Orchids & More at Mystery Creek this weekend is an umbrella event for the 10th National Orchid Expo and, yes, the Tauranga Society is having a (large) display there. The club is also running a bus trip for members on Friday, so if you haven’t yet signed up, hop to it. Details were in the last newsletter.
Why attend? Well, it’s all this good value below for only $10 (under-12 free). Orchids & More is open from 10am-4pm on Friday and Saturday, and 10am-3pm on Sunday at the Mystery Creek Events Centre. Remember that another Orchid Expo won’t roll around for at least 3 years (thanks to Covid, it’s been 4 years since the last one).
Cool having two orchid vendors from overseas, eh? They will both have flasks for sale. And there are plenty of other plants and growing accessories for sale with Kiwi vendors coming from as far as Taupo, Taranaki and Tauranga, and Whangarei.
Gael’s talk is the only Registrant Lecture open to the public.
Visit an orchid grower and you’ll likely notice a few plants in the orchid house or growing area that could loosely be described as ‘companion plants’. Why are they there? And, if they serve a purpose, what is it?
For some growers regimented lines of neatly potted orchids are a thing of beauty, but for many others the reality is that, like our garden beds, we have a bit of this and a bit of that in amongst our orchids because we like plants. These ‘extras’ need to enjoy the same conditions as the orchids you have, so companion choices need to be made with that in mind.
Some growers prefer to keep the under-bench area as empty and clean as possible to ward off any threats from bacterial and fungal diseases, as well as chewing insects and animals, so you must make up your own mind as to what’s important to you. On the upside, having foliage plants in the growing area provides extra humidity for the orchids – most orchids prefer not to drop below 50% humidity at any time of the year and for levels to be higher in summer.
Plenty of variety in the orchid house in Saigon Zoo and Botanical Gardens, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Photo: Wikimedia Commons
Ferns are often grown in orchid houses because they can be tucked into darker corners. If they grow under an orchid bench they’re also able to cope with the water they receive as run-off from the orchids above them. Be sure to choose non-invasive varieties like maidenhair ferns. If you grow orchids outside, you’re likely to find ferns rooting into pots thanks to wind and/or bird activity. These ferns need to be removed as soon as possible as they will be varieties like ladder fern or asparagus fern that run rampant, and their rhizomes or roots will quickly take over a pot to the detriment of the orchid.
Bromeliads are often found in orchid collections as easy-care companion plants. Bromeliads, happy with a swish of the hose as the orchids are watered, hold water in their central core or ‘tank’ which helps raise humidity levels in their environs. The leaf colour of bromeliads, which don’t all have spiky leaves, will change depending on the amount of light received.
Streptocarpus ‘A Chorus Line’. Photo: Wikipedia
Streptocarpus are native to Africa and part of the gesneriad family that includes African violets. Enjoying the same humidity as orchids, streptocarpus will grow under a bench quite happily but if you want flowers the plants should receive some decent light each day – and they can flower for months. The more light they have, the smaller the leaves will be.
Begonias, especially the ones grown for their foliage, are another plant often found with orchids, although the Rex varieties will do better inside your home with orchids like Phalaenopsis as they seem to prefer a bit more warmth, especially over winter. Cleopatra begonias are among the foliage types that can be grown in a shade-house. The foliage colours of some types will change depending on the amount of light they receive.
Anthuriums have glossy, heart-shaped leaves and, like a great many orchids, are naturally epiphytes. Grow them in bright, indirect light with good humidity levels. Sound like any other plants you can think of?
June 1977, Vanuatu – After several days a Suzuki trail bike was brought up from a shed for us to overhaul. A pastor had used it until transferred and likely as not the oil had never been changed! Two of us used to ride it up and down to the school where others in our party were staying and to meet the twice weekly plane for mail, etc. I soon decided that I would use the Suzuki on my return trip to Mt Pomare.
Paul, the other rider, set off to Tavio village one Saturday and I sent a message that had been translated into Pidgen to my old guide Daniel asking him to come me the next Saturday. The day finally dawned and I was ready with pack on my back at 6am. The “roads” to the southeastern side of [the island of] Epi were often impassable and Paul told of a rough ride to the end of the road the Saturday previously. Out of the clearing and down the first hill I went. This was better than last time … double concrete strips down the hill to the bottom! On passed vege gardens, a paddock with a couple of horses, and then down the big hill. The concrete strips here only went a few metres and stopped. Nearby stood a concrete mixer and a heap of coral gravel. Obviously, the villagers who volunteered to construct the concrete strips had not come back to complete the job. They would be sorry when the “wet” came! I skidded my way down what remained of the road — two ridges with dry water courses down the middle and either side.
Down on the coast the going was good except for the occasional gate made of lashed branches which had to be opened. The villagers at Moriou were just rousing as I swept through, sending roosters and hens flying and setting dogs barking. This was great! I didn’t have to explain to everyone where I was going or shake hands with the entire village as on the previous trip!
Then it was some real trail bike work — over rock outcrops, down through streams and up steep banks until the end of the road at Tavio village. I’d come 32km by motorcycle and now I had 5km to go — mostly through thick jungle.
Daniel was ready to leave in 20 minutes or so and away we went with dogs following and soon were out on the black sand of Drummond Bay striding along silently side by side. This time he had no rattley single-barrel shotgun, only his pandanus bag and bush knife and wearing a tattered pair of shorts. There would be no pig hunt this trip and even the dogs seemed to know this and turned back after a mile. Up the cliffs we zigzagged and soon we were heading across the island on the Votlo track. The old huts at the deserted village of Leman were gone — just the graves and overgrown coconut plantation to be seen. Half an hour later we left the track and Daniel headed towards “big fella mountain”.
At one stage we heard cattle bellowing in the distance and Daniel explained “plenty wild cattle”. They even went up on top of Mt Pomare he said and it was obvious cattle numbers were increasing and starting to eat out the undergrowth. We were now starting to climb. The jungle was dark, with terrestrial orchids to be seen occasionally in flower. There were Malaxis, Goodyera, jewel orchids and Habenaria-like varieties. Tree trunks were covered in hoyas, ferns and unusual climbers. I collected several umbrella-like palms but could find no seed. At about 150m above sea level we came to where the Calanthe veratrifolia [syn. Calanthe triplicata] grew. Some stood a metre high with their pyramid-shaped spikes of white flowers, but many had been chewed by cattle. We passed several large banyan trees with their grotesque trunks made up of masses of intertangled roots. At one point we stood beneath a monster casurina tree on a spur and looked down to the coast with its reef and breakers and the volcanic island of Lopevi 15km away, under a dark cloud. Then we were in the land of epiphytes.
Quite suddenly the air was damp, the vegetation changed and there they were, all over the trees. Dendrobiums were in predominance with Bulbophyllums and Cirrhopetalums a close second. There were insignificant Phreatias, Oberonias, Diplocaulobiums and also Coelogynes in great masses. Daniel was soon up the trees or using a long stick to dislodge plants. The ground was a mass of selaginellas and ferns and water was dripping from the moss and filmy ferns on the branches. We had arrived in the cloud-forest region at last. With my pack over half full I decided to leave it and push on to the top with just plastic bags to carry specimens.
We scrambled and clawed our way up the almost vertical slope until we came out on top of the ridge. A faint cow track led around the edge of the volcanic crater and we followed it for 50m or so until we came to an old pipe trig station festooned in moss. The wind was blowing hard and we were in cloud and getting quite cool. Then I saw my red orchids! They were in full flower on almost every tree! Soon I was measuring and comparing different clones and collecting big ones, small-flowered ones, round-petalled ones and ones with indigo-dusted petals.
Daniel climbed up a 5.5m tree to collect clumps of Dendrobium johnsonii with its large white blooms. He also found a compact-bulbed type of Bulbophyllum embedded in the moss and covered in 6-7mm white flowers. Then I saw what looked like our Dendrobium [Winika] cumminghamii. It had branched canes but there were no signs of flowers, buds or pods. It looked as though it might be an orchid so I collected two plants just in case. I gathered my various plastic bags and labelled plants, put them in one big bag and then we headed back down the mountain. I had been to 880m and wondered what the much higher mountains on the island of Esperito Santo would reveal, if I could ever get to them.
Back at the pack I carefully put my orchids inside and left the outside pockets for anything else I came across on my way down. My tennis boots had long since disintegrated and I was now travelling in bare feet, but the soft, damp soil was kind on them. I guess I was dreaming of climbing In New Guinea and collecting orchids when I was brought back to reality by a couple of nasty bites on my ankle. I had got too close to a group of toadstools with its colony of ants which Daniel had disturbed ahead of me. I collected a few small Calanthe plants further on and one or two beautiful jewel orchids. At Leman we stopped and drank coconut water from green nuts that Daniel cut down. Soon I could hear the surf in the distance and it wasn’t long before we were on the beach and heading towards the fires of Tavio.
It had been a long day with few stops and all the time a cracking pace. As soon as invited, I went off to the guest hut and although rats were running about was soon fast asleep. In the morning I woke to the sounds of the pounding surf on the reef and rain beating on the thatch roof. I was anxious to get on the road before the streams became impassable so after thanking Daniel and the elders and paying for my lodgings I set off. I got through some creeks on the bike with my feet held up but in others stalled and had to push it out. As I passed through villages everyone came out to wave and shout. I must have looked a sight! Towel hat, oilskin parka, shorts and jandals with a huge pack on my back and a sack over the handlebars with two 1m palm fronds flapping over my head.
At the big hill I struck my only trouble. Three steams of water were pouring down the track and everything was greasy. With the weight of my pack the bike tipped backwards as I started up the hill and I had to dismount. My jandals were useless and half an hour later I was only 100m or so up the track, when a passerby gave me some help. Eventually I roared into the hospital grounds about 8.30am, covered from head to toe in mud and wet through from perspiration and rain. The next day at 2am the matron was called and took the Toyota to the end of the concrete strips while a woman in labour was carried and hauled up the slippery hill. Needless to say, a lecture was given to all the men on the spot about not completing the concreting!
A botanical study of Dendrobium mohlianum by Bruce Irwin.
Back in the capital Vila I packed up the orchids, selaginellas and filmy ferns I had been asked to collect for Kew Gardens. They cost $26 by airmail and I had to repack them once as I was over the 5kg limit. But what of the plants collected?
A flowering plant of the red Dendrobium was sent to Kew and identified as Den. mohlianum. It had first been recorded in 1862. It is evidently quite variable because a colour plate of an orchid by the same name in Francis P. Hunt’s book The Orchid, scarcely resembles my variety. The plants I collected were grown initially at a minimum of 45degF [7degC] in the quarantine house but for the past 12 months have been growing very well under Novaroof plus 40% shade with open sides covered with 50% shade cloth. There has been no heating during winter, even while frost lay on the ground nearby. They are growing in plastic pots in live sphagnum moss and [in 1981] 400 blooms were counted at the peak of flowering. The flowers are tomato red with an indigo blue lip and an indigo dusting around the petals. The 15-20mm wide flowers come in bunches of up to 5 per node and the nodes of leafless canes flower intermittently for several years. The life of each flower is about 6 weeks. The flower has no scent and the plant can be identified by the orange tips on its new roots. Very occasionally a kiekie will appear at a node, complete with roots and can be removed and grown on. Attempts to hybridize with Den. mohlianum are meeting some success.
The small Bulbophyllum with white flowers was named Bulb. rhomboglossum, while the Den. cunninghamii-Iike plant was identified from a slide I sent of the flowers as Glossorhyncha macdonaldii. This last-mentioned plant has pretty 6-8mm cream flowers with recurved tepals. The perfume Is strong and reminiscent of carnations.
Notes: This is an abridged and slightly amended form of a story that published in three consecutive issues of Orchids in New Zealand, 1981-82 Vol 6, issues 4-6. They may be read here.
Dendrobium mohlianum was first described by German botanist Rudolf Schlechter in 1862 but his valuable orchid herbarium in Berlin was destroyed during World War 2, a loss that is still affecting orchid taxonomy in the 21st century. It is believed that the sample of this plant that Ron Maunder sent to Kew represented its “re-discovery”.
Ron Maunder, who is a Life Member of Tauranga Orchid Society, volunteered at a leprosy hospital in Vanuatu. Read more about him here.
Judging was done yesterday morning at the Tauranga Orchid Show with thanks to all the judges who came and participated, some of them from as far as Auckland and Waikato. Then as a sort of ceremonial end to the 2-day show, the trophies were presented yesterday afternoon.
Congratulations to all the winners and our society’s grateful thanks to all the growers who displayed their beautiful flowering orchids to make this one-off May show a delightful destination for visitors. A special thanks to the club members who volunteered during the show to help make it happen and those who were in the ‘set-up’ and ‘clean-up’ gangs. None of it would be possible without our willing club members.
Thomas Brown (right) of the Whangarei Orchid Society receives the Alec Roy Cup for Best Cymbidium from Tauranga Orchid Society president Conrad Coenen. The winning orchid was the species Cymbidium erythrostylum, native to Vietnam. Photo: Sandra Simpson
Tania Langen of Ninox Orchids accepts the trophy for Best Australian Dendrobium, won by their plant on Whangarei stand, Den. bigibbum, also known as the Cooktown orchid and the floral emblem of Queensland. Photo: Sandra Simpson
Lee and Roy Neale of Leroy Orchids retained the Brian Enticott Cup for Best Cattleya, this time with Rhyncholaeliocattleya Village Chief North ‘Green Genius’. Photo: Sandra Simpson
Receiving the Barry Curtis Bowl for Best Oncidiinae on behalf of the absent Cliff Goodchild is Faye Driprose, secretary of the BOP Orchid Society. Photo: Sandra Simpson
Ute Rank, who had bought her multi-stemmed Gomesa crispa all the way from Taranaki, was delighted to win the Natalie Simmonds Trophy for Best Specimen Plant. Photo: Sandra Simpson
Equally delighted with winning Reserve Champion with Bulbophyllum rothschildianum ‘dark’ x self was Hubert Muisers of Ninox Orchids. Photo: Sandra Simpson
Chris Whitby from Hawkes Bay took home two trophies – Best Paphiopediulm and Grand Champion. Here, he is presented with the Grand Champion tray by Conrad Coenen. Photo: Sandra Simpson
Grand Champion and Best Paphiopedilum of the 2023 show is a big flower with a big name! Paphiopedilum (Junko’s Melody x armeniacum) ‘Golden Smile’ x Nori’s Song ‘Golden’. Grown by Chris Whitby of Hawkes Bay.
Reserve Champion was this multi-flowered Bulbophyllum rothschildianum ‘dark’ x self, grown by Ninox Orchids of Whangarei. Photo: Sandra Simpson
Is alive and well at the Tauranga Orchid Show – heaps of flowering plants on display, plants of all sorts for sale, great food from the cafe, what more could we want?
The show is being held at this different time of the year, just for this year, to accommodate a Taurangs display at the National Orchid Expo at Mystery Creek in September, part of the Orchids & More event. Having a show in a completely different season means there are orchids on display that will likely be new to visitors. Come and see for yourself! Or, better yet, give mum an early Mother’s Day present and bring her along tomorrow (May 6), our last day.
Central to the Tauranga society display is this scale model of the Eiffel Tower. Photo: Sandra Simpson
One of the so-called monkey-face orchids is Dracula gigas, which has come all the way from Whangarei for the show. Photo: Sandra Simpson
Habenaria carnea x rhodochela is being shown by Anjo McKernan of Auckland. Photo: Sandra Simpson
Odontocidium Papatoetoe Prophet was registered in 2009 by the late Alf Day of Auckland. Photo: Sandra Simpson
A splash of colour on the Leroy Orchids stand from Cattlianthe Aussie Sunset x Leroy’s Sunset. Photo: Sandra Simpson
A few members of the vast orchid family – the ‘jewel orchids’ are grown primarily for their foliage. This bowl on the Tauranga stand shows a few different types. Photo: Sandra Simpson
You do not want to go past the 2023 Tauranga Orchid Show. It’s on at the Racecourse (Cameron Rd, Greerton) from 10am-4pm on Friday and Saturday (May 5-6). Entry is only $3 (under-12 free) with a cash-out facility available. As well, there are plants for sale and free growing advice from experts, a cafe, raffles and free parking. See you there!
Just like Asterix the Gaul, we’re drinking our magic strength potions to get ready for the show – spreading the word about our change of date for 2023 (May 5-6), thinking of ways in which we could lend a hand, and nurturing our plants, oh, how we’re nurturing those plants.
Getafix the Druid knows all about nurturing plants, after all his magic potion would fail without the right (secret) ingredients gathered from the forests around his village. In Asterix and the Goths we meet the Visigoth druid Cictrix whose magic potion causes flowers to grow, whatever the season. I guess we’re all feeling we could do with some of that!
By the way, Obelix (centre) fell into a cauldron of magic potion as a child and never needs any more. He thinks he does, but the other villagers are well aware the menhir deliveryman doesn’t know his own strength! It’s only those foolish Romans …
The characters are from the comic books written by René Goscinny and illustrated by Albert Uderzo between 1959 and 1977. After the death of Goscinny, Uderzo took over the writing until 2009, when he sold the rights to Hachette. The latest volume was published in 2021. And 35km north of Paris is the French answer to Disney, the Asterix Theme Park.
This design featuring orchids was intended to be used for wallpaper and textiles. It was painted in France in the 19th century and today forms part of the Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum Collection in Washngton DC.
Image: Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum Collection, Creative Commons
Tauranga Orchid Society 