One of my favorite flower shops.....
is called Choi Orchids, which I've mentioned in previous posts. They are a flower shop that buys and sells wholesale in the flower district of downtown Los Angeles. They are a great place to find ceramic pots, phalaenopsis, exotic indoor plants, and every once in a while other types of orchids like oncidiums and cattleyas. I needed to pick up a few pots so I stopped by on my day off, wondering what I would find inside.
While I took a look around to see what was new, I found two little treasures in the aisles full of phalaenopsis:
This little beauty is a peloric form of a miniature phalaenopsis. This form of peloria mutates the main petals of the flower so they do not open fully and instead keep this curled shape even after the flowers are completely bloomed. It reminds me of the shape of a Lycaste flower, which is why Bora is now part of my Island Collection. She should do quite well next to the bathroom window with the Bellas.
Now this gem was such a surprise to find in the orchid shop. I recognized these distinctively patterned flowers right away because I've seen this phalaenopsis many times on Norman's Orchids. This is the Jiaho Ho Summer Love 'Sweetheart' which is cross of the species phalaenopsis bellina var alba and the Dtps Taisuco Micky. The most wonderful thing about this phalaenopsis? She is fragrant like her parent, the bellina! I haven't noticed any fragrance yet, but moving from the shop and repotting was stressful. I'm curious to see if Sweetheart's spike continues to develop and she puts out a perfume- I really hope so! I got this treasure at the steal for $6! The shop probably had no idea how special this orchid is. I'm so happy to have her in my collection and I hope she does well!
Both orchids were repotted right away and their roots were all looking pretty healthy. I have high hopes that as March settles in and the weather warms up, these two new additions will acclimate quickly and do well. While I'm trying to expand the variety of orchids in my collection, I will always have room for a special phalaenopsis in my home. These two are definitely special in their own ways!