I asked the back yard orchid guy if he had any Miltonias, and he rather too keenly sold me this one. It is, to be sure, the real Miltonia, but what is usually called Miltonia, and what I was expecting, is the much more showy Miltoniopsis. Still, this one has been an interesting addition to my collection, and fills a flowering gap in later Summer. It is not right for an indoor display though. The colour is not particularly showy, and the flowers are somehow unspectacular. It also has a…
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Phalaenopsis
Great orchids for Sydney, you can buy Phalaenopsis as a flowering display that will last for over a month, then keep them with an expectation that they will flower again. They are easy to keep as long as the basic conditions are right, and that means light and water. Phals are low light plants, naturally growing deep under the rainforest canopy. Their thick leaves easily overheat in sunlight, even morning sun in Summer. A south facing window or a spot inside a brightly lit room are good locations. If you…
Read MoreEasy orchids
Lots of orchids grow easily in Sydney, given the right spot. The native orchids are a good starting point. The big Dendrobium speciosum rock orchid is spectacular, and although ideal in a tree, will grow well on a board in a lightly shaded or East-facing spot. Little Dendrobium kingianum is sweet and super tough, will grow almost anywhere and even in soil. Dendrobium nobile grows easily in bark, and the Cooktown orchid, Dendrobium phalaenopsis grows and flowers with protection from winter cold. Cymbidiums grow easily and flower reliably when given…
Read MoreZygopetalum
This Zygopetalum is tough and reliable. It makes a dramatic indoor plant while it flowers in May and June, and also has a strong sweet scent, something like hyacinths. It’s a big plant so it gets a pot on the floor while it’s inside. This is a very hardy orchid, and it grows happily on the South balcony with morning sun in summer, no cold protection in winter (and full shadow) and rainwater or a weekly watering when it’s dry.
Read MorePurple Dancing Ladies
This orchid flowers twice a year if we are lucky; a small flowering in Autumn and the main show in Spring. It’s tough and stays out on the South facing balcony unless it’s flowering, then it lasts for a long time indoors and has a beautiful vanilla scent. It is one of the Oncidium type, apparently a complex and uncertain genus. It likes bright light, with direct sun only early mornings if at all, and is happy with watering by rain, or a weekly watering if it’s dry. It is…
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