Bat Flower

Oh wow! Two weeks? How much better can it get?

Well, it could have had three flower stems!!!

It's like a box of surprises!

Wow!! Aptly named! Just amazing! Where is it native to, Meanie?

Just read further, China! Don't know how I didn't see these before...fantastic!!

Thanks Karen!
It's native to the tropical rainforests of China.

Well done! :))))

This one, a lady elf has dropped her 'fascinator'!!!
Put the cup & saucer vine flower up for you Meanie.

It will be a winner Meanie.....

It should be Milky, It's a stunner.

Meanie:

Absolutely superb photo!

Thanks guys!
I'm not sure that there is even a category for it, but it would make an interesting change from the usual exhibits!

Country file currently has a photo competition with plant life being one category??

I was thinking of putting my third Scadoxus in, but it's coming up too soon.........

Sadly I have a feeling deadline may have been Friday (that's gone)?

Will take a look..........

Hi Meanie...I just saw one of these, in the flesh, at the market this morning...Two flower heads...magnifique!!
...Labelled as an orchid from China, aka 'fleur chauve souris' (bat flower)

...€30...snapped up very quickly (sadly, not by me)!!!

dont think we would get them in a market here karen!!??

has it changed any more meanie?

It was just an ordinary plant stall, Stickitoffee, but sometimes they have exotics for taking indoors in the winter...

wow! dont think we have exotics on market stalls here ~ probably too cold!!

lol!...It was much bigger than I expected it to be...
and at €30 each, I was just thinking that Meanie could be on to a winner in more ways than one! ;)

We get Cymbidium orchids occasionally around here......
That's cheap - around here they go for £30 to £50 with just one stem on the rare occasion that they're available. Of course, you can do what I did and snap them up half price once the bloom is over!
They are large aren't they!
I'll post a photo up later - both stems are blooming now!

The one I saw was just short of a metre high and the flower heads, in their entirety (from the batwings onward/outward, if you know what I mean) were about the size of a dinner plate...

I wish I could have bought it, but...unfortunately, I'm going away soon...

Look forward to further pictures of yours, though! :)))

Much the same size as mine then - how wide was the plant Karen?

dinner plate size is incredible ~ you should be so chuffed meanie!

I am (as you may have guessed from the number of photos)!

you deserve to be! its not every day you see one of these exactly!!!

You can (see one everyday) around here!

I'm not sure how wide the one I saw was, Meanie...it was surrounded by other plants and I was too busy looking at the size of the flowers and the long leaves! But I saw it being taken home, sticking out the top of a cardboard box, which was around 40x40x70cms or so...

thats because this is an exceptional web site meanie! with of course exceptional plants.

Exceptional photography too! This plant is hypnotic..and still scares the s**t out of me!!! I'd have nightmares if it was in my greenhouse.
However, philistine that I am, I still wish you first prize Meanie not cos "You're My Favourite", but for your dedication and courage in growing it lol!

I must confess that I share your apprehensions to some extent, Tetrarch...I find some orchids a little bit 'unearthly'...still, you can't help being fascinated and marvelling at their beauty...

This one, unearthly - yes! Scary? Strangely, no - just amazing!

...and I second your good wishes to Meanie! :)

Its so..so alien Karen..and if there was one film that scared the pants off me..it was Alien!! And (dont everyone hate me here)..Im not a lover of black or near black plants

Me too, Tetrarch...but when you see this one...Well, I thought, 'So that's how chocolate cosmos got here!... From the planet 'Sirius', lol!!!
No offence, Meanie...am just on the Batflower's side! :)

Thanks Tet and Karen - I hope that it's still good on the bank holiday Monday.............

I'm scared of hypodermic syringes, really scared!

I hope so too, Meanie...just try to avoid all and any needles and have a good day!! :))

You wont be able to give it a syringe of blood to boost it then Meanie!!!

We'll see Karen........

I break out in a cold sweat and then the panic attack rushes in, so no I couldn't!!

Wow ! what an amazing plant Meanie good luck at the show ,I'm sure it will be a winner ......

I'm not even sure that there's a category yet Amy.

I have decided to try growing one ( as many as I can ) of these. inspiring photo's Meanie.

And Bank Holiday Monday approaches...

Best of Luck, Meanie...xxx

Ah...just looked at that comment, as it went out...lack of emotion...would like to add...'Go for it!!!...you'll do well!' !!!

Go for it Pimpernel!

The show's not going to happen now - just got back from Holland to find 10sq metres of dry stone wall collapsed!

oh no! how did that happen?
we will award you the prize then!!

any photos from holland?

Oh No!!

No photos from Holland - I just went over to visit my daughter for a couple of days. The wall just came down.....

Merde, Meanie...did it cause much damage? To other things, I mean?

never been to holland, would like to see the bulb festival one day.

was it a dry stone wall?

I'll post a photo up later Karen - it flattened everything in its path!

I didn't even get any bulbs as it was all pretty rushed. It was a dry stone wall.

Oooh...merde again...M.....

not so good then meanie, sorry to hear that.

Meanie..I have a cousin Oo arr ! in Wiltshire that I can ask to help you out.

Thanks for that - I have a local smallholder who'll do it in a couple of weeks or so. I'm clearing the mess up and dumping it in his yard so that he can sort it out and chuck the useless material during quiet moments.