Flowers 2018

[ABCarve]

There's a Flowers 2019 thread. It's a new year.

Oops I’ll try to remember. ?

 

[Leo in N E Illinois]

@ABCarve - I love that pot. I do the same, I have some Chinese Yi Xing pots that were made as orchid pots. I keep a number of mine in those. I'll have to get pictures when they bloom, I'll put them in the 2019 thread.

 

[BackyardBonsai]

Ume started to open...

 

[ABCarve]

@ABCarve - I love that pot. I do the same, I have some Chinese Yi Xing pots that were made as orchid pots. I keep a number of mine in those. I'll have to get pictures when they bloom, I'll put them in the 2019 thread.

It seems that the orchid community at large has an aversion to showy pots. I was told they formally display in black tubes to cover the plastic nursery pots. Seems silly to me to put beautiful plants in ugly pots. I know their motivation for this, I just think it’s stupid.

 

[Leo in N E Illinois]

It seems that the orchid community at large has an aversion to showy pots. I was told they formally display in black tubes to cover the plastic nursery pots. Seems silly to me to put beautiful plants in ugly pots. I know their motivation for this, I just think it’s stupid.

I still do my orchid displays with all the cheap plastic pots draped in black cloth. Part of the reason, is generally you only display plants in bloom. Other than Phalaenopsis, most orchids do not bloom every year, especially Paphs and Phrags, you never know what will be open for a particular show, especially if show dates move around year to year. In an orchid display it is ''all about the flowers'', with the foliage not really being considered in the judging score. At most foliage and health of the plant are about 10 points out of 100. I have on occasion done a display with all the orchids in prominently displayed Yi Xing and Japanese orchid and bonsai pots. I can only do this when I have enough orchids in bloom in the ''right size'' plastic pots that I can slip them into the nicer pots. I do grow a few orchids directly in the Yi Xing and bonsai pots, but only a few. My orchid collection is over 800 plants, that is too many to grow them all in fancy pots. It is easier to handle them in plastic, then use the nice pot as a cache pot.

There is an exception. The Neofinetia falcata (now called Vanda falcata), the Japanese have a tradition of displaying them in very ornate pots. Here, the foliage is an important part of the judging, in fact they can be shown and judged without flowers.


I do have my favorites. This is a Chinese Cymbidium sinense 'Shi Gang Shui' which has nice variegated foliage and intensely fragrant but small brown flowers. During the month it is in bloom I keep it in the dining room, and its fragrance fills the main floor of the house.

 

[ABCarve]

I still do my orchid displays with all the cheap plastic pots draped in black cloth. Part of the reason, is generally you only display plants in bloom. Other than Phalaenopsis, most orchids do not bloom every year, especially Paphs and Phrags, you never know what will be open for a particular show, especially if show dates move around year to year. In an orchid display it is ''all about the flowers'', with the foliage not really being considered in the judging score. At most foliage and health of the plant are about 10 points out of 100. I have on occasion done a display with all the orchids in prominently displayed Yi Xing and Japanese orchid and bonsai pots. I can only do this when I have enough orchids in bloom in the ''right size'' plastic pots that I can slip them into the nicer pots. I do grow a few orchids directly in the Yi Xing and bonsai pots, but only a few. My orchid collection is over 800 plants, that is too many to grow them all in fancy pots. It is easier to handle them in plastic, then use the nice pot as a cache pot.

There is an exception. The Neofinetia falcata (now called Vanda falcata), the Japanese have a tradition of displaying them in very ornate pots. Here, the foliage is an important part of the judging, in fact they can be shown and judged without flowers.
View attachment 223033 View attachment 223034 View attachment 223032

I do have my favorites. This is a Chinese Cymbidium sinense 'Shi Gang Shui' which has nice variegated foliage and intensely fragrant but small brown flowers. During the month it is in bloom I keep it in the dining room, and its fragrance fills the main floor of the house.

View attachment 223028View attachment 223029

I'm familiar with Neofinetia falcata. My pal has dozens......I don't get it ??? flowers a fairly insignificant and his seem to rarely flower. Crazy, long, expensive sphagmun to pot them with. He did show me some of the pots....incredible!!
I guess I'll never exhibit cause mine are all in, lets say, unconventional pots. Since I make the pots, it's part of the joy in growing them. I only have about 40 mine seem to be fairly predictable about blooming. I may find you are correct since I am expanding the collection a bit. This paph never stops blooming. 4-6 flower are expended and another 4-6 are there to replace it. It hadn't been repotted or divided in 6 years. Everything goes outside in the summer to get them charged.
The oncidium starts spiking in April and keeps flower until mid-September. Very fragrant, but can't tell you the variety. That's a 12" wood fired pot it"s in.

I'm so glad to hear about your cymbidium sinense, I just bought one last September. Didn't know it was fragrant. Hope it blooms this spring. We may have to start an orchid thread.