One of my Zygopetalums has bloomed!!! It’s the NOID one that I bought at Trader Joe’s in June 2010, and I am so in love with it (click image to see larger version):
Orchid Progress Report: Blooms and Possible Keikis
The Tale of a Mislabeled Orchid
I was just looking at some orchids for sale on Oak Hill Gardens‘ website (thanks for the suggestion, Hillery!) and found out that my Phalaenopsis amboinensis is most likely a Phalaenopsis bastianii instead. Let’s compare, shall we?
AMBOINENSIS:
BASTIANII:
Here’s a photo of my orchid (sorry it’s a bit dark…I took the pic a few minutes ago. It’s dark outside, and my lighting indoors isn’t great):
Totally a bastianii, right?? This is one of the orchids that I received from Orchids by Hausermann a year-ish ago. Its tag says that it’s an amboinensis, and when the first bud opened recently I noted that it looked different than I had expected. I figured that there’s a ton of variety in orchids, so…not a big deal. But when I saw the Phal bastianii on Oak Hill Gardens’ site, I recognized it immediately: that telltale furry purple lip, the slim, oval petals. I don’t really mind—I think it’s beautiful regardless—but I was surprised to find that it had been mislabeled. I suppose this stuff happens a lot in the orchid world, especially considering that when the plants aren’t in bloom, so many of them look the same!
Has anyone out there ever bought an orchid thinking it was one species, but then it turned out to be something else? Do tell!
My Phal Amboinensis is Blooming!
The title of this blog post says it all. I discovered a little bloom opening this morning when I went to mist my orchids:
This is the first of my Hausermann’s purchases to spike and bloom (aside from the Phal manii which was in bloom when it arrived). Mine looks a little different from the typical Phal amboinensis, which you can see in this orchid of the week post from awhile back. The purple lip is what makes this one unique:
The bloom isn’t fully open, but I got so excited that I had to write about it. As you can see, there are two other buds developing on this spike (I wish there were more, but at least it’s blooming, period!). Once this baby opens up more, I’ll post another update!
Also: I’m planning to go to The Orchid Show at the NYBG this Friday! Woohoo!!
Glorious New Big Box Phals
This morning I was in the mood for more orchids, so I took a walk to the Home Depot over in Gowanus, which is really not easy to get to on foot. It’s rather sketchy over in those parts (very industrial), but I made it there and back in one piece and with TWO new orchids! The Lowe’s was on my way home so I figured, what the hell, I may as well stop in there too. And, well—as usual—I couldn’t resist. The orchid I got at HD is this lovely dark red Phal that looks more on the magenta side in this photo:
Blooming Bonanza, a Rescued Orchid, & an RIP
In the past week, THREE of my orchids have bloomed, starting with this adorable harlequin orchid on Valentine’s Day:
Orchid of the Week: Phalaenopsis White Dream
I missed posting an Orchid of the Week yesterday because my boyfriend and I made a trip to Spa Castle, a really awesome and affordable Korean Day spa in Queens. I’m posting today instead, and my visit to the spa got me thinking about how some spas use white Phalaenopsis orchids in their advertising. And in movies/on TV, a lot of spas and massage places have white orchids as part of their decor. I suppose these orchids with long sprays of giant, pure white blooms are synonymous with relaxation and pampering in the spa world. So…this week’s orchid is the Phalaenopsis White Dream, apparent spa orchid of choice:
Amazingly, I don’t have one of these in my own collection, though they are popular and sold almost everywhere I go to buy orchids. However, my friend recently received a big white orchid (actually 2 plants potted together) at work from a vendor, and I’m going to pick it up from her office so that I can pot the plants separately and care for them at home. I will be the proud owner of these “spa orchid” beauties very soon! 🙂