My happy plant of BL Sunset Glory (BL Richard Mueller x Laelia purpurata) just finished blooming again, about 45 days after I repotted it.I adore nearly every Brassavola nodosa hybrid I've ever seen, but when I began growing exclusively under lights I thought I'd never grow or flower one again. This was the second one I tried, with absolutely no expectations of success. I'm so glad I was wrong. None of the growths I've put on this plant matched one of the nursery-grown ones for size, but really that's ok. H&R has Hawaiian sunshine, abundant water and tropical humidity and all I've got is 4 fluorescent tubes and a watering can.
Growth is tight and compact, multiple leads is the rule, and the flowers just effortlessly appear when the new growth is mature. There's usually just two per spike.
Typically for a nodosa hybrid the flowers fade while open: these start out a rich medium pink, the lip a dark yellow abundantly spotted dark pink, and then after a few days fade to a sort of taffeta pink, a bit uneven. They last about three weeks in my conditions (where some phals are known to last their full two months, thankyouverymuch).
Repotting is a sporadic event in my collection, but my Botanical Garden classes include demos so I appreciate having a few plants that just grow so abundantly I always have something to show off. I've now repotted Sunset Glory twice for the students' edification; two years ago was the first time I'd ever repotted it, after owning it maybe four years, so I divided it too. No division this year, but it really liked being moved up. Lovely, lovely roots everywhere. Sigh.
1 comment:
I love this cross. I wish it was fragrant, but that's my only complaint about it. Otherwise, yes, it blooms twice a year or more and the color changes from pink to orange over time. They are very pretty and very easy to grow.
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