Terrestrial orchids 2011 to 2014

[fredg]

Oh great joy, my first ever sighting of Cremastra unguiculata.

Isn't it annoying when you carefully plant a tuber in dead centre only for the leaf to appear at the edge of the pot months later 

[Peter Maguire]

Isn't it annoying when you carefully plant a tuber in dead centre only for the leaf to appear at the edge of the pot months later

It's a metaphor for life itself.

At least it's come up at the side of the pot and on the top - Lilium nepalense generally appears through the drainage holes at the base.

[Maren]

Like this Cypripedium formosanum ? I 'll let it flower like this next year as a curiosity to take along for lectures.

[Tony Willis]

Oh great joy, my first ever sighting of Cremastra unguiculata.

Isn't it annoying when you carefully plant a tuber in dead centre only for the leaf to appear at the edge of the pot months later 

Neil looks a lovely leaf,is it going to flower?

[Neil]

Neil looks a lovely leaf,is it going to flower?

Its not mine its Fred's

[Tony Willis]

Its not mine its Fred's

sorry of course it is! 

[fredg]

Neil looks a lovely leaf,is it going to flower?

Well Neil.... is it?

[Neil]

Well Neil.... is it?

Well be a betting man there is 2 possible outcomes to this and I am going for yes/no (delete as appropriate)

[SteveC2]

My first autumnal Australian, Pterostylis coccinea.  Highly recommended as it is one of the ultimate colony formers, I had a single tuber in 2008 and now I have two pots full and gave loads away when I repotted this year.  However it is cauline, i.e. with two forms, a fertile one which flowers and a sterile one which does not.  In my experience they do not produce enough leaves to photosynthesise enough, so all the flowering plants die at the end of the season without producing a replacement tuber, (unless you know different?) so the last thing that you want is for all your plants to flower.   The first shoots appeared about six weeks ago, but they don't all come up together which prolongs the flowering period, but I wish they'd all flower at the same time.
At orchid shows people sometimes say that they find slipper orchids "creepy", who knows what they'd make of these?  i just wish that they were two or three feet tall instead of six inches
Apologies, they are so 3-d that they are not the easiest to photograph.

[SteveC2]

Oh great joy, my first ever sighting of Cremastra unguiculata.
 

Very interesting.  My Cremastra unguiculata has also stuck its head above the soil for the first time in two years.  Coincidence or something about the weather?  Guess we'll never know with so few people growing it
This does illustrate one very important point though.  Just because a terrestrial doesn't appear do not throw it away without doing a very careful inspection of the pot's contents.

[Darren]

Very interesting.  My Cremastra unguiculata has also stuck its head above the soil for the first time in two years.  Coincidence or something about the weather?  Guess we'll never know with so few people growing it
This does illustrate one very important point though.  Just because a terrestrial doesn't appear do not throw it away without doing a very careful inspection of the pot's contents.

Mine put up two shoots this month too. Then it was eaten to the ground by slugs. The rest of you might want to think about precautions...

[fredg]

A litle excursion of mine into almost girl's blouse orchid territory 
At least it's a terrestrial and a cool - cold grower

I liked this little Stenoglottis longifolia as the bud opened ( photo 1) but fully open it's a beauty, small but a beauty 

[Neil]

A litle excursion of mine into almost girl's blouse orchid territory 
At least it's a terrestrial and a cool - cold grower

Fred how much cold can it take?

[Tony Willis]

Fred are we going to see the full plant please?

[SteveC2]

Neil:  For the last two years Stenoglottis plants have been placed in the hardy competition at Peterborough International Orchid Show, causing some debate as to how hardy they are.  After the first year I decided to do a little experiment with mine and left them in my frost free(-ish) greenhouse with all my other hardies.  Believe me the temperature went well below zero on several occasions and the Stenoglottis didn't care.  It might have made them a little later to flower but who cares.
Picture is of Stenoglottis woodii, my longifolia are just opening, pics to follow.