OOS members love to bring their beautiful orchids to the monthly meeting’s “show table” and share with others their cultural techniques for growing such specimens. OOS Meetings provide the perfect opportunity to do that!
OOS member Douglas showed Paphiopedilum lowii ‘Tall Fella’ × self, which he purchased from Paph Paradise in January 2020. It has two inflorescences, each with three open flowers and one bud. Each open flower measures 3½” × 4¾” with the inflorescences reaching 30” in height, very fitting to its name! He grows the orchid under light shade in his warm glasshouse (60°F nights and 80°F days). It is native to Indonesia and Malaysia.
OOS member Gabriel apologized for not attending our May meeting but wanted to show us what’s blooming in his home. Gabriel grows his Enanthleya Jackie Bright ‘Hilo stars’ HCC/AOS by one of his west facing windows where it gets enough bright light to bloom every year.
OOS member Claire attended our May meeting virtually from Hollywood, FL, where she grows all her orchids outdoors; Claire showed two orchids. The first picture is her Aerangis Elro, a hybrid whose parents are from Madagascar, and the second orchid is Myrmecophila christinae, one of the largest species in this genus. “This year, with 12 inflorescences, it is a full 14 feet from the bottom of the pseudobulbs to the top of the tallest inflorescence.” Claire said that this picture was taken when she was planning how to transport it lying down in a moving van to take it to AOS monthly judging. OOS members wished her luck at AOS judging, but sadly the entire week leading up to judging featured very unusual (for South Florida) steady strong winds with gusts into the 40 mph range, which really beat up the flowers. She decided to wait until next year to submit it, and she hopes that the weather cooperates better then.