Dendrobium normanbyense

[The Mutant]

Finally! It took forever for it to open all of the buds and unfurl the flowers enough for me to take pictures of them.

This is my little darling that I've had for about 1½ years now. This is its third flowering since I got it, so it seems easy to get to flower. The first time it had 3 flowers, the second time it had 2 spikes with a total of 7 flowers, and this time it has 5 spikes with a total of 14 flowers (it has a 6th spike with one single bud but I don't want to wait for that one, since it's so far behind the rest). It has increased its flower count by leaps and bounds.

Oh, and with 14 flowers the vanilla fragrance is much more pronounced than earlier flowerings.



The first picture is a comparison between how it looks today and when I got it. As you might notice, the bulbs are a bit wrinkled in the first picture. This is due to the Great Drought my orchids all experienced during summer. At least I didn't kill this one.

The funny thing is that I was worried when I got it because it didn't have that many roots... And, yes. It needs to be repotted.


The colour isn't quite right in this picture (the purple is too red):


This is better:


I love all those spots!

[WhiteRabbit]

Fabulous!

[ula]

What a beauty! I'd love to have one like it.

[King_of_orchid_growing:)]

Originally Posted by ula

What a beauty! I'd love to have one like it.

I don't see why you can't. They're around in the hobby from time-to-time. They also appear to be pretty tolerant of mistakes/neglect. As far as I know, they shouldn't be terribly difficult to grow. I think even a beginner can get this one going. This species is not very large either, so if you have limited space, it shouldn't be a problem. Flowers are about 1.25 inches across and about 1 inch tall, so they can be a bit showy.

[silken]

Now I need to add another to the wish list! Great growing!

[The Mutant]

Thanks guys. I'm so happy my fellow forum members on a Swedish orchid forum, kept their eyes open and told me when it was available in Europe.

Originally Posted by King_of_orchid_growing:)

I don't see why you can't. They're around in the hobby from time-to-time. They also appear to be pretty tolerant of mistakes/neglect. As far as I know, they shouldn't be terribly difficult to grow. I think even a beginner can get this one going. This species is not very large either, so if you have limited space, it shouldn't be a problem. Flowers are about 1.25 inches across and about 1 inch tall, so they can be a bit showy.

I would classify them as very easy to grow even, especially on a windowsill. They are on par with Phals in difficulty level I would say. They want more water, can take more light, can take some abuse (like mine has) and still flower and grow quite happily. It's my first Dendrobium as well, so definitely newbie friendly.

Hmm... The flowers on mine are larger than that though; 2.25"-2.5" across and about 1.5" tall. It's probably different between plants I would guess.

[JKeys]

The contrasting colors are really wonderful.

[Leafmite]

It is a beauty. I think I am going to have to add this to the collection eventually.

[Joseia]

I am trying to force myself to wait until spring to order one of these from H&R Nurseries, but seeing your beauty is making it hard to wait!

[RosieC]

Wonderful display!