The Orchid Review - RHS Orchid Awards
Clare and Johan Hermans describe the best plants submitted to the RHS Orchid Committee for judging
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RHS Awards - 12 November 2004
The RHS Orchid Committee met at the Lawrence Hall, Westminster, where five plants were submitted: one Certificate
of Cultural Commendation was recommended.
Cultural Commendation
To Pepe Di Lullo, London, for Phragmipedium Cardinale ‘Giorgio’.
This impressive plant, 89cm across had nine spikes which had on average four open flowers and one bud, grown in a 25cm diameter pot. The plant was beautifully grown and presented. This cross between Phrag. Sedenii and Phrag. schlimii was first registered in 1882 by Veitch’s Nursery and was made by John Seden, who worked for the firm. It has previously received two First Class Certificates, the first in 1883 for Messrs J Veitch and the second in 1890 to W Vanner.
The hybrid is mentioned in the first volume of The Orchid Reviewand it is interesting to note that a white form of P. schlimii was used to create the original cross. R A Rolfe, the then editor, wrote: ‘It is one of the most attractive hybrids in the genus… obtained by crossing Phrag. Sedenii with the pollen of Phrag. schlimii albiflorum and as the mother plant was derived from Phrag. longifolium and Phrag. schlimii, the present hybrid represents one move back to the last named species. Its parentage may thus represent: Phrag. schlimii 3⁄4 x Phrag. longifolium 1⁄4’ (The Orchid Review 1: 81).
'I grow my plant in a rockwool compost made up of two parts of absorbent rockwool, two parts of water-repellent rockwool and one part of extra-coarse perlite. From February to July, I feeed it once a week for three weeks with a 7:7:7 (N:P:K) solution at a quarter of the recommended strength; in the fourth week, I give it water only. In August and September, I use tomato fertiliser, 5:5:10. From October to January, I use plain water and a 7:7:7 fertiliser solution at alternate waterings - these are more sparing in winter, usually every 12 to 15 days.
When I repot the plant, I do not strip off the old compost but just drop it into a larger pot; this usually happens every three years. For the first 10 years that I had it, this plant grew in a cool greenhouse with a minimum temperature of 10–11°C. This greenhouse is shaded with 40% Rekolene from March to October. The plant survived and flowered every year.
Five years ago I added a conservatory to the north house wall. The heating is supplied from the house central heating and does not fall below 15°C and there is no shade. Since then, the plant has really prospered.'
G Di Lullo
RHS Awards- 14 December 2004
The RHS Orchid Committee met at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, and 14 plants were submitted for judging: one Award of Merit and two Certificates of Cultural Commendation were recommended.
Award of Merit
Odontoglossum URG ‘Chichester’, exhibited by Orchid Answers, Birdham, Chichester.
The cross was made by Golden Gate Orchids, San Francisco, USA; the parents were O. Jim Mintsiveris and O. pescatorei Linden. The plant was unregistered at the time of exhibition.
The flowers were striking and substantial - a clear white background carried large, deep maroon markings and the lip was slightly frilled at the margins. The clarity and uniformity of coloration combined with good size were much admired.
The plant exhibited had one arching 38cm tall spike with 10 open flowers. The overall flower size was 80mm long and 90mm wide.
Cultural Commendation
To Kath King, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, for Ceratostylis philippinensis Rolfe ‘Paloma’, a plant 19cm across with more than 30 spikes and in excess of 50 flowers, mounted on a cork slab. This species comes from the Philippines and has hyacinth-scented flowers.
To Kath King, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, for Parapteroceras quisumbingii (L O Williams) J J Wood ‘Lara', a plant 25cm across mounted on a cork slab, with four spikes each with on average 20 open flowers and more than 10 buds on each spike.
This species, from the Philippines, may be better known by the name Saccolabium quisumbingii L O Williams, described in 1938. The species was named for eminent botanist Dr Eduardo Quisumbing who dedicated his life to the study of the orchids of the Philippines; he also founded the Philippine Orchid Society. It was a disaster when all his books, notes and herbarium were destroyed during the liberation of Manila but he continued to publish numerous articles describing the orchids of the Philippines.
Catasetum juruenense ‘Max’ and C. moorei ‘Celia’ were exhibited by Max Hopkinson. It was agreed these two plants should be painted for reference by Cherry-Ann Lavrih and written up for The Orchid Review.
'Catasetum moorei C Schweinf. is found in northern central Peru as an epiphyte in forests on the eastern slopes of the Andes, at elevations of 600–900m. On rotting branches it blooms on an erect, 60cm long, many-flowered inflorescence with the flowers on the apical quarter of the stem. In its natural surroundings it blooms from summer to autumn. Catasetum moorei is closely related to C. discolor and C. x roseoalbum.
I grow the plants in hanging pots using a mix of sphagnum moss, bark and foam. They hang from the roof for the best light and humidity. They are kept at a minimum temperature of 15°C and are deciduous, dropping their leaves in winter.'
'Catasetum juruenense Hoehne is a warm-growing Brazilian species from the Matto Grosso state, occurring only on dead trees in gallery forests along the Juruena river. (A gallery forest is a stretch of forest along a river in an area of otherwise open country.) They have several-flowered, long-lasting inflorescences arising from the base of the pseudobulbs in autumn and winter. It was first discovered along the Juruena River, but seems to have quite a widespread distribution from Rondonia to Matto Grosso.
In my greenhouse, the cultural conditions are similar to those of C. moorei. They are warm-growing, tropical species,
which require heat and high humidity.'
Max Hopkinson
Review of awards in 2004
A total of 174 plants were shown to the Committee in 2004. One First Class Certificate, 22 Awards of Merit, seven Botanical Certificates and two Certificates of Preliminary Commendation were recommended. There were 28 Certificates of Cultural Commendation and four Certificates of Appreciation given. The number of plants awarded has remained very similar over the past five years.
RHS Awards - 18 January 2005
The RHS Orchid Committee, met at the RHS Lawrence Hall, London, and 12 plants were exhibited: one First Class Certificate, one Botanical Certificate and two Certificates of Cultural Commendation were recommended.
First Class Certificate
Paphiopedilum Angel Hair ‘Roche d’Or’, exhibited by the Eric Young Orchid Foundation, Jersey.
The hybrid was first registered in 1991 by Hilmar Doll; the parents were P. Saint Swithin and P. sanderianum. The plant exhibited was a remake by the Foundation. A previous cultivar ‘Jersey’ was awarded an FCC in 1999 (see The Orchid Review 108: 65, 73). The cultivar ‘Roche d’Or’ was felt to have larger petals and show improved coloration. Many congratulations to the Foundation for gaining another FCC for this fine orchid.
The cut spike exhibited had five open flowers. Overall flower size was 42cm long, 9cm wide. The flowers showed the strong influence of P. sanderianum with a mustard yellow background striped maroon red on the sepals and petals, and the twisted petals - 37cm long and 1.2cm wide.
Botanical Certificate
Masdevallia manoloi Luer & M Arias ‘Eva May’, exhibited by Ellis Eyre, Retford, Nottinghamshire.
This interesting new species was discovered in 1997 and comes from high altitude in Peru. It was named for the son of Manuel Arias of Peru. Its attractive coloration of brownish stripes on a yellow background makes it desirable for cultivation.
Masdevallia manoloi requires a consistently moist and cool environment, which can be difficult to maintain in our greenhouses.
The plant exhibited had six 17cm tall spikes with four open flowers and two buds. Overall flower size was 15cm long, 1.2cm wide.
'I acquired my plant of Masdevallia manoloi from Ecuagenera and grow it on the cool side of intermediate, with temperatures of 15°C by day and 8°C at night. The medium is the one I use for all my masdevallias – 4 parts of seedling bark, 2 parts of perlite, 2 parts of small foam and 2 parts of chopped sphagnum moss. The fertiliser I use is Green Jungle from Jerry Fischer in USA.'
Ellis Eyre
Cultural Commendation
To Jo Kelleher, Orpington, Kent for Aerangis hyaloides (Rchb. f.) Schltr. ‘Patrick’, a 20cm diameter plant mounted on a cork slab. There were approximately 30 spikes with an average of six open flowers on each. The same plant was awarded a CCC in 1987 (see The Orchid Review 95: 201 and 96: 16). This species comes from Madagascar and it is rare to see large specimen plants in cultivation.
'I brought this back from the WOC in Durban 23 years ago. It was then a single growth seedling known under the synonym of A. pumilio, meaning ‘dwarf’. It is indeed a miniature species from Madagascar, and I grew it for some years in a small pot in a compost of fine bark. However, for the past 15 years it has been grown mounted on a piece of Spanish cork bark where it has steadily spread. It is a little gem of a species with dark green fans of leaves from which the inflorescences carry (on my plant) up to seven very white, cup-shaped flowers, roughly 1cm across.
My plant is hung in a quite shaded position with air movement from a nearby fan, with a minimum night temperature of 15°C. It is watered throughout the year by lowering it horizontally into the water so that the roots, but not the leaves, are drenched. I do this on a weekly basis, but more often when the roots are seen to be actively growing, when weak fertiliser is added every two weeks.
Jo Kelleher
To Theo Dengel, Great Langstone, Derby, for Mediocalcar decoratum Schuit. ‘Barley Lees’, a 36cm diameter plant grown in a 10cm diameter basket. The impressive plant had approximately 40 open flowers and 40 buds. This species comes from Papua New Guinea and is found in montane forest.
'This miniature member of subtribe Eariinae grows in abundance throughout the island of New Guinea, where it is epiphytic in the wet forests in deep shade at altitudes from 1,000-2,000m.
My plant is grown in a very shady and damp area in my north-facing greenhouse with a night temperature between 10 and 12°C. It never gets any sun! Three years ago it was planted in a florist’s basket, lined with coco fibre and a mixture of New Zealand sphagnum moss and fine bark. It is watered weekly throughout the year and sprayed most days; thus the compost is moist at all times. The plant seems to love these conditions, as it has more than trebled in size during these three years.
Mediocalcar decoratum usually flowers late November - early December, but last year not a single bud was in sight at Christmas. Suddenly, by the second week in January masses of tiny buds appeared and by early February, it was covered with hundreds of these tiny, rose-hip-like orange and yellow flowers, which last for about six weeks.'
Theo Dengel
Clare Hermans is an orchid grower, author and member of the RHS Orchid Committee
Johan Hermans is an orchid grower, photographer, author and Vice Chairman of the RHS Orchid Committee