The first week of a new year finds the greenhouse brimming with orchids in flower, and it is the diversity of flowers that we find so exciting. So I promise a diverse week of orchids with this little jewel to follow yesterday’s stately Dendrobium.

Platystele consorbrina is a very special orchid with the most beautiful tiny flowers just a couple of millimetres across, that plants produce on long spikes that flower for months so that the species is always in flower in the greenhouse.

The species is endemic to Colombia and grows in wet forests from 1600-2100m. The altitude is lower than some Platystele species we grow which makes it less fussy about temperatures and we grow it both cool (min 10C) intermediate (min 13C) and warm (min 17C) and in each environment we find it is a vigorous grower provided it is kept shaded.

Now I need to find a giant flowered orchid species for tomorrow’s post.