Oncidium splendidum 'Marty' x self

Lillian has a pair of Oncidium splendidum plants. They are hanging a ways back from the light and bloom every year. The two plants came into the collection from the Sea God nursery by way of another SCOS who shared pieces of his plant.

Oncidium splendidum grows in Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua. It is a warm to hot growing lithophyte, needs bright light and blooms in spring and summer.

Since both of the plants are growing and blooming I am inclined to leave well enough alone. But when I visited Steve Christoffersen to look at his seedlings and flasks, I spotted his Oncidium spendidum sitting right in the middle in regal splendor. It had two tall spikes and a mass of flowers along with this very nice color. His is growing in much higher light than are Lillian's plants. After they finish blooming and start new growth I will look for a brighter spot for them so that next year the spikes will be bigger and better.

Oncidium varicosum

This Oncidium varicosum is an example of why I need to keep better notes than I do. I don't have a specific memory of when and where I got it, and my earliest note says "repotted" and is dated July 2008. It bloomed last year because I took the flower picture.

Oncidium varicosum grows in Brazil, Bolivia and Paraguay. It is cool to hot growing and blooms in summer and fall with many yellow flowers on spikes up to 5 feet long.

Even potted in rock the plant will get too heavy on one side to be stable as soon as the next pseudobulb develops. To fix that I am going to set the whole thing in a clay pot rather than re-pot.

It bloomed in the Napa greenhouse but it is in the Sonoma greenhouse in the display window. The spike is only moderate length, nowhere near the "up to 5 feet" that the literature suggests. Still, it is a respectable display of flowers. After blooming I may leave it in Sonoma as the cleanup of the Napa greenhouse continues.

Dendrobium pendulum

The Speaker at the Sonoma County Orchid Society meeting last night was Peter Lin. He talked about the genus Dendrobium and the various subgroups. More important, he brought some Dendrobium species plants for the opportunity table. I should have bought more tickets because I only got one plant.

Dendrobium pendulum grows throughout Southeast Asia. It is deciduous, warm to hot growing and fragrant. Grow in very bright light including full sun. Dry but not completely dry winter rest. It blooms in spring from old canes.

I haven't decided what to do with the plant. I am inclined to mount it. It would make a nice show that way. I have time to decide new growth has not started. It could even be that it will bloom yet this year. That would be exciting.

Cirrhopetalum Elizabeth Ann 'Buckleberry' FCC/AOS

I ran into a person who wanted advice about re-potting Cirrhopetalum Elizabeth Ann 'Buckleberry' FCC/AOS. I ended my response with the comment that if the person had backbulbs that were being thrown out, I would pay shipping if they were sent to me. If backbulbs are clean and dry, they can be mailed without medium or pots in regular mail.

Cirrhopetalum Elizabeth Ann is Cirrhopetalum longissimum x Cirrhopetalum rothschildianum. Cirrhopetalum (Cirr) contains 150 species growing in Asia east of India on to the Pacific islands. This group was separated from Bulbophylum. Grow these in a wood basket or treefern fiber.

Later I realized that I already had some backbulbs from a plant I got at the SCOS in September. I had never done anything with them and they were looking pretty dried out. Yesterday I potted them in sphagnum. We'll see if they recover after being in a box completely dry for six months.

Cattleya walkeriana ('The Chairman' x 'Cadillac')

The flower picture is not from MY Cattleya walkeriana. It has never bloomed for me. In fact, I just got it back from Steve Christoffersen, who has had it for a couple of years in an effort to recover from the damage I did the plant.

Cattleya walkeriana grows in Brazil. It is fragrant and needs bright light. It doesn't like to be disturbed.

I have had the plant for several years. It was my first Brazilian Cattleya and I did almost everything wrong. I asked Steve Christoffersen for help and he took the poor remnant of a nice plant and has brought it back. During this time I have gained experience with these small Brazilian Cattleyas.

I am going to place it in the warmest and brightest spot I have, but otherwise do nothing to it for a year. I would love to replace the green wire and cut the bottom off the mount but I won't. Plant health come before making it look pretty.

Dendrobium glomeratum 'Pink Giant' HCC/AOS x pseudoglomeratum 'Shortie'

This Dendrobium hybrid was sitting off to one side looking scraggly when all of a sudden a couple of bunches of flowers opened.

Both of the parents are from islands near Indonesia. The flowers have a similar look. I assume the idea of making the cross was to increase the blooming season and make a smaller plant. The canes are very thin and perhaps 18 inches tall. I tried to take a plant picture but it didn't turn out well.

The pot you see is holding the real pot. This is for stability as I am sure the small pot would not stand by itself. The plant is in the display area right now, but as soon as it is ready to go back into the general population I will re-pot and feed it through the summer. I want to encourage a couple of new growths I see at the base of the plant.

Have hand truck, will travel

I did a skill session on backbulbs and mounting and the Sonoma County Orchid Society show and sale last month. There I am with my presentation materials all bungeed together on a my hand truck. I had so much stuff that I was worried about the logistics of getting it all in place. I had to be a little careful about tilting back too far, but all in all, it worked out well.

Now I am ready to take the show on the road. It should work well for smaller groups or a garden club. Up close would be best. If you have a clip-on microphone, I can work to a little larger group. But I want everyone to see what I am doing, not just be listening. I can do an hour or an hour and a half easy. There is a lot to say.

No fee involved, but if Google Maps says you are more than 90 minutes away from Napa, we might want to discuss gas money.