Bloom?

[Steve B]

Is this the start of a bloom?

Paph. philippinense x glaucophyllum



Thanks for the help,

Steve

[cassier]

Steve, it very well could be possible. Does it look different from the way the leaves looked as they were coming?
Others may have a definite answer, just hang on.
cassie

[jay]

I am having a hard time telling from the size of the photo, but I think it may be the beginning of a sheath.

The difference in color is what makes me think this.

Keep us updated.

[kmarch]

The photo is too small to say for certain. Here are 3 signs that a paph may be spiking:
1) If the new growth coming out fo the crown is fully enclosed, more pillow-like rather than slpit open on one edge like a leaf.
2) If the leaf preceding the current growth is smaller then the rest.
3) If a new growth has sprouted

Now not all of these are 100% reliable signs but if you have 2 of these going on or all three it's much more likely that a spike is in progress.

[Steve B]

Sorry about the size of the pic. I was trying to figure out how other people are posting large pictures into the body of the thread instead of using the thumbnails.

Hopefully this will help for now. The preceding leaf is smaller than the rest, and this one is very dark in colour, almost purple. It is flat you can see that it is split on the end.

Steve

[Vivienne]

It's still a little too early to tell, but if there is a split on the end then it's probably going to be a leaf. What color are the undersides of the leaves on the plant?

[jay]

Looking at the second smaller growth next to the main growth you can see the underside of the new leaf is green. That is one of the reasons I think it may be a sheath.

Also, your hybrids name is Paph. Shireen. Here is a photo of the flower and bud. Look at how dark the buds/sheaths are.

Paph. Shireen (glaucophyllum x philippinense) pictures from gardens photos on webshots


Just a guess again, but I am still leaning towards sheath.

[Steve B]

I took a couple close ups for fun

Steve

[Steve B]

I think it is safe to say, it's a spike!

Steve

[myorchid]

Congratulations!!!! Great growing, make sure to post pictures when it is fully open.

[patticake]

Oh, how cool! I'm betting on a bloom The dark bud & stem against the lighter green leaves, Yummy!!!

[kmarch]

Mmmmmm (licks lips) delicious! Look how lovely and dark the ste, sheath, and buds are. Something tells me this is going to be a good one! What's the name?

[Steve B]

Originally Posted by kmarch

What's the name?

Paph. Shireen

Steve

[solay]

Yay, new spike and bloom. I have some that I bought already in bud that has opened. They sure take their time. Can't wait to see the colors on yours.

[kmarch]

Shireen eh? With that much colour in the inflorescence I'd expect it will be one wiht good colour!

[Steve B]

Just a quick update. I have read of other people's patience being tested, now I know what they mean. Hurry up already!

Sorry the pictures a little fuzzy, I am in a little bit of a hurry this morning.
I am going on vacation today for a week and it will be just my luck that this first bloom will open up in my absence.

3 and counting

Steve

[patticake]

Oh, dear Lord, that's pretty! Yes, they do try your patience. I had one that I was sure would open when I was away for a week last April. I came home to it still "starting" From the appearance of those buds, this is going to be a stunning bloom!!!!!!!! I can't wait. I'm as excited as if it were mine! Pictures, please??

[kmarch]

It's gonna be a good one I think, at least it'll have good colour. Can't wait to see if fully open!

[jay]

This is going to be a great colorful show. Wow is that dark. I can't wait to see the form.

Now we all have to wait a week for the next picture.

Have a great vacation, but hurry back so we can see it open.

[Steve B]

Well,

Looks like I got home just in time. The fishing was great, but I couldn't wait to get home. The 1st pic. was last night and the 2nd is this morning.

It's hard to tell from the pics. but another bud has started, 4 and counting.

Which brings me to a question. How am I going to stake all of these?

Do I let it grow out horizontal and support the stem, or stake it up vertical? Any tips or lessons learned?

Thanks,
Steve

[Steve B]

Here it is, the first bloom opened up.

I tried a couple different angles to get the best light - hopefully they show up as well enough.

Steve

[katrina]

WOW! That's gorgeous! I've NEVER had one w/4 flowers...max has been 3. Great job!!

As for the staking...what I did w/the 3 flower paph was use a clip (like I see in your picture) and clip to the stake...below the area where the stem of each flower branches out. The 3 blooms hung down more than a 2 flower plant but I was afraid of staking too high and having the flower pitched at an odd angle. Did that make sense? Worked great for me.

Again...GORGEOUS bloom!

[jay]

Very nice. Looks like you have a couple of more on the way. Congrats on the bloom and great growing.

[articuno75]

That is pretty and I can't wait to see the complete show! Yowza!!! Four buds?! This is going to be exciting!!!

[solay]

WOW!!! Beautiful. I love it and I bet it's going to be spectacular once all the buds open up. Great job.

[patticake]

SWEET.....

[Steve B]

4th bloom just started to open today.

Cheers,
Steve

[articuno75]

That's putting on one heck of a show now.

[patticake]

Awe, Steve... That's really nice. Thanks. I've had a stressful day and that just made everything o.k.

[kmarch]

4 flowers!!! That's a FANTASTIC flower count for this cross. 2-3 is typical. I dont' recall ever seeing one with 4 flowers. The flower forms look quite good too....It's a little difficult to tell form the picture because I'm looking at the flowers only from certain angles...but you might want to consider taking this one in for judging. Going only from your photo, which is limiting, I think it might have some potentially awardable qualities. Think about it.

[myxoma]

It looks like candy!

[solay]

It's spectacular!!! I bet you'd win an award for that. You're doing something very right to get such a happy Paph.

[Steve B]

Thanks everyone. This has been a lot of fun watching this orchid flower. The 4th flower opened up finally. It's a little smaller than the rest. I thought I might get 1 more, but the bud is not developing, just staying really small.

I would love to take this in for judging, but I am not really sure where to get that done. There are no shows around here right now, the only one that I know of right now is not until the end of Sept. and the first flower has already started to fade. It's getting droopy and wilted. Oh well, there is always next year (if I can get it bloom again). Now it's time to decide what medium I am going to repot this into.

Cheers,
Steve

[kmarch]

Steve,

Here are a couple AOS judging centers in Canada. I'd encourage you to send them an email and ask when their judgings are and how you might go about getting your orchid looked at:

Toronto Judging Center

Chair — Ferrusi, Mario, 1129 Cream St., Fenwick, Ontario, Canada L0S 1C0; H: (905) 892-4187, Email: mferrusi@sympatico.ca

Chair, Quebec — Ginsberg, Howard, 630 Sherbrooke St. W #610, Montreal, Quebec, Canada H3A 1E4; H: (514) 878-1900, Email: orchids@bedfordorchids.com

Let us know how it goes!

[Steve B]

It took awhile to grow, but the 5th bloom started to open today.

Yeaaahhh, I get to enjoy a bloom for at least another month. What more can I ask for.

Just a side note, I contaced Mr. Ferrusi about when the next judging was. They are the first Sat. of the month. So that was last weekend. I had a prior commitment so I couldn't make it, plus the first 3 blooms had already dropped off by then.

C'est la vie. :-(

Cheers,
Steve

[Sassismom]

Wow 5 blooms, that is beautiful. Congratulations!!

[chefatplay]

Steve, you are awesome. Thank you so much for keeping this thread updated. I have some paphs, but haven't gotten a bud yet. Now I have a little better idea what to look for. Great growing!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[kmarch]

Well even if you did miss out on this judging, the plant will flower again and you know at least that it has some potential, especially with respect to flower count.

It's typical for the flowers to decrease slightly in size towards the tip of the inflorescence, so don't be disappointed that the last 2 flowers are smaller, this is normal I'd say.

Thanks for keeping us posted. It's been great fun following your progress with this Paph over the last 4 months! It's certainly a keeper!