Bc Makai 'Mayumi'

[Dorsetman]

A well-known primary hybrid. Parents are Brassovola nodosa, and Cattleya ( Guaranthe ) bowringiana. Registered in 1944 - so a really old hybrid.
A first flowering of my plant, now with two flowering growths, 4 flowers on each. Another two growths not flowering.
Can be grown into very large plants - for example it has been given growers awards shown with as many as 500 flowers and 150 buds. What a sight that must be, but what kind of fork-lift truck was needed to move the plant around ?
I have owned this hybrid previously, and have a memory of being presented with that plant when I visited an orchid nursery in what used to be East Germany ; after reunification I decided to go on a driving tour to get to the Harz mountains - I wanted to climb them, and my wife wanted to visit because of some connection with Heinrich Heine ( I think I have that right - a German poet she had studied at college very many years ago ). Of course East Germany was out of bounds for most of my life, due to the war (Hitlers war) , and then the iron curtain. Whatever - it turned out that I was the first visitor they had seen from the West - hence the interesting tour of the nursery, the glass of wine, and the present . Actually it turned out that we had several acquaintances in common , and the owner of this nursery had been trained at a UK orchid nursery owned by a friend of mine... small world - but then the orchid world is.
So I was glad to buy the plant shown , and link back my memories via this cross - that actual presented plant was one of the casualties when I had overheating problems a few years ago.
I do ramble on... sorry ... so some people tell me they like my stories !

[Sheryl]

A beautiful flower! And another great story!

[michellebrown500]

I like the story more than the plant! But, it is beautiful!

[Chris in Hamilton]

Another great plant and story! I got one of these in our society auction last December that is just coming into flower for the 1st time. I'll post a pic in a day or two. It'll be interesting

[JDT]

Geoff, I always enjoy your photos and your stories so keep it up! Nice blooming!

[ksriramkumar]

Wow. Nice one Geoff. I always look fwd to your posts and interesting story behind the plant.

[Aeronaut]

Wow!! Look at the color on that!!! Great job!! And story!! Hitler destroyed most of europes history....
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[Dorsetman]

Wow!! Look at the color on that!!! Great job!! And story!! Hitler destroyed most of europes history....
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He nearly destroyed me too....the house where I was born was flattened, along with the next two or three in a bombing raid, about 1941 , but we had moved a couple of miles , just before the war started.
I might add that I went to the New York Orchid Show in the twin towers winter garden, just 6 months before it was destroyed in 9/11, and I was in Sri Lanka, in the mountains waiting for a hire car to take me to the coast the following day, when the great tsunami washed away the tourist lodge I was booked into, several hundred people disappeared in that village, and in all the disaster killed a quarter of a million people in south-east Asia. So, who's a lucky boy then ?

[zainal abidin]

You are very good story teller I really enjoyed it, the flowers is amazing and sweet again worth in your collection, to me you are the lucky person. Congrats Geoff.

[ksriramkumar]

Yes. Absolutely love reading Geoff's narration. Wishing him more luck and health to tell us more stories