Vanda Orchid - Tokyo Blue

Lovely shapes!

Alex - I'm soooo jealous!

Don't tell me you haven't got one Meanie " I don't believe it " :o)
Lucky you Alex !

I nearly bought one a couple of months ago Amy as it was reduced to £20. Instead I left with two 2metre tall Clianthus and a Bletilla orchid for a total of £9.00!

Very nice photo Alex

That sounds like a good deal Meanie , gosh they are tall I shall have to look them up .....

Thanks Lulu, Meanie, Amy and Pimpernel.

If this plant does well I want to buy a few more and hang them along my window...

Not that easy to keep, Alex. At Kew they are grown in high humidity and are misted at least once a day.

That is the reason I kept putting off buying a Vanda Rbtkew. I decided I needed to give it a try after reading a few articles of people growing them successfully in their home. Wish me luck.

Good luck Alex...:0)

Alexandramou:

Merry Christmas! :>)

This orchid is pretty hardy. It's grown as far north as Santa Barbara, CA. outside (in shade to semi-shade, of course). Most likely it would be pretty hardy outside there.

Thank you Pimpernel....;o)))

Merry Christmas to you too Delonix. ;o)

I'm growing this orchid indoors now but I might take it outside during the summer....ooohhh and I have a lovely spot for it!!!

I had to google it Alex......it is stunning

It is stunning isn't it Pimpernel!!!
I'm hoping to collect them....I love the way they look with their roots hanging down!

Alexandramou:

Is this a very commonly sold orchid there, like here in San Diego?

Lol lol lol....you are a funny lad Delonix.

This one came from France.

I haven't seen these for sale, not that I really looked. I don't have the patience to start looking all over Corfu to find a Vanda orchid and then pay an arm and a leg for it!

Alex:

There is a picture of a Vanda in bloom that you might like on my tropical orchid blog of last August.

I'm sure I've seen it Rbtkew and loved it....I look at all your blogs.
I will go back and have another look now and day dream of what mine will look like!!! (Positive thinking over here!)

Alexandramou:

That's funny! It's too bad it's not a commonly available orchid for sale, there. However, it's not funny that it would cost an arm and a leg! I don't want to say how inexpensive they are to buy here in San Diego (it would be mean!).

OK, be mean....how inexpensive? What size plant? Mine is small....I hope I don't have to wait many years before I see flowers!!
I want to hang it in front of my window but I need to find the right type of basket for it...
I saw a picture of six Vanda's hanging in front of someones window....oh what a sight!!!

Be brave Alex - how much did YOU have to pay?!
Thirty to forty pounds is the norm over here................

Woa Meanie....that is a lot! I payed 7.65pound, I thought that was a bargain!!! But I might have to wait a few year to see it bloom??? There is this spotted one I really want but I have to see how well this one does. I spray the roots with water once a day and soak them once a week.

Deffo a bargain!

I've waited seven years for the first flower on my Strelitzia, so it won't hurt you to wait!!!

I'm still waiting for my Strelitzia to bloom and it's been seven years. (I thought I had a flower spike this week...still not sure if it's a leaf or a spike?!?!?!)

Fingers crossed then!

OH MY GOD!!!!! Those are really high prices for a Vanda orchid!!! They run any between $6.00 - $25.00 here...depending on variety.

I saw some Vanda 'Tokyo' in bloom for sale at Trader Joe's for $6.95. I should have taken photos, however, the store was super crowded with Christmas shoppers. Also, the orchids were much larger than the posted orchid above.

Crikey - rub it in!

To be fair, the ones that I saw were in bloom! But any muppet can buy one in bloom, the fun is getting them to bloom yourself...............

Meanie:

Of course! You know me! lol! :>)

Orchids here are only sold in bloom or blooming. Very rarely do they sell them out of bloom. Sometimes orchids out of bloom will be deeply discounted or most likely thrown in the trash (I know it's a shame!).

I've never been able to bloom an orchid indoors...you've definitely got one on me. Mine will only bloom if left outdoors in semi-shade or filtered sun.

Thrown in the trash!!! That is terrible! They should give them away at least....they could send them to me (or Meanie).

Delonix - not aimed at you, just a general comment......

I would have thought that it would be a struggle to bloom yours indoors - to hot or too dry (with air con on). Many orchids over here blast their buds when they are bought because they've been kept in stores with air conditioning. So I now buy mostly from the bargain bin - it makes it a bit of a gamble as far as colours go, but if I dislike them I just give them away............

Alexandramou:

Well, orchids are so common here...it's not an issue to throw them away. Also, when a store throws them in the trash they can write the loss off on their taxes.

Meanie:

Many people can bloom orchids indoors...I can't.

Orchids are very picky, the must have very good air circulation. This is why I only allow my orchids indoors when they are blooming.

Blooming them is often just a matter of moving them around until you get it right. I struggle with the Oncidium alliance, but finally have one in bud.

Meanie:

Yes, very true! Oncidium alliance is the easiest on for me to bloom...it tends to like some full sun outside.