Orchid of the day: Leptotes bicolor

Leptotes bicolor

Our Leptotes bicolor is flowering again! The last time I posted was March 16th, 2014 and I thought it was glorious then but today we have more than 55 flowers including several buds still waiting to open. We are hoping to bring this specimen for judging next Saturday in Washington DC but the flowers tend to wilt by two weeks. We have this orchid is our basement for now, hoping that the cooler temperature can delay wilting and preserve the flowers for another week. Please enjoy the photos taken over time.

A) March 1st. This time the orchid produced 11 new shoots and each shoot produced a cluster of flowers buds. 

B) View from above.

C) Side view of the clusters of developing flowers from the shoots.

D) By March 13th, flowers were developing.

E) Side profile of the young flower buds.

F) We have the orchid hanging either by our window or in the orchidarium. Notice how the flowers are gently hanging downwards.

G) March 22nd. A combination of opened flowers and buds. These opened flowers have a longevity of 2 weeks before wilting.

H) Beautiful cascading flowers.

I) Today March 29th, almost all of the buds are opened and emitting a weak fragrant.

K) Leptotes bicolor from March 2014.

J) March 29th, 2015. Impressive specimen.

The photo to the left (J) is what we observed today. The right (K) was when this orchid bloomed in March last year. I thought last year this orchid was magnificent but when you put the two pictures side by side, clearly this orchid is doing really well this year. If it can retain all the flowers until next Saturday, April 4th, we may have a chance in DC for something! Fingers cross.

If anyone is interested in trying this orchid, here are some simple rules. This orchid needs to be watered 2 to 3 times a week and should be mounted. Leptotes bicolor, a native of Brazil,  also loves a lot of light.