I'm Being Bad!
I wasn't supposed to buy any more orchids for at least a month since I just got two large hauls back to back. With these newest purchases, I'm adding twenty new plants to my collection this spring season! I'm being very naughty but I just couldn't help it and for good reason.
Pink Wednesday Redux
I was passing through my local Sprouts for lunch when I spotted some mini phalaenopsis with darker than average leaves on the flower display. I never buy any from there since they are just the common variety but they are fun to look to from time to time. When I saw these little pink blossoms though, I though I recognized the form and pattern on the lip. I took a whiff of the petals to be sure and I was right! These are the Wenlong 'Pink Girl', a mini phal with one of the parents being a schilleriana species. The two orchids I picked out for myself were both beautifully fragrant like roses, taking strongly from the fragrant parent plant.
I was so happy to find these two and when I brought them home, I immediately decided to repot them with Pink Wednesday. The medium phal is one I suspect of having a schilleriana parentage somewhere since she has the mottled, dark green leaves and branching pattern of the species, though she was not fragrant when I purchased her. The mini phal I had originally potted together with it was not recovering so I have decided to say goodbye. Pink Wednesday looks amazing now and I'm so excited to watch how the three orchids do together! I hope to get them in sync come winter which may mean an amazing display coming next spring!
A Mysterious Beauty
This dendrobium's deep purple flowers caught my eye as I was leaving Choi's Orchids. With all these new additions to my collection, I needed more decorative pots and there is nowhere better to get ones I like than Choi's. The camera on my phone does this flower no justice, as the color is a much deeper and richer tone of purple. It was so beautiful and the fact that the plant is a dendrobium phalaenopsis hybrid (the leaves are thick and fleshy) was just perfect since I want to try growing these types of orchids. I couldn't put him down once I had him in my hands so now he's home with me! Mulberry is just so fat and happy with that large plump cane. I'm going to enjoy the blooms for a few more days before I repot him and get him going in his new home.