In The Greenhouse (06/06)

Somehow, there's always a month where not much is happening, even though it's supposedly peak orchid season. This is probably due to the fact that subtle changes in weather patterns sync up all the plants in my greenhouse and under shade net outside in the cold. The autumn flowering has come and gone. Lots of buds promise beauty for late winter and early spring, but at the moment it is kind of quiet. I'll get some photos and comments up about the Winter Show of the Orchid Society of the Northern Transvaal which will be running from 30 June to 2 July. I think that this will more than make up for this month's modest offerings.

Cymbidium Leodogran Cradlemont. I inherited this orchid from my aunt when she moved to George. Cymbidiums are notoriously difficult to flower at the seaside, where the maritime climate prevents the large differences in day and night temperatures that these denizens of the Himalaya foothills require. This cultivar received an award of merit from the American Orchid Society. It's a strong grower and very floriferous. The flowers tend to cluster together - although this may just be because of the way I grow it. It is highly fragrant, a heady combination of halva and frangipani (well, that's how I would describe it). Scented Cymbidiums are quite rare and to find one that is also something to look at is rather special.


Potinara Atomic Mushroom. Yummy. Potinara is the name given to a hybrid between four completely different (yet related) genera: Cattleya, Laelia, Brassavola and Sophronitis. The result is usually a compact-growing plant with brightly coloured flat flowers. This one does what it says on the packet, exploding with the nuclear colours seen in Hiroshima, Bikini Atoll and in the Nevada desert. And it's tiny. The flowers only measure about 4cm across.

Dendrobium Dal's Glory x Blue Twinkle. A cross that hasn't been registered with it's own name yet. The flowers are not as large or rounded as some of the more commonly seen hardcane Dendrobiums, but the intensity of colour delivers impact nevertheless. This is one of the few hardcane Dendrobiums I keep under shade net - it doesn't seem to mind the cold and I do think the colours are that bit darker because of it.


Jumellea arachnantha. This thing was impossible to photograph well, because the plant is enormous and obscured by various other things. The species name means 'spider-flower' and is quite apt. This species comes from the Comoros, a group of islands off the east coast of Africa. It is a beautiful plant with long strap-shaped leaves held in a fan shape. During winter a multitude of white flowers emerge from the leaf bases, carried singly by thin inflorescences about 20cm long.