June 14, 2008 - ANNOUNCING HAWK HILL ORCHIDS. Hawk Hill Orchids is a joint endeavor between John Leathers of Pacifica, California, and Gary Meyer. We are offering top-quality US grown Masdevallia hybrids and Dracula species. Go to www.hawkhillorchids.com for details.

June 14, 2008 - Upcoming travel to Colombia. Gary will be attending the Medellin orchid show in early August, after spending time in Bogota. If there is something special you have been searching for unsuccessfully, let Gary know and he will add it to his shopping list and try to find it while down there.

Questions about the plants - what are you buying? I'm always being asked about the impact of the whole importation process on plant health. All of us have lost some plants in the past that we purchased from South American vendors (although I can say honestly that I have never lost a plant from my supplier - but I know how to grow what I buy and have exceptional conditions for the plants).

It's true that there is risk for plants that have been out of their media for a long time, watered erratically, or divided too small (or rootless). I've photographed some of the plants from the October shipment to show you what I have found to be typical (not guaranteed, but usual) division sizes for various types of plants. (Photos below). I can also assure you that the plants are prepared just before shipment from Colombia; they do not spend an inordinate amount of time out of their media, and anything without pseudobulbs comes in moss, which I water until I can ship it to you. Thus, because of the size of these divisions and the care taken to keep them healthy during shipment, the risk of loss is low if you promptly put them in a proper growing environment when you receive them.

HOWEVER - There is still a risk to the plants. They still experience stress. Thus, please expect your plants to be, as imports usually are, in need of extra care before they reach blooming state again. If you are looking for instant specimen plants or show plants, then these are not the plants for you. These are for serious collectors who want to expand their collections with interesting species or clones not typically available in the US, and people who have sufficient experience with orchids and adequate growing environments to get the plants growing and blooming again.

Since I have no control over the actual process of selecting and dividing the plants - all that goes on in Colombia - I have limited ability to replace plants that fall short of your expectations but are otherwise healthy. I will gladly replace any plants that are diseased, dying, or dead on arrival and do everything I can to make sure they don't leave my hands in that state. My supplier does not like to send sick or dying plants and thus I assure you both of us are working to deliver plants that are healthy and have great potential for the seasoned orchid grower.

One final comment about roots. These are all divisions off of mature stock plants. Moreover, they are growing in what is closer to their natural environment than what we'll be providing up here in the US. Thus, many plants will have minimal root systems when they arrive. This is normal for orchids. Orchids grow roots when they need them. A mature plants with many pseudobulbs will go a long time without roots and will push them off new growths when and if needed. Part of the reason why some US orchids grow such elaborate root systems is because they are not getting sufficient water or nutrients. I've seen this many times with Draculas - Draculas I buy from mixed collections where they have to settle for the conditions the other orchids prefer, and grown in fir bark which can dry out faster than moss, end up having gigantic root systems. Draculas from specialists who grow in moss can be large plants with almost no roots. The later just simply don't need them because they are getting all the water an nutrients they need. The former are struggling to get enough and thus need to grow more roots. Your plants will adapt as much as possible to your environment, but remember they are coming from a luxury environment where they don't need to work very hard to get what they need. Give them some time to settle in to your conditions. They will make more roots if they need them.

A Schomburgkia (left) and Cattleya warscewiczii (right):

Masdevallias:

Draculas:

A Pleurothallis and Scaphosepalum (back); Ophidion and Lepanthes (front):