Dendrobium Love Memory "Fizz" close up of a single flower

Dendrobium Love Memory 'Fizz' blooming in April in Puerto Rico

A well bloomed plant of this nobile hybrid.   It was brought to the April 10 meeting of the AOS judges in the city of Ponce, Puerto RIco.  In the last few years, large numbers of these Dendrobium hybrids have been sold in local stores.  Most succumb to neglect, unsuitable care or the usual pests that infest gardens everywhere.  But it seems a few people are being reblooming these plants successfully.  None of my plants bloom like these in my garden, what they do is produce a few large flowers near the top of the cane.  But the flowers are so delightful, I don't mind.

Paphiopedilum Song of Love (Paph lowii x Paph. liemianum) this is a first bloom seedling

This is a first bloom of a plant I brought from Carter and Holmes some time ago.  Paphiopedilum are not really that popular in Puerto Rico among the average orchid grower, but they are not rare in the larger local orchid collections.  I find most Paphiopedium very easy to grow in the coastal region of Puerto Rico.   

My Dendrobium nobile hybrids have bloomed in 2015

Dendrobium Wave King 'Akebono'

Dendrobium Red Emperor 'Prince'

Dendrobium Love Memory 'Fizz'

Dendrobium Country Girl "Warabeuta'

The old Dendrobium nobile hybrids were not easy to bloom.  But this is no longer the case with the new hybrids.  All the plants that I have brought have bloomed several years in a row without having to subject them to a severe drop in temperature.  The best performer is Wave King which bloomed several times during last year.  The one that produced the fewest flowers was Dendrobium Love Memory.

Dendrobium Love Memory 'Fizz'

This Dendrobium nobile hybrid grew very well in the coastal lowlands of Puerto Rico.   Unfortuantely when the blooming season arrived it was the only adult nobile hybrid not to produce flowers.  Because it appeared that it would not bloom in the coast I took it to the mountains, to an elevation of 1000 feet over sea level.  Because the night temperatures are lower in the mountains than it the coast it appears this provided the needed stimulus to make the plant bloom and in a few weeks flower buds started to develop.  The flowers are holding up well even with the daily downpours that tend to damage less sturdy ones.

Potinara Free Love "Sunburst'

A hybrid of the Cattleya group.  Photographed at the Christmas meeting of the Orquidistas de Puerto Rico.  Lovely colors.  The plant is owned by Edwin Alberto Perez of E. Orchids.