A very nice Masdevallia endemic to Costa Rica where is grows in the cloud forests from 1400 to 2200 meters. It is fairly tolerant of warmer temperatures and I actually bloomed this on the windowsill in my intermediate growing room before moving it into the cool vivarium in April. The flowers measure about 7 cm and each inflorescence usually produce up to three flowers each […]
Masdevallia ayabacana was named after the Ayabaca Province in northwestern Peru. Its is a medium to large size epiphyte where it grows in the cloud forests at altitudes of 1200-1800 meters. I grow mine potted in EpiWeb substrate on the bottom of the cool vivarium, but it is quite tolerant to warmer temperatures as well. It boasts a very long inflorescence of about about 35cm and it keeps […]
Dracula chimaera is a small sized cold grower from the cloud forests of Colombia. I have always admired this very large Dracula species and I have anxiously followed the development of the bud all summer. Today the flower has opened up and it is amazing!! It can carriy up to 6 single flowers in succession so I am looking forward to many more […]
So the weather prognosis is predicting a lot cooler temperatures from now on, down below 10 C at night and below 20 C during the day. So I thought is was time to pack up the air conditioning unit for this season and reconfigure the cool vivarium for winter. A fairly easy job actually, I […]
This is a small epiphyte from Venezuela, Colombia and Ecuador where it grows along streams at altitudes between 400 and 1100 meters. Since it grows on pretty low altitudes it is also more tolerant to warmer temperatures and do well in intermediate culture. The small flowers are perhaps not as showy as some other Masdevallia, but […]
It was finally time to repot the little seedlings I bought from Ecuagenera in flasks at the orchid show in Gothenburg 2008. Since deflasking them I have grown them intermediate/warm in a small mini-greenhouse and communal pots with sphagnum moss. It is recommended you grow all small seedlings, even cool growers, a bit warmer but now I thought they […]
A very nice little Stelis species from Costa Rica, my first. I have actually had this one since December but it really took off after moving in to the cool vivarium this spring. It just finished blooming on five inflorescences, each holding approximately 10-15 beautiful deep burgundy flowers measuring about 1 cm and lasting for over 2 months. The flowers themselves are not very spectacular, but […]
This is another purchase from my big Peru Flora order this spring… I grow it potted in a plastic mesh pot with EpiWeb substrate in the lower half of the cool vivarium. It has been blooming all summer and is still going strong, usually with 2-3 flowers open at a time. Each inflorescence produces more than one pendulous flower in succession and they last for a […]
I love orchid buds almost as much as I like the flowers. Most orchids have the most amazing buds and I particularly like the moment right before they are about to open up, it is a very sensual moment. Dracula buds […]
