Pleione Spring 2010..... to July!

[Maren]

Hi Rob,
splitting up your seeds seems like a good idea, it's always good to have a Plan B. If you've made something really nice, it would be a shame not to give it every chance to succeed. Good luck.

[Pete Clarke]

Rob - if you are using commercial media, I find you only have to make small pH adjustments. I use citric acid to reduce the pH & sodium bicarbonate to raise it. Both readily available from pharmacies.

Sifaka -  first seedling of this cross to flower for me. An excellent form but not a brilliant pic. as the petals are showing much more reddish tint then they actually have, but I cannot get a more better one.
Pl. grandiflora, opens cream colour & then turns a pure white.
Rakata "Shot Silk"
    "     "Locking Stumps"

[Maren]

Hi, your Sifaka looks nice, the picture shows the veining very well. But your grandiflora is gorgeous. congratulations. 

[Graham Catlow]

Hello everyone,
After over 12months of reading very informative and interesting threads I thought it was about time I entered the inner circle.
This is the first thread I visit each day as I am a Pleione enthusiast, but not to the exclusion of many other orchids, woodlanders and alpines.
This P. forrestii is my first group to flower this year with, (hopefully), plenty of others to follow.

[Maggi Young]

Welcome to posting, Graham!
 It looks like that potful  will be looking good for the Edingburgh Show next week, Huh??!!

[Eric Locke]

Hello everyone,
After over 12months of reading very informative and interesting threads I thought it was about time I entered the inner circle.
This is the first thread I visit each day as I am a Pleione enthusiast, but not to the exclusion of many other orchids, woodlanders and alpines.
This P. forrestii is my first group to flower this year with, (hopefully), plenty of others to follow.

Welcome Graham and what a lovely arrangement  
Please keep them coming.

Eric

[Graham Catlow]

Hi Maggi & Eric,
Thanks for your very prompt welcome.
Not sure I'm ready for showing yet Maggi, but I will be at the show.
Graham

[Eric Locke]

Hi Pete

Lovely Sifaka ,which I have found slow to flower from seedlings from the few I was given several years ago and I have to wait another year.

More from today

Leda no6  ( more yet Luc   )
Archie Goodwin
Jenny Kretz

Eric

[Maggi Young]

Hi Maggi & Eric,
Thanks for your very prompt welcome.
Not sure I'm ready for showing yet Maggi, but I will be at the show.
Graham

I think you are too modest, Graham.
I'll be at the show...... please introduce yourself to me.... I'm easily found.... eating cake or chatting in the foyer, for the most part!

[Luc Gilgemyn]

Welcome Graham : What a great start !! 

A wonderful series Pete, I cannot but agree with Maren - gorgeous Sifaka and the Grandiflora looks super !!

I'm counting them with you Eric... (the Leda's I mean  ) - another great specimen !! 
Jennie and Archie are not bad either... :

Here's some of mine flowering these days :

1) Pl. ueli wackernagel - pink form - (the colourbreaks in the petals worry me a bit... any comments anybody ??  )
2) Pl. ueli wackernagel - the pale form - I really love this one!
3) Pl. shantung "Ducat"
4) Pl. piton
5) Pl. orizaba - a good dark one I think.
6) Pl. hekla "Partridge"
7) Pl. captain hook
Pl. alishan "Mothers Day"

[Eric Locke]

Hi Luc

Nice series. I have noticed these petal markings too on some Ueli but I don"t think it is anything to worry about . Petals look identical to those on your Mothers Day.
That Large, Pale form of Ueli (ex Jan Berg) is super and a favourite of mine too. It is very vigorous and makes huge bulbs. I have used this one for one of my crosses.

Eric

[Pete Clarke]

Nice lot Luc especially the pale Ueli. Your Ueli's are well ahead of mine.
I also would not be too concerned by the mottled petals. Many of mine are showing it this year & I suspect that it is temperature related & due to the cold Winter we have had. Zeus Weinstein, Piton & a pink form of Shantung are particularly affected this year for me. I do not think they are viral effects.

Welcome Graham - nice "scenic" forrestii grouping.

Eric - your collection is romping away nicely. Love the Archie Goodwin. I had this years ago & lost it, (was never that vigorous.) A rare hybrid now.

Pete.

[Maren]

Welcome Graham, so nice to see Cypripedium guttatum as your avatar. And your arrangement of P. forrestii is very pleasing. I look forward to seeing more of your plants and arrangements.

[Graham Catlow]

Thank you all for your kind welcome and comments.

For those of you that are posting photos, you clearly have much larger collections than I do. I don't have too much space so am concentrating on species instead of hybrids, (except for a pan of 'Fuego'), and bulking them up.

Please don't expect any more pleione flowers soon. The closest is P. pleionoides but I think that is two or three weeks away.

Maggi, I will certainly seek you out next Saturday.

Maren, The C. guttatum, although diminutive, is my favourite Cypripedium. The flower in the avatar was my first (last year), after a wait of two years. There are three shoots this year and I hope there will be at least another flower.

Eric, I really like the deep colour of the 'Archie Goodwin'.

Graham

[Eric Locke]

Nice lot Luc especially the pale Ueli. Your Ueli's are well ahead of mine.
I also would not be too concerned by the mottled petals. Many of mine are showing it this year & I suspect that it is temperature related & due to the cold Winter we have had. Zeus Weinstein, Piton & a pink form of Shantung are particularly affected this year for me. I do not think they are viral effects.

Welcome Graham - nice "scenic" forrestii grouping.

Eric - your collection is romping away nicely. Love the Archie Goodwin. I had this years ago & lost it, (was never that vigorous.) A rare hybrid now.

Pete.

Pete, you are certainly correct about Archie Goodwin not being vigorous.
This is my third year with it and the first time any have flowered and it is increasing at snail pace.


Eric