I just gave away my last sukhakulii a few weeks ago. Shannon just wanted the curtisii for the leaves, she didn't even know what the flower was lol
Paph Season 2023
- Thread starter Tony
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I just gave away my last sukhakulii a few weeks ago. Shannon just wanted the curtisii for the leaves, she didn't even know what the flower was lol
I haven't compared it to the award record yet but it's not a bad looking flower to my untrained eye.
Not a Paph but this plant holds a special place in my heart. This is the one that started it all back in 1993, Brassia Datacosa 'Coos Bay' AM/AOS. I was wandering the mall and there happened to be an orchid show going on. I grew basic houseplants and cacti at the time but didn't know anything at all about orchids. A big, yellow spidery thing immediately caught my attention and when I saw I could have my own for a mere $12 it was all over. I promptly rotted all the roots off and almost killed it, but I found a mentor, devoured piles of books and old AOS Bulletins, and eventually got it to grow and bloom. I managed to keep it alive through school, six years in the Navy, and multiple cross country moves until disaster struck new years night in 2019. Nobody was home and the breaker for my greenhouse tripped, it was 19°f and everything inside was frozen solid when I got home from work.
After a few months I started to rebuild my collection but I couldn't find a replacement 'Coos Bay', it had been decades since it was cloned and Brassia had fallen out of fashion, I couldn't find a single grower who had kept the clone alive. As a last ditch effort I went digging through old AOS publications until I found a judges directory from the 2000s that had contact info for Jerry and Carol, the owners of JC Orchids who sold me that first plant back in 1993. I remembered them being older back then so I wasn't sure if they were still alive almost 30 years later, but I sent off an email and hoped for the best. A few days later I got an answer from Carol, Jerry had passed but she still had a small greenhouse and Brs Datacosa 'Coos Bay' was alive and well. We talked on the phone and I told her my story of how this orchid madness was all their fault
. She asked for my address and a couple of weeks later a box showed up, inside were multiple divisions of the 'Coos Bay' mother plant, a sibling they never released that Jerry named for Carol, and several other Brassia. Carol warned me that the collection was a bit neglected due to her health and the plants would have fungal issues, but I was able to get them all cleaned up and reestablished after several rounds of treatment. The largest division spiked this year after four years of waiting and it is spectacular. The flowers are at least 10cm taller than I've ever bloomed it before, with 20 buds on the spike. It's like being reunited with an old friend and I couldn't be more excited.
After a few months I started to rebuild my collection but I couldn't find a replacement 'Coos Bay', it had been decades since it was cloned and Brassia had fallen out of fashion, I couldn't find a single grower who had kept the clone alive. As a last ditch effort I went digging through old AOS publications until I found a judges directory from the 2000s that had contact info for Jerry and Carol, the owners of JC Orchids who sold me that first plant back in 1993. I remembered them being older back then so I wasn't sure if they were still alive almost 30 years later, but I sent off an email and hoped for the best. A few days later I got an answer from Carol, Jerry had passed but she still had a small greenhouse and Brs Datacosa 'Coos Bay' was alive and well. We talked on the phone and I told her my story of how this orchid madness was all their fault
. She asked for my address and a couple of weeks later a box showed up, inside were multiple divisions of the 'Coos Bay' mother plant, a sibling they never released that Jerry named for Carol, and several other Brassia. Carol warned me that the collection was a bit neglected due to her health and the plants would have fungal issues, but I was able to get them all cleaned up and reestablished after several rounds of treatment. The largest division spiked this year after four years of waiting and it is spectacular. The flowers are at least 10cm taller than I've ever bloomed it before, with 20 buds on the spike. It's like being reunited with an old friend and I couldn't be more excited.
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That's a great story and well done tracking down the line again! I think a lot of us have that special "hooked on orchid " plant in their growing area or memories.
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What a fantastic nostalgic and rewarding tale, all weaved into the reason for your insanity!Not a Paph but this plant holds a special place in my heart. This is the one that started it all back in 1993, Brassia Datacosa 'Coos Bay' AM/AOS. I was wandering the mall and there happened to be an orchid show going on. I grew basic houseplants and cacti at the time but didn't know anything at all about orchids. A big, yellow spidery thing immediately caught my attention and when I saw I could have my own for a mere $12 it was all over. I promptly rotted all the roots off and almost killed it, but I found a mentor, devoured piles of books and old AOS Bulletins, and eventually got it to grow and bloom. I managed to keep it alive through school, six years in the Navy, and multiple cross country moves until disaster struck new years night in 2019. Nobody was home and the breaker for my greenhouse tripped, it was 19°f and everything inside was frozen solid when I got home from work.
After a few months I started to rebuild my collection but I couldn't find a replacement 'Coos Bay', it had been decades since it was cloned and Brassia had fallen out of fashion, I couldn't find a single grower who had kept the clone alive. As a last ditch effort I went digging through old AOS publications until I found a judges directory from the 2000s that had contact info for Jerry and Carol, the owners of JC Orchids who sold me that first plant back in 1993. I remembered them being older back then so I wasn't sure if they were still alive almost 30 years later, but I sent off an email and hoped for the best. A few days later I got an answer from Carol, Jerry had passed but she still had a small greenhouse and Brs Datacosa 'Coos Bay' was alive and well. We talked on the phone and I told her my story of how this orchid madness was all their fault
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Happypaphy7
Paphlover
The photo on FB where the entire plant is shown, it could be just an angle but the flower seemed very large.
I have bloomed lots of these and while most looked pretty much the same, some were significantly larger and better colored than others.
Maybe cross this with WBW??
I always thought A. de Lairesse (curtisii x roth) was ugly until I saw a nice one in person. Large flowers had such a commanding presense!
With the long downswept petals of WBW should go really well with downswept petals of curtisii much better than paring it with roth, don't you think? wink wink
It's on the small side of the record but it's also a single fan first bloomer so I'm not too worried about that. I'm not going to set a pod on it since it is young but I'll put the pollen in storage.
Happypaphy7
Paphlover
What a great story, Tony!!
It deserves its own thread on Collections section and/or Non-Slipper Photo Section. I say do both!!
It deserves its own thread on Collections section and/or Non-Slipper Photo Section. I say do both!!
Cool story...I enjoyed it!
Sent it up to judging today and came back with an upgraded AM of 82 points. I was hoping for a more decisive upgrade in the 84-86 point range considering the improvement in size and flower count, but it still feels great to have the plant that started it all awarded in my name 30 years later. I'm going to grow this one big in hopes of a cultural award next.
What a momentous historical record of a three decade long journey for you and this plant. Congrats!
Hilo Bald Eagle fully open before it goes to live on a farm.
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I'm pretty happy with the curtisii and look forward to it blooming on a more mature plant.
The five budded WBW blasted three buds and partially opened one before I cut it, I'll give it another chance but I don't have high hopes for this one.
An oddball that will probably be hideous, Mustafa's Mucho Gusto starting to crack open.
I'll sneak another pouchless plant in here, I really like this blue Dendrobium but unfortunately it was sold under a false name, "Sakada Blue".
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I'm pretty happy with the curtisii and look forward to it blooming on a more mature plant.
The five budded WBW blasted three buds and partially opened one before I cut it, I'll give it another chance but I don't have high hopes for this one.
An oddball that will probably be hideous, Mustafa's Mucho Gusto starting to crack open.
I'll sneak another pouchless plant in here, I really like this blue Dendrobium but unfortunately it was sold under a false name, "Sakada Blue".
tnyr5
Well-Known Member
Yeah, sangii x venustum rarely makes anything pretty. Burn it now before it kills again!
Unfortunately I'm not allowed. I'm being forced to grow them against my will.
tnyr5
Well-Known Member
Oh. Are you saying you've been offering a left nut that isn't yours to offer?
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Mustafa's Mucho Gusto, what a name!
I think, what he is saying, is, that he experiences influence-phenomenas ("feelings or actions as made or influenced by external agents"). Whatever it is, he is definately in need of relevant, professional help!
Better than I thought it would be.
That turned out nice with the red petal inheritance from venustum.
tnyr5
Well-Known Member
That's about as good as they get
