Floofy catts in bloom

[Diane]

Why, Hoa - - we all thought YOU were the King of the orchid world!!

[Piper]

Even though he sports a Bulbo-print Speedo, Hoa will ever remain in my mind as the rothschildianum of the orchid world ...with a bit of a floofy bend.

Julie

[Hoa Tony Nguyen]

Diane, what are ya talkin' about?

Now you spoil it, I have to spill it out!

The Kings of the Orchids are Dendrobium speciosum var. hillii and other members of this alliance including var. speciosum and var. grandiflorum. One of the prime members of these orchids is the Den. speciosum var. hillii 'Don Brown' which received a 99 points CCM/AOS, the highest ever score given by the AOS. When it was exhibited, the gargantuan plant had ~400 spikes with >100,000 flowers! It weighted several tons and formed a ball of at least 8 feet in diameter. Another clone called 'El Queso Grande' received a 98 points CCM/AOS. This one when exhibited formed a ball of almost 10 feet in diameter with 230 spikes and >35,000 flowers!
While you are still in Australia, ask Tim-O to see whether you can take a few of these beauties home to the US. (They might let to do it if you ship them bare-rooted.) A decent size plant of these guys could easily fetch a few thousand dollars here in the US! The climate in Southern Cal is perfect for them! They will grow just like weeds in your patio or backyard! And they are very tolerant of neglect and overzealous care! Easy to grow (maybe not that easy, you got that California weather working for you!) but even tougher to kill! A perfect fit for you, a globe-hoping traveler!

Cheers. Hoa.

[Hoa Tony Nguyen]

Hi Julie,
Thanks for the rescue! Hehehe! I like that!

[Piper]

400 spikes? ...now that's scary!

Julie

[bench72]

While you are still in Australia, ask Tim-O to see whether you can take a few of these beauties home to the US. (They might let to do it if you ship them bare-rooted.) A decent size plant of these guys could easily fetch a few thousand dollars here in the US! The climate in Southern Cal is perfect for them! They will grow just like weeds in your patio or backyard! And they are very tolerant of neglect and overzealous care! Easy to grow (maybe not that easy, you got that California weather working for you!) but even tougher to kill! A perfect fit for you, a globe-hoping traveler!

Are you sure this is allowed? Hmmm... I've heard of the crazy prices you guys pay for these plants... so it might be worth taking a few over one day... but the documentation... hmm, will have to look more into it I guess...

[Diane]

An orchid that gets bigger than I am???? Ummm... what if I neglect it and it get's ticked off?? I can just imagine! Coming home after a trip, the strange, soft rustling of leaves creeping up the stairs to my room one dark night.....

REVENGE OF THE DENDS!!!!!

[Piper]

Yeah...never trust a dend. They're e-VEAL!!!
I had one that used to tip over all my phalenopsis each night. Those phals are just so helpless. Everyone likes to bully them. It broke more than a couple of flower spikes doing that.

Julie

[Hoa Tony Nguyen]

Dends are not E-VEAL, especially Dend. speciosum and their relatives - those easy-going, un-fussy, unpretentious yet muscular and hardy Aussie dendrobs.

I think that you ladies have not discovered Dend. speciosum yet. Instead of heartache and anguish, pain and sorrow, you will find joy and excitement, elation and endearment with these dendrobs guys! Instead of screaming the "REVENGE OF THE DENDS", you all will sing the song "DENDS IN LOVE"! Yup, ya' all will be in LUV although might have to wait a while since they are very slow growing and returning the affection! Hehehe!!!

[Hoa Tony Nguyen]

Hi Julie,

What's wrong with 400+ spikes? Just imagine each of them is 3 feet long at least, then you can tell what kind of impression these plants would make! Every time, some of us want to exhibit these guys at the shows, we have to use a forklift and a tractor to move them! That is why we call them the "KING(S)"!

Cheers. Hoa.