Sweet Cicely, no team here. I think hardy Calvin is from Arctic north. But I grow in z8-9. Hehe. Calvin, thanks for the sinense "gold bird". Is it nicely fragrant? The show must be great despite the inclement Canadian winter. rfraser, in addition to clouds orchid cited by white cat. I read about Eric Wolf of winterview orchid. It seems he is quite knowledgeable. Both could be good sources, although I havenÂt tried. White cat, where did you get your ÂTeikanÂ?

I have a NoID cym that only flowers in the shadiest and coolest spot in my backyard. It gets maybe 2 or 3 hours of direct sunlight early in the morning and then full shade for the rest of the day. When I tried to flower it in spots where most of my cyms flower very well, the flower spikes didn't even develop properly. So, maybe moving your cym to a spot where it receives less light might fix the problem. Another issue I find is that getting the young pseudobulbs to mature as quickly as possible is also important, since it is the new pseudobulbs that are largely responsible for the flowering. If they don't mature over spring and summer and develop flowerspikes over winter, then they will flower the following season but will develop flowerspikes too early when the night temps are still too warm. In this case, it might be beneficial to use a high nitrogen fertilizer when the new pseudobulbs appear and switch to a high potassium fertilizer in early summer to initiate flower spike development. Hope this helps.

Time to say that almost no one grows Cymbidiums indoors in Sydney. They are outdoor plants apart from bringing them inside to enjoy while they are blooming. I do grow some orchids indoors all year because outside is a death zone but they are Phalaenopsis species and hybrids and are lower light orchids. Why not Cymbidiums indoors? Lack of light (the human eye is a hopeless light meter). Lack of air movement Lack of daily temperature ranges and seasons. Here are some notes for cultivation in the Sydney, Australia area. CYMBIDIUM Culture Notes These notes cover Hybrid Cymbidiums ( Standard, Intermediate and Miniature). Cymbidiums are the most commonly grown orchids in the Sydney area. To grow them successfully they require three important factors, fertilizer (food) water and light. LIGHT Cymbidiums should be grown under 50% shadecloth or under the shade of a tree that provides broken or filtered light. If you notice that the foliage of your plants have a tinge of yellow that is a indication that your plants are receiving the correct amount of sunlight. This combined with your watering and fertilizing program should give you flowers in the winter months. However, if the foliage is a bright green that is an indication that the plant is receiving too much shade and should receive more light. The more sunlight hours your plant receives the greater the flowering prospects. FERTILISER Use Aquasol as recommended by the maker and apply from spring through to mid winter. Or, if you are able to procure Campbells Orchid Fertilizer use the Blue Powder (high in Nitrogen) from about August through to the middle of December. The high Nitrogen content of the fertilizer promotes plant growth. On ceasing to apply the blue powder then switch to Campbells Yellow Powder (high in Potassium). The high Potassium content initiates and promotes flower formation and growth. It is essential that the makers recommendations be followed. Ensure regular fertilizing, about every week. Before fertilizing your plants give them a thorough watering and about one-hour later apply you fertilizer. WATERING This is the most difficult aspect of orchid growing. It is dependent on many factors  growing media and prevailing weather conditions. Generally the plants should have a slight element of moisture but not wet all the year round. It will be a general rule that in the winter months watering should be done about once a week and as the weather starts to warm up through Spring and into Summer the frequency of watering should be increased to a maximum of daily watering in the height of summer. Water early in the day so that your plants will be dry by nightfall. If the weather is overcast, refrain from watering. BENCHING Plants should never be allowed to sit on the ground as the drain hole of the pot will soon get clogged up and retain excess amounts of water which will lead to root and rot. Place your plants on a brick, or on a bench. POTTING MIXES Buy a good quality potting mixture from a reputable orchid nursery or garden centre. The mixture should be open and allow water to drain through freely. Generally a potting mixture should last two years. POT SIZE Chose a pot size appropriate to the size of your Cymbidium. It is important that the roots just fit into the pot. If the pot is too large, the mixture will not dry out between watering, the roots will remain constantly wet and the plant will be lost. REPOTTING This should be undertaken in September/October, after flowering when the new growth commences. When dividing the plant it is recommended that about four green bulbs form each new division. Should smaller divisions be used you will setback the growth program and not have flowers in the next season. Cut off all dead roots and try to save as many live roots as possible, though new roots will develop and replace those that have died. DonÂt bury the bulbs of the division in the compost, but ensure that the bulbs are firmly placed in the compost. A shaky plant will not develop roots and growth. Do not water your new division for a few days. Keep the plant out of direct sun and mist the foliage. You may apply some Nutricote (3-4 month) to the top of the pot. A dessert spoon of this is adequate. PESTS & DISEASES Like most things orchids are prone to pests and diseases. VIRUS Some plants which have yellow spotting or markings on their foliage may be infected with virus  a common virus is Cymbidium Mosaic Virus (abbreviated as CyMV). There is no cure for this virus and could spread through your entire collection. If you have doubts you could consult with the Royal Botanical Gardens, Sydney or any orchid society by taking the plant or infected foliage to them. Viruses are spread through cutting instruments. It is essential that all cutting tools be sterilised by flaming them after each cutting operation. PEST CONTROL Pests cause damage by sucking the sap from the cells of the plant tissue or by attacking the foliage. RED SPIDER MITE The under side often leaves become speckled and silvered. Flowers become deformed and spotted. A fine webbing develops when infestations are very heavy. Pale yellow/green minute mites with a prominent dark spot on each side of the body. Mites turn red in winter. They are present all the year round. Warm dry conditions promote infestations. MEALY BUG Small fluffy sucking insects which often hide in crevices at the base of the foliage on the inside of the developing new growth. They are present all the year round. SCALE A small soft or hardened sucking insect which clings to under surface of the foliage. FUNGUS DISEASE Plants have black areas on the leaves PEST AND DISEASE CONTROL Consult with a garden centre or an orchid society. When using chemicals exercise extreme caution and follow the manufacturerÂs instructions. ,

Thanks again! Sweetcicely - I painted that picture for a friend last Christmas. The character you are talking about is 'spring' :) The poem was written by Ming Xue Wang during the Tang dynasty (I think). It is translated as (roughly - my Chinese really stinks): I love the graceful fragrant orchid It's modest colors flirt with the spring sunshine. In the deep forest, amongst the west wind and winter chill It is fragrant in solitude [the last line is written with the mood that despite the absence of any onlooker / admirer to appreciate it's fragrance, it is still fragrant - ie a romantic perspective on the entire 'if a tree falls in a forest and no one is there to hear it, does it still make a sound' kind of idea] How ironic that mine isn't fragrant at all! But maybe it's still early to detect anything!