treehaus, I was hiking south toward Damascus, Virginia. The rhododendrons were just starting to bloom and everything was lush and green. This is a very pretty area and I would like to return there sometime. These orchids were growing in a stand of hemlock trees and there must have been about 50 plants in bloom. BTW, I just noticed, but it should be acaule and not acuale. Mike Mike

Nick, You have certainly picked an apt name for this thread. I have resolved the name of your orchid somewhat....how about Tolumnia Golden Sunray x Llonara Cassie's Prince. You are on the crest of the great renaming. I had no idea who the lady in question is/Rosie who? Thank goodness for google. Getting married is a "gamble fraught with danger" but many people "go boldly" to their doom. Back to the topic. I have only two Tolumnia mericlones. The one pictured above produced by Jones and Scully and Zelemnia Liz �Full Moon� produced and registered by Ross Maidment (Aranbeem Orchids) in 1985. Another one that is easy to grow provided you supply the essentials of; A free draining Mix, Underpotting and maintenance which includes removal of old leafless stumps and associated dead roots. One of the parents of Zelemnia Liz is Golden Sunset which is a parent in 134 registered crosses. Golden Sunray might be a spec parent. Wonder how the flowers on your orchid will turn out?

Update: Think I lost a few more due to hard freeze...waiting to see if there are any procrastinating seeds. But, the weather has warmed back up and it seems as though I will be getting a few more sprouts... 4/12: Aquilegia (Pink NOID) Aquilegia vulgaris (Clear Pink) 4/15: Allium cernuum Amorpha fruticosa Aquilegia NOID Iris tectorum 4/18: Syringa vulgaris (White) 4/21: Hibiscus moscheutos NOID from LVG Iris ensata ÂPicotee Wonder Iris sibirica ÂButter & Sugar Abelmoschus esculentus ÂEmeraldÂ

By 'ordinary' I meant that it is commonly seen amongst society members and at all of the orchid shows. I also requires no special care growing happily with the Cattleyas and Cymbidiums in the backyard. I normal focus on unusual stuff, hence the comment. No slight intented. It is a very worthwhile plant and I am expecting great things from it in the future. They enlarge exponentially, I saw one in San Diego which is probably twice as big. Even if it only grows by 25% every year, it should get much larger very soon. I have had it for probably 10 years. A slight mistake on Cyp kentuckiense. It supposedly has the largest 'flower' in the genus, not the largest pouch. Probably one and the same thing. Even 70 cm tall plants will only have one flower, another great one is Cyp californicum which can sport up to 12 flowers per large stem. The flowers are much smaller. Last year was it's first bloom, the flowers were much smaller and not as deeply colored, so disappointing in fact that I questioned the grower whether it really was kentuckiense, he advised patience and I guess he knew what he was talking about. Nick