Oncidium Sharry Baby, Heaven Scent , Green Valley Sweet and related

[Ispahan48]

I would like to revisit and discuss the various “chocolate-scented” oncidium hybrids so we can have all of the information available in one place. Please feel free to share your experiences and impressions of all of these plants.

Oncidium Sharry Baby‘Sweet Fragrance’—This is the most famous of the chocolate-scented oncidiums and is said by many to have the strongest and best fragrance of all. Descriptions of the fragrance range from chocolate to vanilla to candy-sweet, and some individuals find the fragrance to overpowering or even unpleasant in close quarters. The plant itself is known to be culturally forgiving and tolerant of abuse. If anything it is too vigorous and will quickly outgrow most windowsills. Spikes can sometimes be as long as 5-6 feet and the plant itself will quickly expand in girth, consuming a massive amount of space. Leaves are prone to getting small black spots (said to be harmless) in high light or high heat conditions.

Oncidium Sharry Baby ‘Red Fantasy’—Said to be shorter and slightly more compact than ‘Sweet Fragrance’ with shorter but often more numerous flower spikes. Scent is said to be lighter than ‘Sweet Fragrance’.

Oncidium Sharry Baby (other clones)--There have periodically been a few other clones of the Sharry Baby grex circulating like ‘Short Sharry’, ‘Tricolor’ or ‘Yellow Panda’ among others.

Oncidium Green Valley Sweet ‘Heavenly’—Marketed as a more compact Sharry Baby with foliage that is less prone to spotting. From what I can gather, reports of fragrance are mixed with many saying it is much lighter and more candy-like than Sharry Baby ‘Sweet Fragrance’. And although it seems like it might be more compact initially, it can quickly grow up to become a monster-sized plant.

Oncidium Heaven Scent (various clones)--Also marketed as a more compact Sharry Baby with foliage that is less prone to spotting. It is a hybrid of Oncidium Ruffles x Sharry Baby, so it is the product of crossing two highly fragrant types together. Several clones have been marketed such as ‘Redolence’, ‘Sweet Baby’ and ‘Sweet Pea’. Fragrance of these clones is described as generally being strong and pleasant, and possibly somewhat lighter and more candy-like than Sharry Baby. From what I can gather, these are very vigorous, easily flowered plants that do remain compact when small but also have the potential to grow up to be monsters.

Can anybody provide more information about these plants, especially to compare/contrast various forms? Which ones do you find most fragrant? Which ones do you find most compact?

Are there any other Sharry Baby-like hybrids available right now? Any that are in the pipeline?