My best nobile hybrid flower

[Dorsetman]

Den. Sailor Boy 'Pinkie'.
Best in the sense of best quality flower - largest and of good substance and lasting quality.
But I do know that the flower count shown here is not brilliant ; they are easy to grow, but less easy to flower. What they need is a cold rest , at say 5 or 6 C. for at least 6 weeks. Then, if you are good and lucky, these plants in general ( D.nobile hybrids) will reward by flowering all up the last canes, and not merely at the top.
My greenhouse is too warm, and the garden is too cold - we occasionally have light frosts. So I use a large cold frame, with a heater and a thermostat to try and control the temperature, but is not as easy as it sounds. Ventilate the cold frame, and its fine on mild winter nights, but forget to close it, and get a frost, and the heater may not cope - blowing its heat out of the frame. Or forget to ventilate , and have a sunny day, and cook the plants at too high a temperature. Still, ths is what orchid growing in a temperate cllmate is all about !