

Macodes sanderiana/petola or another Jewel orchid of some sort, as I wrote about previously. My Ludisia discolor is growing well enough for me I'm confident I can manage a few more that take the same growing conditions, which is basically all of them. After seeing some pictures of jewel orchids in situ I can much better appreciate their needs. My Ludisia discolor spike is also developing very well and I saw a small specimen of M. sanderiana at the SOOS Meeting and they are even more amazing than any picture can show. Unlike a Ludisia the stripes sparkle as light hits them from certain angles.

If I either can't find any of the above plants (or have money left over) then I would consider:

Cattleya Minerva (I could make room in a south window for something this nice)

Miltassia Shelob 'Webmaster'

I imagine at this point I'll have run out of money but I may buy something else that catches my eye if I still have money or can't find anything else on the list.



Dendrobium kingianum, Picture taken at SOOS Show, 2009

Another thing I will do is where possible record the names of the orchids I take pictures of. I think from last year I can figure out at least the group each orchid is from though after the show I found myself very confused about some things... Such as everything to do with the Dendrobium purpureum var. alba below. So this year, snap a shot of the name after getting the flower.



Dendrobium purpureum var. alba, Picture taken at SOOS Show, 2009