Love them! :-) These pics made my day - and that lycaste looks awesome! Any fragrance?

Hey, Pat

That Salu's Fragrancy x Sweet Revenge is beautiful! Ilove the glossy/waxy phals. And orange is such a rare color.

You've talked me into an order from him. What else did you get?

Here is a link that might be useful: Byrd's Orchids

Nice deppi and it looks like you have more getting ready to bloom. Love the lycastes!

Nice orange phal - I have an orange one here you need to breed with that one. You can send me a flask when they are ready :>)

Love your Peeper - he needs to meet mine. At least your Slinky on Patrol doesn't look like a snake.

Beautiful pics as usual.

Brooke

Beautiful flowers.

I love the picture of the frog napping on the orchids.

I happen to have one very shy and VERY noisy frog who decided to live inside my GH. It makes a lot of ruckus with the froggy noises and then becomes dead silent whenever someone gets within 10 feet of the greenhouse.
At least my greenhouse is far enough away from the house that we dont mind the noise - small price to pay for free pest control inside the GH :)

Geez, my internet connection loads so slow (or my glasses are so dirty) that I didn't even see that little green guy before I posted.

Now, *that's* a frog I could kiss! Darling little guy.

hello, Pat, very nice photos. thanks.
sue

Thanks you guys!!

No fragrance from the Lyc. - yet, Calvin. But the phal has a sweet rose smell - just lovely!! BTW - I saw the picture of your flasks. It's just awesome that you are doing that. GOOD LUCK .....and please keep us updated with pics!!!

Mehitabel I got them ALL....lol (I think - need to check). I made an order with Byrd's a while back (included the phal above), and received another order today. I was stunned at the size of these "seedlings" ......one of the plants has a 14 inch leaf span side to side. Beautiful plants, nice roots too! Here are the ones I got today after a nice bath, and repotting (GASP!!) into clay pots with "my mix".
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Brooke I'd have to send the pods out to Calvin to flask them for us......LOL......
I LOVE the Lyc. too!!.....;0)

wetfeet - My home is surrounded on three sides by the St. Johns River Swamp. Talk about a ruckus.....at night here the frog "songs" are really something else. I mean....REALLY....lol.......

Thanks again everyone!!
Pat......

Pat, they look very healthy and i checked their website: their prices are really attractive too. it is a mixed blessing for me that they do not ship out of the U.S. i am always interested in different kinds of mixes too; so, please tell me what is in yours. thanks
sue

Hi littlem,
The mix I use for potted phals is very open. The bottom half of pot is chunks of lava rock. The top is a mix of smaller lava rock, charcoal, and a standard bark mix (bark - because I have this *thing* in my head about having something organic in the pot) all at about a third each, with a wee bit of moss added in. On new plants I add a thin layer of moss on the top that will be removed later, or replaced if it's needed. My orchids are greenhouse grown, and are watered daily (most days) this time of the year. I do a kind of daily wet/dry cycle and my mix keeps this in mind - if you will. I mount a lot of my phals too (all species/some hybrids), and they must be watered daily. My aim is to have the pots dry out at about the same rate as the mounts, so when they are being auto watered, or I water them myself I don't have to go thru over 200 plants and pick out who needs water and who doesn't. That way I can go in there and just go nuts with the watering wand....;0))
Pat.....

I always enjoy your greenhouse pics, Pat. At first look I thought your 'sleeping beauty' was an odd psb. LOL

Marci

Love the orange phal - cutie!
It is nice to see your greenhouse pics- kinda reminds me of ? greenproof- Kevin, who used to post a lot of green house pics.

Pat,

What a Beauty! There is so much to love in your new Salu cross--let me count the ways: The color and contrast are delightful to my eye. That thin golden edging makes a delicate frame. I love the way the column and lip light it up from the center. The form is graceful and interesting with those sharp pointed sepals and what appears to be a notched dorsal. It will be interesting to see if those form details hold in succeeding blooms. All that and fragrance, too!

That spatter painted Lycaste is exquisite. Sets me to wondering whether I can grow them...

Your little peep frog hopes Everyone thinks he is a pb. Perfect coloring, right up to the "eye."

Thank you for more, excellent pictures!

Sweetcicely

Today he/she was sleeping down in a RED brom, Marci. The contrast - very red and very green was worth a photo, but I woke him up, freaked him out, and it didn't happen.

I'm glad you enjoy the pictures Sambac. I will never forget the one of your bees......lol.....

It's fragrance is stronger today SweetC, and the colors are clearer .....very nice. I really like it.

Thanks for the nice comments everyone!!
Pat....

Pat, may be THEY are the reason that every orchid which blooms develop a seed pod, lol. From Dend anceps to tricolor suavis every orchid has a seed pod!

hello, Pat, thanks for the info re your mix. i think i will try that when i repot. do you repot every year?
sue

Gorgeous photos and great looking blooms! And I love that you always try to include photos of your little friends too -

Thanks for sharing them.

Alexa

p-can, book me a week in the greenhouse mid-May!!!! Everything is so perfect!!!! I love Mr. frog-and anole is cute too!!

Oh careful the Sambac, next thing you know be in the flasking business....lol.....I'll take one of each.....0))

I don't "repot" phals like you normally think of repotting Sue. For one thing, the phal mounts don't need anything until the mount rots, and at that it's just attached (plant and what's left of the mount) to a new mount, and life goes on. For my phals in pots - the lava rock and charcoal in the clay pots doesn't deteriorate or break down. I use rain water or RO to water with so I don't have to worry about mineral buildup. The roots attach so firmly to the rock and the pot, that you would pull the plant completely apart trying to repot. Over time, the bark breaks down and is washed out of the bottom of the pot (or goes somewhere - lol), and I may add a little something organic to the top, or maybe not. It depends on how the plant and roots look to me. So really, my phals in pots wind up being mounts - if that makes any sense...lol. This means a lot of air roots and exposed roots, but I am in the land of heat and humidity.

Just as an aside: I have NO problem with repotting and I think phals grown in organic media need to be repotted once a year or when needed (media breaks down and turns into goo). With other types of orchids, I am a dedicated pot puller....;0)

Thanks Alexa! I'm glad you enjoy the photos.......they (the critters) are always there when I go to get pictures of the flowers, and I'm always pointing a camera at them....;0).......

Thanks again everyone!!
Pat........

hello, pat, thanks.
sue

Hey, Pat and everyone! I got my order from Byrd's today.

WOW! Just gorgeous sturdy plants-- the smallest of the 2" $5 phals had 4 leaves and a leaf span of 8". One that I got in a 4" size for $12 came with three spikes, and a 16" span.

Needless to say, I am thrilled with my new little guys, most of them Timothy Christopher crosses, but also got the Salu Fragrancy x Sweet Revenge that Pat's picture of opened this thread.

And for non-lovers of phals, he offers catts and vandas as well.

Thank you, Mr Byrd!

Hi, Pat,

Oh, my gosh. The little orange is delightful! Do you know how large the plant gets?

I've got the I-Hsin Salmon Joy #3 (Princess Midas X Kuntrarti Rarashati). It stays small and has a nice, spicey scent, but there's something special about the fragrance of roses.

I-Hsin Salmon Joy #3:
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The Phrag Hanne Popow smells like roses, but mine got too big and was rehomed.

Congrats on the first blooming of the Lycaste. Its coloring is as subtle as the Phal's is bold.

That little frog is the cutest. What kind of lizard?

Mehitabel - Did you find your gold Phal at Byrd's? If so, which one is it?

Whitecat8

Mehitabel, I'm glad you are happy with your plants from Byrd's!! His plants are nice and sturdy.

WC, that's just beautiful!! I really don't know how large my plant will get but the tip to tip span as of now is about 7 inches. I'm not to sure what kind of lizard that is. You really don't see them much because they are really shy compared to the others around here. I was lucky this one sat still long enough for a photo.
Pat.....

About the lizard -- it's a mature brown anole. The males develop crests when they get older, which they frequently use as a display along with the dewlaps. There has been so much cross-breeding between the Cuban brown anole and the Bahaman brown anole (both exotics) that taxonomists no longer recognize two separate species here in Florida, although there can be a wide variation in coloring.

Unfortunately, this species is quickly out-competing the native green anole, which is much less aggressive...almost docile. The number of "pet owners" here in Florida who release these exotics when they're done with them is absolutely staggering!

Hi, Whitecat. I *love* that I-Hsin Salmon. Beautiful! The other pictures of it (and descriptions) don't do it justice. Your picture shows it off beautifully.

I really love the waxies, and that magenta lip it has is gorgeous. Fragrance is a big plus, and so rare in phals. I am definitely going to put that on my list. I think Big Leaf has one, hopefully will still have it when I accumulate some funds again :)

No, I don't think any of the Byrd's crosses are that elusive waxy/shiny gold I'm looking for. At Bedford Orchids photo gallery, Border's Gold, Brother Elizabeth (url below) and Brother Victory two pages further on have it, but not for sale anywhere I've seen. I found one at Olympia orchids called Maraldee that looks right.

About Byrd's -- tiny seedlings are just exciting to me. I like big in-spikes, of course. But the tinies are all promise, and all surprise. And with phals, you can bloom a lot of them within a year.

I did get the cross Pat's picture shows, a couple of ice-white/greens (The Ho's Dreamy x ... crosses) and the Timothy Christopher crosses. I love T Christopher -- just beautiful multifloras, and very nice texture when crossed with any waxy. Besides, I wanted more practice with seedlings, so I can try a flask next year.

PS I'm hoping to order some of the doritis crosses OrchidWeb offers this summer. No one else has anything like them.

Here is a link that might be useful: Border's Gold, and Brother Elizabeth

Wow such beautiful pictures. Thank you for sharing them with us. I love looking at the "livestock" too. PCAN: I was wondering if your beautiful little cross smells like roses only when you stick your nose down in it or if it gives off a fragrance a little ways away from it. I have read sooo many times of a phal being fragrant and then when you get them you can't smell a thing unless you stick your nose right down in the flowers. I am thinking about sending for a couple of these little plants from Byrds that say they have fragrance. ESPECIALLY if it smells like roses. Thanks again for the pictures.

Thanks Plantlovr!
Yeah... you have to pretty much stick your nose close. But, this is this little guys first blooming, so maybe with a little age and more flowers the smell will carry better.
Pat....

Bcfromfl, thanks for the info on the anole. It's sad about the natives getting crowded out.

Mehitabel, thanks for the compliment on the I-Hsin Salmon. The 2 you linked to are lovely. I'm on the trail of the "bluest" Phal. A fifth cousin is Dtps. Siam Treasure x Dtps. Siam Treasure (don't know the exact cross - something with Phal lowii and Doritis pulcherrima). Orchidweb carries it, as do other places.

Dtps. Siam Treasure

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Plantlovr, also, fragrance can depend on the conditions. If the plant's pollinated during the day, and the flowers are in the sun at the time the pollinator would be out, you've got the best chance. Even then, though, lots of orchids just don't project their scent. Sounds as if you've found this out, maybe the hard way. If you run across a Phal w/ a strong rose scent, let us know.

If you like Phrags, the Phrag Hanne Popow's rose scent travels 18" or so, at least mine did when a couple of flowers were open at the same time. They weren't in the sun, so maybe it would be stronger there.

Whitecat8

WC8 how tall are the spikes on your Dtps. Siam Treasure? I love the blue Doritis on my Kenneth Schubert but hate the spikes that get two feet tall. If the species in the cross is up close, the spikes could be much smaller.

Brooke

Brooke, here's a shot (bad lighting). The spike is long. To me, that delicate color is worth it.

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I'm gonna rehome the Kenneth Schubert 'Blue Angel' (Doritis pulcherrima x Phal. violacea). It bloomed from the same spike from 8/06 till I cut off the ugly spike this last January. The spike got long and didn't look good w/ only 1-2 flowers at the very end. And the flowers don't even have a scent.

WC8

Thanks for the pic WC8. I don't like that long of a spike particularly on the very small foliage. It isn't balanced to my eye.

I bought a Dtps. Purple Martin 'Champion' that is supposed to have the short spikes of the species parent. I should know soon, it just started spiking.

Rehoming is better than being Kev'd.

Brooke