New growing season in full swing

My beautiful stanhopea orchids flowering at the moment - many already showcasing their special, majestic blooms and many sending out new flower spikes to bloom later in the season. This year our weather is rather trying here in Sydney - very very hot and very very humid conditions making the major task watering and misting of all of my plants making sure they all receive the attention they require.

If you been growing stanhopea's for a while you will know that every growing season is different, each presenting different challenges and one learns to adapt to Nature because it's flowering time for stanhopea's.
Of course, in this heat the blooms don't last as long as one wants and pictures have to be taken very early in the morning as flowers just opening up and there are many other small adjustments required to bring the plants to it's optimum flowering stage, but all of them really just for one goal - after full year to see beautiful stanhopea's bloom once again, to greet old time favorites, to welcome new species and varieties and to experience and to glimpse at the Essence of Stanhopea's orchids.

Stanhopea Memoria Paul Allen

Stanhopea Tigrina var nigroviolacea var “Eddon” FCC/AOS

 

 

Stanhopea costaricensis “Patsy”

Stanhopea devoniensis x Assidensis

Stanhopea insignis

Stanhopea insignis1

 

Stanhopea insignis2

 

This beautiful stanhopea just finished it's flowering and I always love to see this beauty in bloom. Stanhopea insignis is one of the first stanhopea orchids been discovered in 1818 and as usual it have very colorful and interesting history. In 1829 it ended in Kew Botanical Gardens  and from there on been appearing in various private collections.

To trace appearance of stanhopea insignis is like immersing oneself in stanhopea orchids history and archives - it's been described and mentioned in various publications by orchid collectors such as John Frost, William Jackson Hooker, Jenisch/Kramer of Hamburg,  Demidoff of Italy,  Hoffmannsegge of Dresden, Linden of Ghent, Loddiges of Hackney, and Sir Phillip Henry Earl of Stanhope the president of medical-botanical society in London - all of them made tremendous contribution to bringing stanhopea species to the world. Stanhopea insignis was the first stanhopea specie named.

The plant native to states of Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo, Santa Caterina and Rio Grande do Sul in Brazil and it's habitat rather dry which gives clue to it's successful flowering.

This specie extremely variable in  colors, there are quite a few different clones about, some a pure pristine white and my plant showing white background with many purple dots all over the flower. The scent to me smells like pure cinnamon - strong, piercing, penetrating.

Stanhopea insignis ( from Latin - remarkable) beautiful stanhopea orchid to love and to admire and to reflect on it's interesting history.

Stanhopea embreei x graveolens

Stanhopea embreei x graveolens1

Stanhopea embreei x graveolens 2

Our new stanhopea flowering season already started here and I am looking forward again being surrounded by beautiful and exotic creations of Nature. Hopefully, I will be able to feature and share some of my flowering beauties again in this blog.

The first one to flower in my collection this handsome cross  of stanhopea embreei x stanhopea graveolens. It came to me as small unflowered seedling couple of years ago and I've been waiting for a while to see it's blooms.

It's a strong, robust plant, strong grower that develops many leaves and bulbs during it's growing season, establishing quickly and the flowers are very nice and perfectly sculptured.
From graveolens parent it inherited deep yellow tones and from embreei many purple dots on the petals, distinct eyes and really strong fruity and spicy scent - really nice combination.

It's always great to welcome new variety of stanhopea to own collection and to love and admire and to reflect on the beauty of these orchids.

Stanhopea Hidden Agenda

Stanhopea Hidden Agenda1

 

Stanhopea Hidden Agenda2

 

 

This beautiful orchid just finished it's flowering season and it's stanhopea Hidden Agenda - rather special and interesting cross of stanhopea insignis and stanhopea posadae. it was registered in 2004 by D Pulley of California and it's extraordinary, unusual looking stanhopea.

I've been patiently waiting to see it bloom for a while and this season it decided to flower, it did not disappoint - bold, mysterious, unique, dramatic - hybrid created with huge respect to both parents by one of the leading orchid's experts. One can see an intelligently planned design in this cross with tremendous affection for stanhopea's.

 The plant is of medium size and the blooms of bright yellow with many burgundy color markings. The scent is just as mysterious as the flowers -   strong, heady with many layers of spices and herbs - sharp and penetrating. 

Hidden Agenda is a special stanhopea that will be much welcomed by any collector and grower of these beautiful orchids.

Stanhopea nigroviolacea x self

Stanhopea nigroviolacea x self 1

Stanhopea nigroviolacea x self 2

We are currently in the middle of our summer and many of my stanhopea's blooming at the moment. Our hot and humid temperamental weather seems to bring strong and vivid colors of my stanhopea's and major task right now is to keep them well watered.  And of course, to enjoy their fabulous blooms and scents.

This nigroviolacea x self just finished it's flowering showing off it's huge, majestic flowers and heady, strong vanilla/chocolate perfume. Technically, of course it's stanhopea tigrina var nigroviolacea and this clone displaying clear, strong, brilliant colors enjoyed by everyone.

Stanhopea shuttleworthii - light clone Libano area

Stanhopea shuttleworthii - Libano 1 light clone

Stanhopea shuttleworthii - Libano light clone 2

Our stanhopea flowering season here already started and at the moment I have many blooming plants which I hope to feature in this blog soon.

One of the first ones to flower was stanhopea shuttleworthii, unusual and interesting light colored clone native only to a small area of Libano in Colombia - the whole blooms of the lighter pastel colors with very nice strong herbal and spicy scent. I purchased this orchid a few years ago and been waiting patiently for it to bloom and this season it's first flowering time - it did not disappointed - large, perfectly sculptured blooms with heavenly scent - another great addition to my stanhopea range. 

Stanhopea costaricensis

Here is another of my stanhopea's that was flowered later in the season, its stanhopea costaricensis, one of the oldest documented stanhopea species. It was first described in 1860's from a plant collected in prior years. It grows in wet forsests of Nicaragua, El Salvador, Panama and Costa Rica in altitudes up to 15000m.

Its beautiful orchid with large bulbs and leaves and nicely sculptured blooms of mustard/pale yellow color with many spots and blotches and dark distinct black pair of eyes. The scent is very strong herbal mixture of clove, spices and at times smells like old fashion medicine mixture. There are many layers to the scent, its plesant and unusual.

Stanhopea costaricensis old time favoured and loved and admired by collectors of these special orchids for it's unusual appearance, sculptured blooms and strong and remarkable scent.

Stanhopea bucephalus var roezlii

One of my beautiful and rather rare stanhopea's finished it's flowering not long ago - it;s stanhopea bucephalus var roezlii, very nice and special orchid native only to small area of sourthern Ecuador that was discovered in 1830's. In it's native habitat it grows in the altitude of 1500m in the very wet montain forest.

It have very decorative flamboyant looking sculptured flowers of yellow/white tones with many purple dots all over the blooms and the scent is very strong sweet and fruity with a touch of cinnamon in the background. The plant itself is of medium size and the flowers are large, of generous proportions.

This is stunning and rare stanhopea to have in one's collection and I am always delighted in seeing this beauty in blooms.

Stanhopea shuttleworthii

Here is an introduction to another beautiful and rather rare stanhopea - stanhopea shuttleworthii. It was named afer famous collector Shuttleworth who was collecting orchids for a firm in Chelsea, England in late 1800's. Shuttleworth found this special stanhopea in 1875,  growing in New Granada ( today Colombia) on the boarder of Reo Magdalena in the state of Tolima and shipped it to England from where it was distributed to various orchid enthusiasts.

To this day this very decorative species continuous to be rare in collections and to see its flowering gives me great pleasure and excitement. The plant itself is of medium size, with smallish bulbs and leaves yet the flowers are large, appearing in pair on each flower spike.This season my plant developed two flower spikes and the one in the picture was the first flowering. The colors of the blooms very vibrant, bright burgundy with many spots on the overlaping petals with white/creamy background. The scent is very strong cinnamon with vanilla tones and lingers for a long time.

Stanhopea shuttleworthii is another beautiful orchid that delights any stanhopea collector who appreciates these stunning marvels of Nature. 

Stanhopea Assidensis

This handsome orchid just finished it's flowering season. It's stanhopea Assidensis very nice hybrid between stanhopea tigrina x stanhopea wardii. It's one of the earlier crossess registered by Goldchmidt of Royal Horticultural Society in 1922.

The flowers of this cross are large and full, pale pink color with many darker pink spots and blotches with dark burgundy eyes, the scent is very fragrant vanilla/ marchmallow combination, strong and penetrating and lasts a very long time. It's very generous cross, producing many flower spikes during growing season.

It's another distinct orchid that will delight any stanhopea grower.

Stanhopea devoniensis x Assidensis

This interesting cross just finished its flowering – its stanhopea devoniensis x Assidensis, very old hybrid of two popular stanhopea’s. Technically it’s of course is a triple cross, since stanhopea Assidensis also a cross between stanhopea Tigrina x stanhopea wardii.

Stanhopea devoniensis is very old name for stanhopea hernandezii that was used until early 1900’s and this plant have a lot of characteristics of all of its parents. It’s rather slow growing orchid and it takes it’s time to flower, I’ve had it for a number of years and was looking forward to see it in bloom for a while.

The flowers are large, pale apricot color with a bit darker in the middle with many dark burgundy color spots all over the blooms. The scent is very fruity, sweet and spicy that is very strong and stable and lasts a long time. It’s a beautiful stanhopea to have in one’s collection.

Stanhopea inodora “Belize”

This beautiful variety of inodora just finished its flowering season – its var “Belize” and it’s very handsome variety of inodora to have in one’s collection.

It flowers with large, sculptured lime-green color blooms with a few red specks on the petals displaying full, showy blooms with red “eyes” and golden color middle. The scent is very strong herbal/spicy/medicinal with many undertones to it and it’s very stable, lasting a long time.

Most of the inodora’s stanhopeas native to wet mountain forests of Mexico and Nicaragua, displaying white-colored, unscented blooms, however this variety from Belize have different coloring and smell, making it another desired stanhopea for a collection.

It needs slightly different cultivation techniques to bring it to flower – it prefers drier and warmer winter situation and a lot of watering during active growing season. It’s very generous and fast growing stanhopea, sending many flower spikes during blooming time.

Stanhopea inodora “Belize” is another special and beautiful stanhopea to love and to admire.

Stanhopea embreei

This stanhopea orchid one of the first one’s to flower this season in my collection and it’s another beautiful stanhopea to admire.

Stanhopea embreei native to Ecuador, mostly from the western slopes of Andes. It’s relatively new specie, only been discovered in 1960’s and documented in 1980’s and becoming very popular with collectors.

The color of the the blooms mostly white with yellow centre and darker eyes, with very faint spots on the petals. The flowers are large with distinct fruity and spicy scent that is very strong and lingers for a long time. It’s quite vigorous plant, very generous in developing many new shoots and flower spikes during growing season, thus quickly maturing.

We are right in the middle of summer in our part of the world and hot humid days follow tropical rains and storms, just what these beautiful, special orchids love. New growth everywhere, many of my orchids developing flower spikes at the moment and I’ll be featuring many more of the wonderful varieties, crosses and species of stanhopea’s later on in this blog.

Stanhopea Tigolens “Pembro” – HCC/OSCOV

Here is an introduction to another beautiful stanhopea orchid from my collection – its stanhopea Tigolens “Pembro” – one of the gorgeous crosses between stanhopea Tigrina and stanhopea graveolens. This cross was registered by R Mason in 2002 and regrettably not many plants of this hybrid seen around. This of course is unfortunate, since it’s such a handsome and special stanhopea.

The flowers of this cross are pristine white with many burgundy color marks and spots and large pink colored middle (hypochile) giving a kind of two-tone visual effect. The blooms are large and full and the scent is very strong, sweet unmistakingly vanilla with many pleasant undertones that reminds combination of herbs. In our climate it flowers at the end of stanhopea flowering season, in early autumn.

Stanhopea Tigolens “Pembro” is another stunning addition to any stanhopea orchid collection and I am sure would be appreciated for its rare beauty and form.

Stanhopea Tigrina var Red Devil

This spectacular stanhopea Tigrina var Red Devil been around since 1980’s, however not many plants of this variety seen in cultivation. They are rather rare and it’s unfortunate, since it’s really beautiful and special stanhopea orchid.

It produces one of the biggest size flowers in the stanhopea orchids range and as you can see from the picture, the flowers are full and of generous size, measuring over 26 cm across. The flower spike usually carry only a couple of flowers and my plant developed only one spike with these two huge flowers, almost as if concentrating all of it’s energy on production of these magical blooms.

The color of the flower is pristine white with dark burgundy spots and splashes and the scent is strong, penetrating and heady vanilla that is unmistaken of the tigrina’s range.

This variety is one of the stunning orchids in stanhopea’s world and another variety to love and to admire.

Stanhopea Bellarensis x Inodora

This one is one of the new stanhopea’s crosses and only been released not long ago. It’s flowering first time this season in my collection and it’s another new introduction for me.

Stanhopea Bellarensis x Inodora quite vigorous plant and very generous with flowers, sending out many spikes during flowering season.

The flowers are quite large, very pleasing light orange color with many purple specs all over the flower, with dark orange centre.

The flowers quite interesting – they have one pair of eyes on the outside of the flower and two pairs of eyes on the inside, making it very unusual feature for a stanhopea orchid. The scent is also interesting, like a combination of light vanilla mixed with herbs, very strong and penetrating and it lingers for a long time.

It’s an absolute delight to see this abundance of beautiful flowers and to watch and to experience magic of another wonderful stanhopea orchid.