Pleione 2017

[SteveC2]

I sold several pleione on eBay this year and have to admit to being embarrassed by the prices people paid, so much so that I kept giving them freebies.  I'll never make a businessman.
As for Macaque I would have expected small flowers.  I am more surprised to see Wharfedale Pine Warbler in flower this late in the year.  Mine are long since finished.  Different growing so conditions I suppose.

[Bart]

Yes interesting what you can pay for bulbils. when I first stated my collection I was forever hunting for Pleione I didn't have yet and got completely hooked on the process of bidding. But this is 10 years ago, then I discovered the off_line retailers and the benefits of starting with flowering sized bulbs. I kept an eye on eBay though and religiously put a bid on varieties that were uncommon and was indeed shocked at the winning bids and never got in....
Pleione Wharfdale ' Pine Warbler' is a bit of a mystery to me. I have a pot of them that flowered in November, but did really badly, I think I got 1 flower. Then I saw these buds emerging in another pot and thought that it was an Eiger, only to find out it was Wharfdale. I am stumped, didn't know I had 2pots of them. They got really neglected for 2  years, all of my collection really, due to building work and loss of 'habitat', and only this spring have I had the chance to look at them. Interestingly what has survived has done really well! So Wharfdale will stay potted and kept in an unheatedngreeenhouse next winter too😀

[Alex]

Some from today, iPhone camera I'm afraid but pics seem OK anyway.

P. Bonobo
P. Ascension
P. Angwatibo
P. grandiflora yellow form
P. Suswa 'Sand Plover'

[Alex]

....and P. x confusa

[Sempervivum]

Pleione Sirena

[john hodgson]

All utterly lovely to see. Alex - I found Ascension and Angwatibo to be particularly attractive. I have both, but have yet to see either flower. I am particularly surprised by how colourful Angwatibo is. Parent Pln. Adams is richly coloured with orange tones but the pale mauve of Aurita isn't showing much. I hope my Angwatibo is as beautiful!
Until I see it flower (perhaps later this year) I have others to enjoy such as...

and

and finally forrestii.
This has a story behind it. A COLD story...
I am not happy to say that I have grown and lost many forrestii over the years (or the flower buds have browned and withered). This winter I kept them at 5c in a fridge until the buds started to swell in early February.
I potted up in humid bark and woodmoss and put them outside in the shade during the day, then in the shed at night. (I wanted to avoid sudden warming in the greenhouse). Then, one afternoon, I forgot to return them to the shed.
That night it rained heavily, soaked the moss, then froze. The next morning the mesh pots were solid! I returned them to the shed to thaw slowly but really had not much hope.
However the buds continued to develop and they all now look OK. This is the first to open - a pale yellow with quite a lot of white in it.
I do NOT recommend repeating this kind of treatment but am often surprised by how tough some pleiones can be (I had not previously believed I could include Pln. forrestii on the tough list!)

[john hodgson]

Oh Alex - and I forgot to heap praise on your Pln. Suswa 'Sand Plover'.
Your set up in your green house looks great too.

[Alex]

John, you are very kind. I enjoy your pics very much too, and think that Dr. Mo Weatherhead you posted is an outstanding clone. The Angwatibo was bought last year as a selected clone from Paul Cumbleton's catalogue. The unselected ones I've had before have been a bit dreary, like a poor aurita. I hope you are lucky with yours...

[john hodgson]

If my Angwatibo flowers this spring I'll post it and let you know! 'Dreary'... slightly unkind perhaps, but photos I've seen elsewhere... I now what you mean. I live in hope, mine are grown on from 3 small bulbs of unselected clones direct from P.C. - one looks possible to flower.

[Luc Gilgemyn]

Great series Alex - Angwantibo is    - waiting for my Suswa "Sand Plover" to flower - looking good !

A thrilling and chilling story John !  P. forrestii remains full of surprises. 

Pleione red colobus and Pleione fancy pants (funny name if you ask me, but I like the flower !) in flower right now.

[Alex]

Yes, Fancy Pants, silly name but excellent flower!

[john hodgson]

Fancy - certainly, Pants, never! 

[sjusovare]

Pleione Krakatoa 'Wheatear'

one week ago (day 1)


and today (day 7)


The whole flower was a really pale yellow with a few lavender pencil lines, then the colors became more vivid, with a rich yellow lip and much more lavender in the petals and sepals. It also started exhibiting a strong perfume, mixture of primrose and lily of the valley.

[john hodgson]

Great reference photographs - and a reminder to me to try the perfume.

[Steve Garvie]

Hi John,
you aren't splitting hairs  , however as I already wrote the lip of P. vietnamensis can have 2 or 3 rows of haired lamellae. Here is my plant and you can see there are just 2 rows. On Steve's picture are 3 rows (or 2 and 1/2  ). The main point is, that P. praecox has 5 rows. Not 2, not 3, not 2,5.
And one thing more, because I'm not sure about origin of my plant I labelled it as P. aff. vietnamensis.

Just caught up with this.
Here are some macro images of what I grow as Pleione praecox reichenbachiana, the plant I bought as "Pleione vietnamensis" and the plant I grow as Pleione praecox alba. All three have 3 rows of haired lamellae: one in the midline and one to each side. This would suggest that none of these plants are true Pleione praecox.

"Pleione praecox var.reichenbachiana":

"Pleione vietnamensis":


"Pleione praecox alba":