longk, Noids.....never hear that term before...... I used to have a greenhouse full of orchids (mainly species)...but that is a bit of a sad story:0 In 2003 , I moved house (in May), and had all my plants on some benching under some trees while I sorted out my new greenhouse. It got put up end of July, and was ready to put the plants in, in August. So this time of year more or less. Anyhow, was a lot warmer and sunnier than it is now. And even with shading and a fan blowing constantly, the majority of my collection got burnt, and those that weren't killed in a matter of hours died a slow lingering death. The cacti and succulents that I had came through ok, so that is the bulk of my greenhouse now. C & S is where I started growing plants when I was a child. So I don't mind from that point of view. But I was absolutely gutted to lose my orchids. I still have a few, but I doubt I will collect them as I once did.
Ouch! I would have been gutted too House moves can be bad news. When I moved in here I had about twenty Lobelia laxiflora that I had grown from seed. When the squirrels(?) had finished with them I had two - my stock plant and one seedling. All in the space of three hours. They've emptied numerous pots in the last three months and I'm seriously considering getting a Jack Russell as my of two cats one is too old, the other too stupid!! I also had to make the difficult decision to get rid of my Tacca chantrieri (my avatar) as it was just too big for the available light here.
longk, And I have moved again since then! But that time I only lost a pot of Aloe seedlings (ok, one of the rarest species in cultivation), but I got off lightly. I must say, that with electricity costs what they are at the moment, I am pleased I only heat my greenhouse to 6*c in winter, not 20*C!
Me too, although I seem to be getting off lightly. Gas and leccy are just over £90 a month - I love my wood burner! Since I last posted on this thread I'm getting an idea of what works here as far as houseplants go. I've given a few away, but others such as Ludisia are thriving!
Yes it is a valid name but it is a new name for me, Stanhopea's are one of my favourite orchids,the scent is fantastic.
Mr G Just checked in my copy of "The Astonishing Stanhopeas" by Barney Greer and he does list S nigripes as a valid species. It's a cool growing species from Peru that is said to be very rare.
Hi Sirius I just did a search for your book "The Astonishing Stanhopea's" by Barney Greer I will have to look for a cheaper version than the £51 copy I found via a google search but thanks for letting me know there is some literature out there on stanhopea's
£51! It is a thin booklet! I think there is also quite a detailed monograph, but have never seen that one for sale anywhere.
Mr G, How many Stanhopeas do you have? A big collection? Where do you get your plants from if I may ask.
No,not a big collection, I have S. occulata, S. tigrina, S. graveolens and some as yet unnamed Stanhopea species. I recently bought a few more species on ebay but they are very small.
Mr G, Where abouts in the country are you? If you can get to the RHS London Orchid show in April, it is well worth visiting. Always be able to pick up some gems, especially if Ecuagenera will be there. I unfortunately will be away, and won't be able to attend, but not much I can do.
I'm a northerner, I wish I had the time to visit such a show. I checked out the Ecuagenera website, they have some cracking stuff.
Do you grow a lot of other orchids?? Yup, Ecuagenera do have a fantastic list. Not just loads of Cattleyas or Phals that the other nurseries tend to sell.
