Dendrobium is a wonderful genus with so many remarkable species. One of the more dramatic species Dendrobium harveyanum. This wonderful dendrobium is native to Southern China and South East Asia where it grows as an epiphyte at around 1100-1700m in seasonally dry forest.

Dendrobium harveyanum is semi deciduous and flowers from new and old pseudobulbs together in a fantastic display of its intricate flowers with long filamented edges to the lip and petals. The flowers are produced in sprays similar to the closely related Dendrobium fimbriatum.

Books recommend a cool winter rest for the species and we keep the plant into Warm Asia (min 18C) when in growth and move it to Cool Asia for a rest when the growths are fully mature in late autumn. The cool rest then initiates an abundant flowering in late spring (April or May usually)

When we have kept the plant in Warm Asia throughout the year the flowering has been rather sparse in comparison.

We find the plant enjoys growing in a basket but kept really wet when in active growth.

The flowers are sweetly fragrant and last about a week.

We are continuing our Vanda theme with our third Vanda species in a row.

Vanda coerulescens (meaning blueish Vanda) a charming miniature Vanda with really unusual purple and white, long lasting, flowers on very long flower spikes for the size of the plant.

Vanda coerulescens is native to dryish monsoon forests in the Western Himalayas (Arunachal Pradesh), Myanmar, Thailand and Southern China from around 300 to 1200m. This is a habitat that we know well and have seen in Arunachal Pradesh consisting of open, bright, forest with a distinct wet season in the monsoon summer. Orchids here grow without any moss around their roots and we find that the species does best mounted on cork bark, where it can really dry out between daily waterings. Plants grow new leaves and roots in the summer and do very little during the winter before sending out the fast growing flower spikes, and flowers, each April.

Our second Vanda in a row is a delightful miniature. Our largest plant (above) is now 12cm tall and has a mass of flowers opening on a 5cm spike.

Vanda christonsoniana is native to Vietnam where it grows in seasonally dry forest from sea level to 700m altitude. We have explored similar habitat in Laos and this forest is deciduous and semi-deciduous meaning this orchid has adapted to cope with bright light and dry periods. The leaves are almost terete and turn a red/purple colour when enjoying good light.

The sweet little flowers are on short spikes and are butterfly pollinated with a long spur. The plant here is in a 1/3litre basket which we find ideal for growing lots of miniature orchids.

A big thank you to our Dorset volunteers Izzy and Stephanie for searching the Purbeck cliffs near Dancing Ledge and spotting the first native British orchids flowers of 2022 – Ophrys sphegodes or The Early Spider Orchid.

If you are heading that way, the Early Spiders will be in flower for about 3 weeks – and keep an eye out for Early Purples and Green Winged Orchids that are never far behind.