Some Japanese Natives in Flower

[KyushuCalanthe]

A couple years back I began to garden a vacant back yard that a neighbor so graciously offered for me to use. The ground in this place is very wet year round so I had to build elevated beds to grow most plants. One such bed is home to various woodland plants. Here are some of the orchids I have planted there that are currently in flower.

Cypripedium formosanum - this is all one clump. In the background you can see Cyp. japonicum just opening and still in bud as well.

Nearby is a clump of Calanthe sieboldii (left) and its natural hybrid with C. discolor, C. x takane (right). These aren't quite fully open yet, but I took a shot anyway.

Nearby is a natural stand of Calanthe discolor. This group has around 20 stems, all flowering, and they seem to be clonal, and so this is an old group. This clone is a cut above most for this species.

Back at my house I have some native epiphytes flowering too. Here's Thrixspermum japoncium. I find these guys fallen on the forest floor, blown down off their precarious perches on the outermost twigs of cedar trees. Not an easy orchid to grow.

A rare relative to Thrixspermum is Gastrochilus matsuran. This too is a twig epiphyte, mostly on cedar (Cryptomeria japonica), but also sometimes is found on the boles of hardwoods. Both are tiny plants. The ones pictured here could easily fit in the palm of your hand.

One of Japan's more celebrated epiphytes is Dendrobium moniliforme. This is a pretty typical looking flower for the species, but this specimen always flowers 2 or 3 weeks ahead of the others. Once common in the wild, it is essentially collected out in the Fukuoka area.

Not really an epiphyte, Cymbidium goeringii is yet in flower. I have around 6 different clones of the wild green variety that can yet be seen in the surrounding forests. These babies smell divine!

I'll post more shots as things come into flower and develop more.

 

[valenzino]

Beautifull garden...you live in a beautifull place!Here is too cold to have such an orchid garden!(this year was so cold for my region that even lot of bletilla striata died!).
I love really Gastrochilus matsuran!Want one!!!

 

[paphioboy]

Very nice natives, Tom.. I never thought that calanthe spikes emerge from the centre of the new growth.. the thrixspermum japonicum and gastrochilus matsuran look adorable..

 

[Clark]

The sweat and elbow grease paid off in full.

Well done!

 

[gunny]

Wow. Wonderful.............

 

[NYEric]

Excellent, wish I had the conditions here.

 

[Jorch]

Thanks for sharing! The Gastrochilus matsuran has such beautiful leaves!!! :clap:

 

[SlipperFan]

Wow Tom, very impressive!

Yes, I love the matsuran. My plants are so tiny -- but they are slowly growing.

 

[Lanmark]

Soooooooooooo fantastic! Thank you for showing us! :drool:

 

[Kevin]

Amazing. Great job, and good of your neighbour to let you do that. Where did you originally get the plants that you grew in the raised beds? I've tried Calanthe, but can't quite get it. I still have one, but it's not doing much.

 

[smartie2000]

wow! looks like you have an awesome garden!

 

[KyushuCalanthe]

Where did you originally get the plants that you grew in the raised beds? I've tried Calanthe, but can't quite get it. I still have one, but it's not doing much.

I bought most of them, but the ferns I collect locally except of course things like tree ferns, which aren't natives. This type of Calanthe is more like a woodland perennial and should be treated as such. Growing them indoors would seem more difficult in my opinion. The only thing is that they aren't that cold hardy - zone 7 is fine, but 6 is pushing it, even with mulch. Heavy feeders when in growth too.

 

[Dido]

very impresiive plants and flowers, would like to see yaour garden
my own, and walk with you around.

Thanks a lot for shering this eautis with us.