Miltonia Robsan's Blush

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mrhappyrotter

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Miltonia Robsan's Blush (Miltonia Jim Mackinney x Miltonia spectabilis)

This is a delightful small growing Miltonia hybrid I bought from Lenette Greenhouses, perhaps 15 years ago before they went out of business. According to Bluenanta, the hybrid is 59.38% Milt. spectabilis, 25.0% Milt. regnellii, 12.5% Milt. clowesii, and 3.13% Milt. flavescens.

Miltonias are warm growing Brazillian orchids, not to be confused with the cooler growing highland genus Miltoniopsis. I mostly grow this hybrid indoors, though I kept one of the divisions outdoors last year and it handled the hot Southeast US summer weather just fine. It blooms reliably each year in the same amount of light I grow my Paphs and Phrags which is what I'd call bright shade. They need to stay moist year round or they are susceptible to "accordion leaves". Most years I do okay, though I will admit that this past year was rough and so many of the leaves are pleated. As you can see though, it doesn't affect blooming! I grow these a lot like I grow my Phrags. They grow with just a bit of water in the saucer at all times and I do my best to keep the plant from drying out. I use mostly rain water and I feed lightly with each watering, taking care to flush with pure water at least once a month to get rid of excess nutrients and minerals.

These bloom throughout the year. This year the big blooming season appears to be in the spring, but it has bloomed in the past in pretty much every season. The flowers aren't the biggest compared to other Miltonias, but the blush color of the petals and lovely deep lavender lip are quite attractive. Truth be told, the main reason I like this plant and flowers is for the terrific fragrance. It's strongest in bright light. It's a sweet floral scent with a notable similarity to cinnamon and clove. Very, very nice!

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Some history for you - Jim Mackinney, now passed, owned a large orchid nursery in Brisbane. I worked there weekends, school and uni holidays for years. A very good man. He also has a complex paph named after him.
 
Some history for you - Jim Mackinney, now passed, owned a large orchid nursery in Brisbane. I worked there weekends, school and uni holidays for years. A very good man. He also has a complex paph named after him.

Interesting connection, huh? As far as orchids are involved, it's a small world and we're all probably just a few degrees of separation apart.
 

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