October 2012 in the Southern Hemisphere

[Lesley Cox]

I am beginning to feel scratchetty now because our house offer went to the vendors' lawyer on Friday and as yet we've heard nothing. Of course he may only have contacted them yesterday or if by mail, maybe only today so it still could be several days before we know. We're pretty sure they've had no other offers - can't be quite certain - so we are hopeful but the waiting is getting to me.

However, the packing, lifting, potting etc have to go on regardless of where we eventually end up and yesterday I tackled a block of about 60 trays of old bulbs that had been put under trees a few years ago and virtually abandoned. A lot of things have died but lilies, Narcissus, various anemones and some others, including variegated Solomon's seal, falcata I think, have flourished along with Cyclamen and to my surprise, Dactylorhiza maculata. I don't recall that there was any of this potted up so I think all these are seedlings from the ones I have in a nearby raised bed. They in turn are seedlings from other places. So I separated out 144 pots with strong dacts in and will repot these and in time, plant them out and have them make a naturalized colony. That's the plan anyway. Some are lightly spotted, some strongly spotted and some have huge tiger marks, round and dark but green in the middles. Some are narrow-leaved and some are up to 5cms across the centre of the blades. I'll select out a small group of good ones and pot them for next year's show, a foliage class.

Being orchids, their seed is so fine and light and we are very wind prone here so that I find occasional seedlings in the veg garden where it's not cultivated too much, in the grass and even in cracks in the concrete paths. I love them all and feel privileged to have "wild" orchids in the garden. Of course I also have the blasted "onion orchid," Microtis uniflora, a native, which seeds into cushions and mats, the tiny onion-like pseudobulbs delving very deep down so they are difficult to remove without digging out the whole thing. The miniscule grass-green flowers have nothing to recommend them from an ornamental point-of-view.

[Anthony Darby]

Wow. Sounds like you have your work cut out but are finding some interesting plants you didn't know you had. 144 Dacts! Must look out for the onion orchid. I like these little green jobs.

[Lesley Cox]

Not this one you wouldn't. The flowers are arranged up the stem, maybe up to 20, and are about .4 of a cm in height, same colour as the stem. Green geckos, wonderful, (these) green orchids, a pain in the proverbial.

[Paul T]

I'll second that.  I was so excited when I got my first volunteer orchid.... now I just pull them out as soon as I identify the leaf.  I do still keep a couple in a pot, just so that I can see them flower each year, but they tend to appear in lots of pots now, in all parts of the garden, and I never had one to start with so the seeds are blowing in from somewhere anyway. 

Now, if I could just get my Dacts to seed about, that would be wonderful.    Congratulations, Lesley.

[Lesley Cox]

I've only ever had a couple of D. foliosa seedlings appear and none at all of D. elata but the spotted maculatas are very prolific - and welcome.

[Paul T]

Lesley,

I have fuchsii (trying again this year, thanks to Otto) and elata, plus 'Harold Esselmont'.  I don't think any of them have spotted leaves unfortunately.  I don't think I've ever seen maculata in Aus, although I am guessing it would be here.

[Lesley Cox]

Paul, D fuchsii should be spotted, smallish spots and maybe not a great number. Generally it is thought to be - or grown as - D. maculata ssp. fuchsii. My original plants imported in the early 90s were smaller and slimmer and of a paler shade of the same cerise colour, as maculata.

I remember that when I came to bare-root and pack my plants to come home from the UK, it was June and the dacts, a dozen in total, were all in flower as from the nursery (can't remember which, could have been Potterton's but not sure.) Anyway, for ease of packing I cut the flower stems and the last night at my host's house we had a jar of Dactylorhiza stems on the dinner table, very sumptuous.

[Hillview croconut]

Hi Everyone,

I obtained my stock of D. fuchsii from Ken Gillanders and I am sure Otto would have the same. They are more slender with a scattering of reddish spots. I honestly can't tell the difference beween D. foliosus and D. "Harold Esselmont".

I am not aware of any other species or forms in Australia. Now its just too expensive to import them. I recently checked with my Dutch agent and I was looking at a CITES permit for each item at $60 a shot.

I attach here a picture of D. sambucina in both colour forms at Mt Falakron and Mt Chelmos in Greece. I'd love to bring these here.

Cheers, Marcus

[Paul T]

Marcus,

All seed of Orchidaceae is now permitted, providing it is in dry form not in pods, or at least they were last time I checked.  Is it worthwhile trying to bring some of the seed in and scatter it around?  Do your fuchsii and 'Harold Esselmont' seed successfully?

[Hillview croconut]

Hi Paul,


I'd like to know if anyone in Australia has had any luck raising seedlings by this method. I didnt find any seed last time we were there - maybe I didn't look. I think its going to be the only way we get anything new here in Australia.

Cheers, Marcus

[Paul T]

Marcus,

I got seed on Harold last year, and got some seed from a friend here in Canberra of fuchsii.  I've sprinkled them around my elata and still living in hope.  Not expecting much though.  The Harold will possibly have seeded into other pots in the vicinity, and I'm wondering whether that is more likely to be successful than in the ground.  Like I said, everything crossed.  Apparently I've heard that Spiranthes is a good host for germinating orchid seed, but I don't know whether that is for Mycorrhizal associations for Aussie natives, or whether for foreign ones or not?

[kaydale]

Thanks Lesley, the flights weren't too bad.  Just hoping the weather clears for tomorrows bungy.  My F purdyi wasn't in flower when I left but have told mum to take photos, purdyi x grayana is a good two to three times bigger than straight purdyi.  I love the cross, the first one I did had alot more grayana come through but this second cross has alot of purdyi.
F pyrenica still wasn't out and about four or five others, hopefully mum will take photos.
Lesley

[Tony Willis]

Hi Everyone,

I obtained my stock of D. fuchsii from Ken Gillanders and I am sure Otto would have the same. They are more slender with a scattering of reddish spots. I honestly can't tell the difference beween D. foliosus and D. "Harold Esselmont".

I am not aware of any other species or forms in Australia. Now its just too expensive to import them. I recently checked with my Dutch agent and I was looking at a CITES permit for each item at $60 a shot.

I attach here a picture of D. sambucina in both colour forms at Mt Falakron and Mt Chelmos in Greece. I'd love to bring these here.

Cheers, Marcus

I have a pod of seed from the purple form if you want it.

[Stephen Vella]

Hi Marcus and Paul,
I have sown Dact seed into a bark fines potting mix with sand and was successful!..No real care with these as i didnt have much hope but to my surprise something like grass came up and still didnt think much of them until the second year when the typical dact like leaves with spots appeared.. So i was very excited .. But i only had 5% germination. These are 5 yrs old now.
 I had another batch of seed last year and I was keen to see how these germinate under regular irrigation with the same mix and it dosent look to be so successful as the moss had taken over or the seed had rotted or the seed wasnt the best?? So many variables to consider. I had also tried sowing under mature dacts and nothing. I think it's the fine bark mix that they like.
Cheers

[Paul T]

Interesting, Stephen.  Good to know.  What sort of bark fines potting mix did you use?  And did it contain the sand, or did you add it?  I think I'd like to give it a try.  How long did it take for the "grass" to appear?  I've always wondered how long it would take for orchid seedlings to appear.

Thanks for the info.