Paphiopedilum concolor

The is a rather big plant of concolor alba which I recently purchased.  It has two large growths and each is now throwing out new shoots which is a good sign.  I grow my concolors in various types of medium including sand, small stones, pine bark, charcoal chips, clay pellets. 

A few other plants of P.concolor are also either flowering now or coming into flowering.  This one is  a plant bought last year from the Garden Festival in Gardens By The Bay.  I believe this is the variety from Kanchanaburi.  The tessellation on the leaves is different with dark purple on the underside.  Also most of the flowers have petals with dots arranged in a line down the middle.  This variety appears to prefer more humus in the medium.  But concolors are quite tolerant plants so I think anything will do.

Paphiopedilum godefroyae var alba 'Pan'

This is the second time that this plant is flowering.  The plant itself is a bit small in size but the flower is big.  P. godefroyae is grown in very much the same way as my other Brachys.  Same medium and same watering frequency.  This plant is now P. godefroyae var alba 'Pan'.

Paphiopedilum exul

The other exul flower is now fully open.  At first i thought the six plants i bought could be all from the same clump and broken into six sections.  Now, looking at this flower, i am sure it is a different plant because this flower has more green compared to the first.

P. exul is one of my favourites because they are definitely found at sea level and thus is an excellent candidate for beginners who wish to start growing paphs.

Paphiopedilum haynaldianum

This plant is another of my sure-bloom plants.  It must have come from the lowland as well because compared to my other haynaldianum, this one is so much more free flowering.  My other plant is also flowering soon but it has to reach quite a big size colony before it started flowering.  This particular plant however, is able to flower with just one mature shoot.

I have recently changed to using pine bark and orchid stones with crushed clay pellets.  Hope the plant can give me two growths soon.

Paphiopedilum godefroyae var alba

This plant is flowering again recently and produced a very nice and big white flower.  P. godefroyae is native to Thailand and can be found at low elevations so this makes them suitable for lowland weather conditions.

Paphiopedilum exul

This is one of my most favourite Paphs because it can be easily flowered in Singapore.  Found in Thailand from sea level to a maximum height of 50m.  Only 50m! It is even found growing in full sun! It is also tolerant of many types of medium but generally i use a stony mix with pine bark and some compost thrown in.  I shade them but i think i may be giving too much shade.  Now i am trying to see if they will flower better if given more light.

These plants are growing in front of the window and shaded by the roof.

They are sheltered from rain and direct sun but the area is very bright. The next flower should appear in a couple of weeks and if it turns out to be different from the first then it would be a bonus.

    The pic above shows the top flower.
    The pic below is the developing flower spike in front.

 These are some of the pots that i placed in the open so that they can receive more sunlight.      Hopefully a miracle will happen soon.

Cymbidium dayanum

Bought this plant from Song Orchids last year.  A bit of a mistaken identity cos i was actually looking for Cymbidium aloifolium but this flower is very similar so i mistakenly bought it.  I had intended to tie it to a tree behind the house but till today it is still in its pot.  Anyway, i did not regret making that mistake because this is such a beautiful Cymbidium.  I think the whole plant, leaves and flowers, is so graceful compared to Cym. aloifolium.

The plant is grown in moderate shade in a hanging pot with a pine bark + charcoal mix.