Paph Freckles - Opinions?

[Justin]

Hi All,

This plant is the only complex paph in my collection - it's a second-time blooming on this seedling. Trying to decide whether I should give it a chance for a third blooming or cull it. I like it like a "Monet" but if you click through and enlarge the picture you can see it has some defects...

I'm planning to get some awarded divisions of this or probably one of the newer whites/pinks at some point in the next couple years so not sure if I should spend the space and time on this one.

What do you all think?

 

[cnycharles]

it is unusual if you like it, keep it until you get something better. if you find someone along the way that would really like having it no matter what the flower looks like, make someone happy!

 

[Eric Muehlbauer]

Always give a disappointing paph a 2nd chance. Only rarely should you bother with a 3rd...............

 

[Bob in Albany N.Y.]

Sorry Justin but I agree, let that one go and get something better.

 

[Justin]

Thanks, that's what I figured.

 

[jtrmd]

Im a tosser,so I would let it go.Lately instead of sending them to the compost heap.I have been giving them away at my OS meetings to new members.

 

[goldenrose]

there is one thing I like about it- the spotting/markings on the dorsal.

 

[Ozpaph]

Chop. Chop.

 

[SlipperFan]

Tom Kalina once told me that it takes a slipper 3 bloomings to see the full potential. But if this is similar to the first, I'd probably see if someone else liked it more than I do.

 

[cnycharles]

if you could swap out the pouch from something else, it might look nice... but it looks like the genes for pouch growth never turned on

 

[Erythrone]

It looks like a cartoon character!

 

[Leo Schordje]

Most of the complexes don't really show what they can do until they are beefy enough that a 5 growth plant needs a one gallon nursery can to hold its roots. (mild exaggeration, but not wildly so) I saw Warton Sincler's division of Hellas 'Westonbirt' and it was astounding, and it was a 5 growth plant that filled a one gallon nursery can. Huge. Ginormous Flower, Needless to say, if your seedling still fits in a 3 inch pot it hasn't grown up yet. The flower is still not near its full potential.

Freckles was a leading edge for complex whites in the 1960's and 1970's, it is bred from the classic small flowered white, F.C. Puddle, I think 2 generations back. There are a dozen or so awarded clones of Freckles around, and a few that are not awarded. Some do have an unbalanced look do to a oddly small pouch. I have the clone 'Pink Agate' which got an HCC, but the owner never paid the registration fee and it has not been published. Especially as a small division, my 'Pink Agate' can have a poorly proportioned flower with a shallow pouch. When its roots and growths require a 4 x 4 x 5 inches tall pot to hold it, the flower is much more pleasantly balanced. Not as large as the modern whites by a long shot, but it is still quite nice.

Then along came the hybrids from Skip Bartlet, and the recent whites. These are 3, 4 and some of the Orchid Zone crosses are 5 generations beyond F.C. Puddle. These are much bigger and better balanced flowers, even Lunacy is a good example of a nice white, two generations past the standard that Freckles set.

So my thought is, keep it if you have the room, and challenge yourself to the task of growing the plant to its potential, but if a division of a select white that is more recent in breeding comes along, switch it out, and pass the Freckles along to somebody else.