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| Prize hybrid Cattleya orchid. |
Yesterday I visited the aptly-named Floradise, a business in Gordonsville that specializes in orchids, in search of some paintable orchids for my botanical art projects. It was a lovely way to start the New Year off, not to mention a welcome respite from winter. Inside this greenhouse it's tropical every day or the year!
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| Another Prize-winning white Cattleya hybrid |
They had quite a few prize-winning hybrid Cattleyas, Phaphiopedilums and others with astronomical price tags, among them the beauty you see above, with flowers over eight inches across! The owners have bred some prize-winning orchids. I learned while reading "The Orchid Thief" that orchid growers are very a competitive lot, and the monetary rewards of breeding a prize-winning orchid are considerable. These prize-winners are sold for hundred-thousands of dollars!
They had an incredible variety of species as well as hybrids, from huge plants with enormous flowers to miniatures, it was hard to take it all in. I wish I had better photos of them (I missed so many gorgeous ones)!
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| Hybrid Paphiopedilum with Rothchildiana genes |
Steve, the owner, showed me so many appealing varieties...the fancy ones were unaffordable for me, but others were very reasonable priced, it was hard to choose. Eventually I focused on slipper orchids, the Paphiopedilums, some of which have interesting markings on their leaves, and amazing flower colors.
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| A complex hybrid Paphiopedilum. |
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| Yellow hybrid Paphiopedilum |
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| A table full of Paphiopedilums. |
After a lot of back and forth I selected this lovely hybrid Paph. identified as Supersuk 'Eureka' AOS x Raisin Pie 'Hsinying' x sib.--quite a mouthful for such a beauty! Here it is in my bathroom after bringing it home. This flower was very similar to the Paph. that I painted at the U S Botanic Garden when I took my first orchid painting class there with Carol Woodin, a decade ago. The coloring of the flower was similar, and the side sepals had the same spots and hairy edges. The leaves of this one have some nice markings too. I hope to be able to do a better rendition of this orchid than my first one.
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| Paphiopedilum Supersuk 'Eureka' AOS/x Raisnin Pie 'Hsingying' x sib. |
Floradise had many other orchids that intrigued me. These Masdevallias were fascinating! Steve told me that the red color of one was due to the purple hairs that cover the surface of the petal, which is actually orange underneath. This combination gives them a rich red color.
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| Masdevallia hybrids. |
So many orchid species and hybrid varieties to see, it was mind-boggling! Miltonias, Miltoniopsis, all colors and sizes of Phalaenopsis, Dendrobiums, Oncidiums, Vandas, Zygopetalums, Bromeliads...
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| Another beautiful Paph. |
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| Oncidiums in bloom |
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| Table full of orchids and succulents |
I ended up buying another small orchid--a Jewel orchid (Ludisia discolor) in bud. I'd been wanting to grow one of these orchids, and am curious to see what the flowers will be like. These orchids are grown mainly for their foliage, which is unusual--the veining in the dark leaves seems to glow from within.
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| Jewel orchid (Ludisia discolor) |
As my friend and I were driving away, I spotted an unusual shrub with white buds in front of the owners' house--I hopped out to get a closer look, and the lady of the house came by and confirmed what I had suspected--I was looking at an enormous Edgeworthia in bud. She told me they'd been growing it for quite a few years now, and the flowers opened in early spring. Apparently this shrub does well in their Zone 7, but not in my colder Zone 6 garden.
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| Edgeworthia in bud. |
I hope to get back to Floradise this spring in time to be able to see the Edgeworthia fully open, sketch it and take in its wonderful scent.
