Dendrobium

DENDROBIUM

2018
It feels as though I have been growing Dendrobium since the last ice age. I say growing, it is closer the truth to say that I have been slowly killing Dendrobium for a number of decades. Not always slowly, always inevitably.
Times change. I would like to think that ignorance is perishable and that eventually it decays away but I'm not convinced. Perhaps progress belongs to the pig-ignorant and we should all abandon education in favour of obstinacy. I can't think of any other reason to keep growing a genus despite all experience and reason. I don't have a heated greenhouse and Dendrobium are tropical orchids. Most of them are anyway. Eventually I realised that I hadn't killed D. kingianum from Australia, and that its hybrid, D. x delicatum was prospering. There was a momentary lull in the dendrobicidal mania while I took stock, re-evaluated my growing technique, took a deep breath and carried on.
While I have been supporting the Thai economy by killing cane stemmed Dendrobium, the Australians have been hybridising their native species with an eye to extending the colour range and flower size while retaining the cool tolerance of D. kingianum. Occasionally modern hybrids reach Europe, I keep an eye on the nursery listings and when the chance arises I buy new plants. They are not all hardy, many are quite tender. I show a picture of Avril's Gold, but it didn't survive the first winter. However with a mixture of cold tolerance and sheltering in the house I am hoping that the collection will survive. I am even revisiting the tender Thai canes armed with the laughable "wisdom" that comes from partial success in the face of inevitable failure. The time has come to put together a page that shows the genus as I grow/kill it.
I have a lot of D. kingianum forms, many are seedlings from selected crosses. When they finally flower I might have a (pinkish) rainbow of colour or I might have a lot of indistinguishable dross. Whatever the outcome, I am hoping that they will at least survive. Hybrids beyond D. kingianum are more speculative but perhaps a mixture of fleece and late night panicking will provide adequate protection.
Dendrobium moniliforme from Japan has also tolerated life in the greenhouse. I would try to grow more forms if I could get them. D. okinawense is very similar but didn't survive. It should grow here, so it was probably an error on my part. They are still a common feature of my cultivation.
And when all else fails I still have the pig-ignorance.

2020
Unfortunately the wave of Dendrobium insanity has been growing. Fortunately many of the plants have been growing as well, a few have died and my obsession with the forms of D. moniliforme has intensified. I think that my success with this curious Japanese species is increasing but I still get occasional problems with establishment. Unfortunately plants that arrive in this country are often badly dessicated by the time they get here and they need some care and good weather to establish - at least I think that is the problem.
Notwithstanding, I keep plugging on, keep trying unlikely plants and keep hoping for kind winters.