We don’t have a lot of shade in the garden yet, as all the big trees are sensibly well away from the house, but there are a couple of small rainforest trees above the house, and I’ve used them to house some of my orchids. The Dendrobium nobile is looking quite happy way up in this fork, and has started to flower. I’m afraid I don’t know yet what the tree is, but it is quite common in the region, and holds a lot of lichen on its bark, so…
Read MoreTag: Dendrobium
Dendrobium nobile
I’ve finally sussed this orchid, and it’s responded with a mass flowering, just coming on now with faintly hyacinth-scented blooms. It’s got an unusual growth habit and wanes slowly if it’s not maintained. The new stems shoot from the base in Spring, grow with handsome leaves for 18 months, then drop their leaves and are bare, but succulent, through their second Winter. They need a slight chill, then in late Winter the bare stems send out flower spikes. The secret to them seems to be that they need to be…
Read MoreDendrobium kingianum
One of the last flowers of Winter, this Dendrobium is sweet like snowdrops. It’s a rock orchid native to the Sydney area, but grows in sand or bark or whatever. Dropping shoots is its specialty, so you could multiply a plant to completely cover a balcony in a few years. Comes in whites and pinks. Give it plenty of morning or dappled sun.
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