Sarcochilus dilatatus ‘Lily’

I obtained this plant from west of Gladstone Queensland in 2009 where its family grows in vine thickets which get heaps of rain in the summer months and is a lot drier in the winter months when the temperature can drop down to single figures at night.

I grow this plant hanging about 2.0 metres above the ground in my bush-house under 2 layers of 50% woven green shade-cloth. It gets fertilised with Peters Excel Finisher at 1.5 grams per litre every week as all my plants do. I have been watering my small epiphytes and Den. tetragonums nightly, except when it has rained, and this year it started flowering early February. Since then, more inflorescences pushed out and flowers opened to now have 27 fully opened flowers that were pretty much all even in size, there are still another 25 buds to come. What a little surprise packet considering the whole plant is only 70mm high and 90mm wide.

In previous years it has produced 3 or 4 inflorescences, but this year with a very hot (not by Queensland standards though) summer, followed by what seems like weeks of rain, something changed.

With the rain we have had in Sydney I almost cancelled going to ANOS Sydney Group’s meeting but wanted other members to see it, and I couldn’t pass up a presentation on Sarcochilus from David Banks which was one of the most informative and entertaining evenings I have had in the last 30 years. The icing on the cake was to have the plant awarded, so Lorraine and I are pleased to say the least.”