On 05/02/2015 23:05, Bob Hobden wrote:
"Spider" wrote

Bob Hobden wrote:
Went today, 2 days before the official opening and Press Day, so
everything is almost done and the flowers are at their best, and most
importantly there is hardly anyone about because they are all waiting
for next week.
Lots of Photos......

https://www.flickr.com/photos/bobhob...7650242177199/




Great pics, Bob! Thanks for sharing those. I have a particular
passion for Paphiopedilums at the moment and mine are in flower, too.

Don't know if I'll get to the event this year, but I know it's
thoroughly enjoyable. I can highly recommend it to anyone who likes
orchids.

Thanks. This year it seems there is as big a display of Bromeliads as
Orchids.

Many years, actually decades, ago I had built up a big collection of
species of Paphs (you could buy the species easily then) but we had a
disaster with our greenhouse in the middle of a bad winter and I
eventually lost the lot. I've never bought another Paphiopedilums.
However, I am getting more interested in Phragmipediums especially these
"recent" P. besseae crosses, lets hope I don't see one for sale. :-)


Such a shame that you lost your entire Paph collection. You must have
been gutted.

It's interesting that you should mention Phrags, because I'm also
attracted to them. Not grown one so far, but admired them at Kew last
year. I did read about them a year or so ago and, it seemed to me, that
they require a wetter medium than Paphs, not that that in itself would
put me off, but I'm limited to growing my orchids in the house and I
suspect the extra humidity would not be good for furnishings.

I will look up the P. besseae crosses, just in case they're manageable.
I think you owe it to yourself and urg to buy one, just so you can
report on it and post tempting pics:~). I wonder if you could get a tax
reduction on buying orchids on the premise that you're a valuable
consultant to this newsgroup;~))
--
Spider.
On high ground in SE London
gardening on heavy clay