Zygopetalum maculatum 2022

Months after moving house, finally I had time to check on my orchids. I started with the Zygopetalum maculatum. Dusty leaves needed to be cleaned and dried leaves and stems were trimmed off. To my surprise they are having flower spikes. One pot is having a couple and another one is having one.

Orchids 2019

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The early and very cold chill blasts this year had made orchids bloom better, many with multiple spikes. Some of the Cymbidiums are still in buds and the Dendrobium nobile is flowering again for the second time with 5 canes start to show flower buds. To our surprise the Zygopetalum is also blooming for the second time this year. The previous was in January this year.

Zygopetalum Hollandra ‘Ever Springs’

This orchid was bought almost 2 years ago and it is now blooming for the first time under my care.

Blooming Orchids 2018

Some of the Cymbidium flower buds have opened, so have with Zygopetalum orchids.

CYMBIDIUM ORCHIDS:

Orchid Flower Buds

Cymbidium orchids: Quite a few of the spikes have burst open to reveal plump flower buds. Some other spikes are still quite small.

More Orchid Flowers

Cymbidium bulbarrow ‘Our Midge’: This Cymbidium orchid that was grown from a small seedling is having 2 spikes this year. It took around 7 years or more for the seedling to flower. Now it has been the third time for it to bloom. I like the unusual ashy pink colour with a very dark maroon lip.

Zygopetalum Hollandra ‘Ever Springs’

I have had Zygopetalum maculatum orchid for a few years and I love it. The blooms look unusual and have beautiful fragrance. Though the leaves are prone to black spotting,it does not effect the plant at all. To reduce the problem it is better to keep the foliage dry and give the plant good air circulation.

For some time I had tried to find another variety of this orchid, and the last time I spotted one in Collector’s Corner in Garden World. It was the only one available and I would not miss the chance to have it.

The tag says Zygopetalum Hollandra ‘Ever Springs’. The plant still looks very young with a short spike of three flowers. The colour and shape are slightly different from the one that I’ve already had. Hopefully, later on in the future both the plant and the blooms will be taller and bigger.

Zygopetalum maculatum

I love this easy to grow and easy to flower orchid. One year later under my care, it has grown two spikes and two more new growth/bulbs. Hopefully the new growth will also develop flowers later on. One of the flower spikes has opened and I can start to smell the beautiful fragrance. The blooms have unusual colour of green and brown-maroon, while the large lips are white with purple stripes.

Though the long and large leaves are prone to black spots, it seems that it does not really affect the performance of the plant. To minimise black spots to develop, it is better to keep the foliage dry and position the plant in an open airy spot under a sunny shade. Good air circulation can help to reduce spotting of the leaves.

Late Autumn 2015

13/05/2015: Snow flurries in May?? It is snowing on Mount Dandenong, Kinglake, Toolangi, north-east of Melbourne and on top of Mount William, in the Grampians. Overnight temperature was around 6 deg. C and now it is 10.4 deg. with on-offrains and hails.

Snow near Toolangi

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Pear Tree in late Autumn

Windy, wet and cold Autumn…………..Today will have a chance of hail and storm. Our pear trees are displaying brilliant autumn colours. Most of the leaves are still intact. Some of the Cymbidium orchids have developed some flower spikes, but my prediction is that quite a few of them will not flower this blooming season as most of the new bulbs are still too young. The biggest surprise is that the Beallara ‘Eurostar’ is suddenly having a spike (about a month ago was still none), while the Dancing Lady still has not shown any flower growth. 

New Orchids, One Year Later

Last year around June I bought 3 orchids: Zygopetalum maculatum, Oncidium ‘Dancing Lady’ and Beallara ‘Eurostar’. Now almost one year later, only the Zygopetalum is developing 2 flower spikes. The Dancing Lady grows very well with many new bulbs, but there is no sign of flower spikes at all. When the Beallara orchid was bought it was a very small plant with only 1 backbulb and 1 flowering bulb. So far it has grown another new bulb, but no flower spike is growing.

Zygopetalum maculatum:

The plant is vigorous, the long and wide leaves grow quite large. I have noticed that the flower spikes grow at the same time as the new bulb, side by side. I found it a little bit odd. It seems that growing this orchid is quite easy, but the plant is prone to black spots. Ours has suffered from few black spots, but after I avoid the foliage from getting wet, it seems that it is not getting worse and the spots kind of faded. I read that Zygopetalum hates to have the leaves wet and also it needs good air circulation to avoid fungal problems.

Zygopetalum maculatum Orchid April 2015