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Home » Gardening Information » Great Plants

In the spring of 1970, I saw and purchased three Cattleya orchids with large lavender flowers. This was the beginning of my addiction to orchids, which has blossomed into a collection of close to a thousand plants including many different species and wonderful hybrids.

Those first three orchids taught me a hard lesson. They all had plant viruses, which are not curable and are highly communicable, and the plants eventually had to be thrown in the garbage. Today, most reputable nurseries will replace any plant sold with a virus, and they are also far more likely to recognize problems and regularly check their plants for signs of disease or pest infestation. Anyone growing orchids has to realize that good sanitary conditions are vital, otherwise a virus or other disease organism present in one plant may be spread through the entire collection.

In general, for every new orchid coming into my greenhouse, I donate one to an orchid society auction or raffle. I like to keep my collection current and I regularly exchange beautiful plants acquired years ago for current breeding successes and newer hybrids.

I initially turned to orchids because I wanted flowers that would bloom in winter, and orchids fit my desires perfectly. Starting with cattleyas and cymbidiums, my collection quickly branched out in many directions. My taste in orchids continues to change as I gain new knowledge during orchid society meetings and at orchid shows. I purchase new orchids based on plant habit and how desirable I find the flower, as well as how well the plant will thrive in the growing conditions in my greenhouse.

Arranging the Greenhouse

Living on the New Jersey shore, I am fortunate that temperature swings and violent weather are not as pronounced as in some other areas in North America. I built my first greenhouse in the spring of 1970 from a kit. Made out of wood and glass, it blew apart in a blizzard eight years later. I learned from the experience and now have a greenhouse made of aluminum covered with Lexan, a double-layer polycarbonate. In addition to a propane heater to fend off winter cold and five fans to provide constant air movement, an important accessory in my greenhouse is an evaporative cooler. Mounted in the greenhouse wall, this device pulls in air through a wet pad, which cools the air before it is blown into the greenhouse. In the summer when it's sunny as well as warm outside, an Aluminet shade cloth (woven of aluminum fiber) and three large trees provide much-needed relief from the sun's rays and help keep temperatures bearable, although the thermometer may still go up to 90°F with the cooler running.

Over the years, I've modified the growing conditions in my greenhouse to accommodate my changing tastes. Today my greenhouse is filled with intermediate- to cool-growing orchids. In winter, I try to maintain low temperatures of about 50°F at night, and in summer, I try to keep the temperature under 82°F during the day. I also take advantage of the microclimates in my greenhouse, growing plants that like it warmer and need more light near the heater or higher up, and moving others to cooler spots, such as near the vents (which do leak) and close to the floor or under the benches.

Adventures of a Lycaste Lover

I favor lycastes, miltonias, and pleurothallids, but I also have dendrobiums, cattleyas, cymbidiums, oncidiums, Phalaenopsis, and other genera. I feel that the genus Lycaste has some of the most beautiful flowers in the orchid world. Some of the species in the genus can be grown on a windowsill, and all of them can be accommodated in a greenhouse. There are two popular sections to the genus Lycaste: sect. Macrophyllae, generally evergreen, and sect. Deciduosae, the deciduous species, which are usually easier to grow. The flowers are yellow and gold to green and yellow. My favorite in this group is Lycaste microbulbon from Colombia, which can have six or more large yellow flowers on each new growth. As with most orchids in this group, they have two sharp spines on top of the pseudobulbs, which you may notice painfully during repotting (it could be worse, though—in the wild, pit vipers tend to nest in these plants). Other lycastes in this section that I enjoy are L. campbellii, L. brevispatha, and L. tricolor. These and the similar Lycaste macrophylla need cooler temperatures. I also grow Lycaste cruenta, L. aromatica, L. consobrina, and L. lasioglossa, which thrive in warmer temperatures. Some of the warmer-growing plants are hanging high in the greenhouse; others are set near the heater. The cooler-growing lycastes are farther away from the heaters.

A Year in the Life of the Lycastes

This year, for the first time, I moved all of my lycastes outside, hanging them under a pergola at the end of May. There they receive very bright light and suffer only a small amount of leaf burn. The plants appear to benefit greatly from the day and night temperature differential as well as the brighter light. I can fertilize more to support the plants' accelerated growing pattern in the brighter light and water more often thanks to the constant breezes. Over the summer the plants developed many new growths from the old bulbs, and I can expect substantially more blooms in winter and spring.

At the end of September I moved all my plants into the greenhouse after carefully checking for signs of insect infestation. Healthy plants, and especially those that are hanging, usually don't attract insects, but I'd rather be safe than sorry. As the leaves of Lycaste can become quite large, I hang the pots over the aisles and above the edges of the benches at varying heights. The smaller lycastes and those with shorter leaves move to a bench facing south in the greenhouse. They receive a breeze 24 hours a day from the five fans and the evaporative cooler.

In the fall after the new bulbs have formed, the leaves start to yellow and look ratty. They may be cut off or just allowed to fall off: The important point is not to water the plants after the leaves have fallen off. Deciduous lycastes must have a dry rest period in order to flower. Watering resumes when the plants begin to sprout inflorescences.

In the winter, the deciduous lycastes receive almost full sun—the shade cloth comes off the greenhouse in mid-September. The air is much cooler, similar to the conditions in the plants' natural environment, cloud forests high in the mountains. When the plants put up inflorescences in late winter or early spring, I begin to water sparingly and increase watering as the new growths start to show. When the flowers have finished blooming, I repot the orchids in the smallest pots I can fit them into and fertilize liberally. Except for seedlings or newly acquired plants with few roots, I use a bark potting mix; for seedlings and new plants that need to get established, I use New Zealand sphagnum moss in small clay or mesh pots.

My all-time favorite is the Macrophyllae group, which includes Lycaste skinneri, in my opinion the most magnificent flower in the genus. The triangular conformation of the three large sepals with the smaller petals elegantly surrounding the lip and column can present a breathtaking picture. One flower, rarely two, on each of the 10 or 20 inflorescences presented on each front growth make a fabulous display. The broad green leaves on these lycastes can frame the flowers as if they were staged.

Lycaste skinneri varies in color from pure white, concolor pink to bicolor, all of which are most desirable. I understand that there is also a yellow form of the species, but have never seen it. Lycaste skinneri has large, long-lasting flowers, which I've seen described as satiny, crystalline, waxy, pearly lustrous, glossy, glowing, and polished.

There are more than 365 registered hybrids made with Lycaste skinneri, many of them highly desirable. Lycaste Shoalhaven is perhaps the best known and most popular. I grow over 30 hybrids in my greenhouse and treasure each one of them. To date I have received five AOS flower awards for Lycaste skinneri and L. skinneri hybrids. The most exciting of these—and which earned the highest AOS award I have ever received—is Lycaste Absolutely Stunning. The cultivar 'Sandra Dayan' received an FCC/AOS, a First Class Certificate from the American Orchid Society, in February 2002 as well as the Huntington award for the best FCC, granted in 2002.

Lycaste skinneri, its hybrids, and the other lycastes in the Macrophyllae group are watered throughout the year and fertilized up through the beginning of November. In December and January, I cut back on the watering for almost all my orchids and give no fertilizer. During this time I can also skip watering entirely for a week or more, which means it's the perfect time for me to go on vacation. By the end of December blooms begin to appear, and they continue into early summer; some of the species will even bloom during the summer months.

Growing Miltoniopsis

Along with the lycastes, I have a collection of Miltoniopsis. These large flat floriferous orchids put on a great show, bloom from early spring through late summer, and come in every color and combination of colors imaginable. They are all potted in a bark mix in clay or plastic pots. I try to keep them as cool as possible in the summer and repot them every year, after flowering, in as small a pot as they fit into. Keeping them tight in their pots is extremely important, as they can then be watered and fertilized well without risking root rot. I divide them when they become too large for a six-inch pot or when the clump separates naturally when taken out of the pot. When they start to flower, I move them into the house where it is dryer and consistently around 68°F to 70°F. The flowers expand as they open, and the plants stay in flower for more than eight weeks without any spotting. In contrast to many other orchids, Miltoniopsis flowers are not good cut flowers, so it's best to enjoy them on the plants.

I have some of the older Miltoniopsis hybrids and species, which I continue to enjoy as well as about 20 new seedlings. I continually buy seedlings from proven parents, and I also make my own. The first blooms on the most recent seedlings have been large, colorful, and very encouraging. I am looking forward to the mature plants and anticipate some wonderful results. I grow seedlings in clay pots and in sphagnum moss until they reach flowering size. At that time, I move them into a bark mix and cultivate them in clay or plastic pots.

Along with the Miltoniopsis, which are native to Colombia, I have one very special Miltonia, a Brazilian species, Miltonia spectabilis var. moreliana. My cultivar 'Linda Dayan' was awarded an AM/AOS, an Award of Merit from the AOS. Before I divided the plant it also received a CCM/AOS, a Certificate of Cultural Merit. It had 21 large, dark flowers on 19 inflorescences for the AM awarded in 1995 and 33 intensely colored flowers for the CCM awarded in 1996. With a large collection, it is almost certain that there will always be an orchid in flower. Orchid growers like to joke, however, that the plants seem to know when an orchid show is coming up, and they either bloom too early or too late.

Growing Pleurothallids

I also grow many of the species included in the Pleurothallid Alliance, which thrive in the same atmosphere and growing conditions as my other orchids, but they stay in the greenhouse all year, since it is easier to watch them carefully in the greenhouse. Mostly mounted on tree fern or cork, which many of them have completely covered over the years, these plants are suspended on racks against the back wall of the greenhouse and along the edges of the greenhouse benches. With some exceptions, I grow these orchids in bright shade and water liberally every sunny day except in the winter, when I can skip a week or two.

Masdevallias and draculas grow well in my greenhouse. The draculas are in open clay baskets or mesh pots. I have been growing them in New Zealand sphagnum moss but have been experimenting with Groden mix (rock wool) with sponge rock (large chunks of perlite) added to open it up. I've also mounted some of the more vigorous varieties. The draculas receive direct sun during the winter and bright shade in the summer with a lot of water. They rarely dry out and flower well several times a year.

The masdevallias had been growing in sphagnum moss until I moved them to a bark mix in clay pots, and they seem to be doing much better now. Since the bark mix holds far less water than the sphagnum moss, I can water them more often, which they enjoy. The smaller masdevallias are mounted on tree fern as well as pieces of wood and are thriving and flowering well. I recently put some of the larger masdevallias in tree fern rounds and am waiting for them to become established. I do grow Masdevallia floribunda, which needs warmer conditions, on a higher shelf in the greenhouse that receives bright light all year round. I grow Masdevallia coccinea and M. veitchiana on a shelf close to the floor where they get some sun in the winter but only very little direct sunlight in the summer. I cultivate small Lepanthes on tree fern slabs and larger ones in tree fern rounds, which have become covered in moss. These get bright shade all year round. The Lepanthes range from the tiny L. tsubotae to the comparatively large L. medusa. I also have some Restrepia species such as R. antennifera, R. sanguinea, and R. cuprea. These are all growing well and thriving in sphagnum moss, rock wool, and tree fern pots. Zootrophion dayanum, Z. hypodiscus, and Z. oblongifolium are also all growing in sphagnum moss and have filled their small pots to overflowing. These sit in more sun all year round, and the leaves are tinged in purple. They flower profusely.

Growing Dendrobiums

There is one more beautiful group of orchids, which almost everyone grows—dendrobiums. I cultivate a few of the beautiful New Guinea dendrobiums, which have a reputation of being very difficult—they seem to die without any reason once in a while—such as Dendrobium cuthbertsonii as well as D. cynocentrum. Dendrobium cynocentrum is growing very well mounted on tree fern, and I expect to mount my D. cuthbertsonii at the end of this year. The way to grow Dendrobium cuthbertsonii was explained to me by an excellent grower: Remove all the flowers and buds in December (or the plant will continue to bloom until it blooms itself to death) and repot the plant. As the days lengthen in January and February, the plant will send out new growths and soon after, new buds.

I also enjoy Dendrobium mohlianum. It grows in a basket with tree fern, is watered daily, and receives bright shade, outside, all summer. In the autumn, after the leaves fall, it gets direct sun most of the day in the greenhouse, and it continues to grow in cool conditions. This Dendrobium puts out buds on every leafless cane and is a picture of orange flowers in the early spring. I grow Dendrobium Kuniko, D. victoria-reginae, D. lawsii, D. subclausum, and D. obtsisepalum the same way. I am convinced that the combination of cool temperatures and bright sunlight results in more flowers as well as darker and more vivid colors. Another unusual New Guinea Dendrobium that's worth collecting but difficult to grow is D. violaceum. Flowers range from dark pink to pale lavender with an orange column. The plant stands out in any collection.

Personal Approach

Every collection of orchids reflects the tastes and preferences of its grower. I'm fond of all my orchids. Each one has a personality, and I check on every one of them as often as possible. I have killed many orchids learning how to grow them, but eventually I was able to do reasonably well with each genus. I have been told that good growers "listen" to their plants. A plant will let you know if it needs something. It's up to the person growing it to interpret the signs. I must admit that I have never been able to grow Telipogon or Disa. I do not think they like me and, for now, I admit defeat.

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