Description
What happens when you cross the English royal family with names of orchids? You get a treasure trove of trivia. The Victorian era in England has fascinated the world since it ended at the start of the 20th century. Named after Queen Victoria, that era was also the most important era for the discovery of new orchid species from around the world, as orchids were new, rare, and elite. Paph. victoria-mariae had its debut in England in 1893, but if you assumed it was named after Queen Victoria, you’d be wrong (* although see footnote below).
This lovely and unusual orchid was named after a princess, Mary of Teck, who did become Queen after her husband, Prince George (King George V), ascended the throne in 1910. The royal couple had two sons, Edward VIII (the one who abdicated) and George VI (the one featured in the fine film “The King’s Speech”). Long story short: this Queen Mary is a grandmother of Queen Elizabeth II. One side benefit of orchid collecting and breeding is that you get pretty good at genealogies.
The sequential-blooming Paphiopedilums were massive sensation at the orchid auction houses in London, as no one had ever seen anything like it. In some ways, it seems that we’ve come full circle in that the sequential blooming Paph species seem to have dropped off the orchid world radar, as one hardly ever sees them available. Good thing we’re working hard on making more available.
Sequential-blooming Paphs are *incredibly* cool. Their flowers are somewhat low-key when compared to their more illustrious cousins, but what they lack in size and flash, they more than make up for in their unusual growth habit. A flower spike emerges, and produces a single flower bud. As that bud swells and eventually blooms, the plant is ALREADY preparing another bud to follow it. After the first flower has finished blooming, it will drop and the NEXT bud will bloom. This amazing blooming sequence can continue for months, or even years in some cases! That’s why this is an action-packed orchid. As a plant adds more growth, they can produce multiple flower spikes and blooms at the same time. This incredible sequential growth habit is one of the many reasons lady slipper orchids have fascinated orchid lovers for generations.
We’re offering Blooming Size plants that are capable of blooming at any time (TWO things to note: 1) Blooming Size doesn’t mean they WILL bloom, as that often depends on the grower’s conditions and the plant itself; 2) Plants are not shipped IN-BUD/BLOOM as we cannot guarantee that buds/blooms will arrive intact).
They’re also quite easy to grow, although for best results, you’ll want to keep humidity around the plants high. A simple way to do this is by putting a clear plastic storage bin over your orchids; you’ll be pleasantly surprised at how much better they’ll grow. Or you can set up a humidity shelf by getting a plastic shelving unit from Home Depot and covering the sides in plastic sheeting.
* There is ANOTHER Paph named after Queen Victoria: P. victoria-reginae, and it is another sequential-blooming Paph, just like victoria-mariae.
