my indoor garden

This is Phragmipedium Giganteum, a hybrid cross of Phrag. Grande (Phrag. caudatum x Phrag. longifolium) with Phrag. caudatum. Unfortunately, I could take a picture with all three blooms open. Nonetheless, it is ok since these two blooms were very impressive.

The long hanging petals are about 15-16" long, and the leaves on the fan is about 15" too. This plant having the genes of two large Phragmipedium species has definitely earned its cross name--Giganteum.

This is a Paphiopedilum Noid meaning No ID. I adopted him from Loblaws in July of 2007, and almost a year later, it's thanking me. It might not look like anything special, but it is the second orchid I ever rebloomed from my collection.

When compared to the SOOS Valentine's Show that occurred 2-months earlier, there are a lot more displays of Paphiopedilum and Phragmipedium. I'm thinking that April is when most of the slipper orchids bloom, so there were more displays at this show. It was another enjoyable experience. This is my second ever orchid show that i attended.

This is the 2008 Valentine's Show which the Southern Ontario Orchid Society held at the Toronto Botanic Gardens. The variety of orchids that were on display were absolutely stunning. I saw orchid which were classified in genus that were common and uncommon.

The Best in Show went to a Dendrobium speciosum var. compactum. It was absolutely stunning--it was sooo big that one cannot even hug it completely. The pseudobulbs of the dendrobium were probably 2-3" thick in diameter, talk about a heavy load... Huge plant it was, a well earned title of being the Best in Show.