This summer I have converted our non-orchid greenhouse (used for propagating garden and overwintering garden plants) into an orchid house for warm growing species. Top of my agenda has been energy efficiency and so I have been looking at different double glazing options. Perspex seemed an obvious choice but quotes suggest over £1000 for this […]

This lovely orchid looks very much like a cattleya when not in flower, but when the flowers open there is no confusing the green and white moth pollinated flowers of an epidendrum. This species is found right through Central America and down through Colombia, Ecuador and Peru. Out of flower it looks very like a […]

Today I have removed the shading from my cool greenhouse at home. Unlike the school greenhouse with it motorised shading, I like most people have two options for my home orchids – shading on all the time or shading off. This year my shading went on in April (below) but I am now keen to […]

Cattleya bicolor is a reliable late summer treat. The species has really strikingly coloured flowers, the vibrant pink lip contrasting with the chestnut brown of the other petals and sepals. The flower is unusual as the lip has no side lobes to wrap around the column as in most cattleyas. The flowers are large (see […]

   Stelis nexipous is one of our more floriferous stelis species and is just coming into flower again with its packed upright spikes with relatively large deep red flowers. The name ‘nexipous’ means duck’s foot and describes the shape of the flowers which is unlike any other stelis in our collection. The dense spikes are […]