Ken, that is my favorite African violet family genesseriad (spelling?). I've always thought of it as St Paulina but I really don't know. It can survive the winter with my orchids and this plant has been happy with the higher light of my catts for the last three years. In early spring I see a lot of this in the nurseries.


Ken the tall iris is the Japanese 'Ensata'.

Bert, not the middle plant, the one on the far right, with the tall, narrow leaves.

Roberta, I have a plant that's 'Hawaiian Wedding Song' crossed with something else (can't remember off the top of my head). Nice to see the parent plant. It's so pretty!

White flowers are just so elegant. Lovely plant, Bert.

Ursula, what a lot of variation in the colors on your Copper Queen! It looks to me as if it is caused by varying amounts of the red pigment in the flowers. What could make that happen?

Ken's yellow flowers on the plant I have now were almost completely without red pigment from the start. Just a few red dots on the lips. I do love a mystery.

Elaine,
I did a little digging and found some nice discussions regarding Anthocyanins - click on the fourth and then the fifth post!
https://groups.google.com/foru...

It explains a lot, I could even imagine why two divisions of the same plant sitting close to each other might have a difference in flower color after reading this…

And of course in addition there are surely different clones of the Copper Queen around…

Ah ha, great research there Ursula.

So it IS the temperature that controls the redness of the flowers. I thought maybe it was, since I have a couple of other plants that bloom differently in winter than summer.

Yes, it is one of the factors!

Two small vandaceous Orchids starting to bloom in the cage, I took them inside to take pictures -
the delicately colored Ascofinetia Peaches

and Darwinara Fuchs Cream Puff x Asctm miniatum


also a single fat bloom on Bc Angle Lace

All lovely, Ursula, fabulous peach color on 'Peachy' and what a big flower on Angel Lace!

I have a second flower open on Copper Queen, but it is rumbling and raining outside, so will wait for pictures until later.

Thanks, Elaine and Glen ( your thumbs up are appreciated and I love the Kniphofia)
Beautiful and hot Summer weather here, I love it. I look forwards to see more of your Copper Queen.

Now can you stand another one? The second Stanhopea I bought in June 2013 from Cal Orchids just popped open, these don't cease to wow me.
This is Stanhopea tigrina 'Predator' FCC/AOS
(The crazy, wild looking birds of sorts are similar to the nigroviolacea I posted last month, the accepted name of that one by KEW seems to be Stanhopea tigrina var nigroviolacea.)
Again, these here are strongly scented.

pictures taken in the cage, I thought the light was fine there this morning.

Very nice, Ursula. I'm flying out at 6:00 pm and should be back in Florida tonight around 9:00. It's hard to leave this weather but it will be good to get home.

Jim

Jim,

I know I'm running out of space - correction, I have run out of space, but I would make room for that Peaches, Ursula. And 'Angel Face' would be very tempting. Such beautiful, delicate colors on both!

Thanks Melanie. The good thing is that those Neofinetia hybrids are relatively small and nicely manageable.

And no, Melanie is NOT Melissa!! Sorry about that!

The Stanhopea are really great, Ursula, birds indeed!

It's clouded over once again, but still no sign of rain here . . but good light for photos. Flower #3 opening on the Copper Queen. First flower is gaining golden tones.

Who's Melissa? I thought I was still Melanie.

And yes, you certainly are!! I am so sorry, I surely slept when I wrote that!

Elaine, they are beautiful!!

Eulophia euglossa is one of those "quiet" Orchids. It just sits there, not all that flashy, but it blooms every year starting in early Summer and continues to bloom right into Fall. The tall flower spike emerges with the new growth. I like the green blooms.

What beautiful and dainty flowers. I don't have anything like this.

thanks Ken!! I got it from Oak Hill some years ago.