# Paph wardii "Robin's Prince Charles' AM/AOS



## Rick (Dec 11, 2011)

Finally my first Paph quality award!!!

I posted this last month after the first bud opened for this year, but I took it to the Atlanta judging Center yesterday. Not only am I thrilled that this is my first Paph AOS award, but from my own breeding / growing. This is also a ST collaboration since Gilda's plant 'Charles' was the pollen parent (may he rest in peace). So this plant is named after my wife (Robin) and in memory of the pollen parent (Charles). The size and form put this flower firmly into the range of the the other 78 awards for wardii, but the color, glossy texture, and patterning (the bright green contrasting with the dense black spotting) are what gave it the distinction to get it scored. 81point AM





If you remember Slipperkings 'Blackbird' wardii, the pollen from Prince Charles went into that flower. Can imagine the above flower with candy apple red gloss over!!!


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## Marc (Dec 11, 2011)

Congratulations Rick, and allthough I don't grow orchids for awards. The thought that I will never enter a plant into a judging that has any value on an international level makes me a bit sad.

Or I should take some plants to the UK.


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## emydura (Dec 11, 2011)

Congratulations Rick. A well deserved award. Beautiful form and colour. Really wide petals.


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## Justin (Dec 11, 2011)

well deserved, congrats!


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## Rick (Dec 11, 2011)

Marc said:


> Congratulations Rick, and although I don't grow orchids for awards. The thought that I will never enter a plant into a judging that has any value on an international level makes me a bit sad.
> 
> Or I should take some plants to the UK.



It's just another facet to the hobby. As you've probably read from many folks comments, it can be exceedingly frustrating to submit plants for judging. I would say that I don't "grow orchids for awards" and grow for the enjoyment of the flowers and science. But I'm certainly competitive and opportunistic enough to show something that I think is a good one. But that being said, I would reiterate that my selection of parents for this breeding was strictly to please my personal aesthetic tastes rather than any interest in developing a competitive flower. 

I've been taking lots of plants to shows and judging centers for probably 8 or so years now, and have only 5 AOS awards to show for it. So out of the hundreds of plants in my collection, I can't be expecting everything to be award quality.:wink:

But most orchid judges have come up from the same simple ranks of us hobbyists (most probably still consider themselves hobbyists), so they have a wealth of knowledge to pick up on, and many are plain old fun to hang out with.

But it does feel good to have one of your plants recognized/certified as something special. ST is also a great place to show off your plants and learn from the comments what might be hot enough to show off to the judges.


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## tomkalina (Dec 11, 2011)

Nice clone, Rick! Congrats on the AM/AOS; I'm sure it was well researched before it was pointed.


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## Rick (Dec 11, 2011)

tomkalina said:


> Nice clone, Rick! Congrats on the AM/AOS; I'm sure it was well researched before it was pointed.



Thanks Tom

Yes, plenty of research by me and the judges.

There was a lot of trepidation on my part to bring in a species with such an extensive award history to start with. Looking at old records and the taxonomic description, I knew this flower was not a record size flower, so it was going to be all up to more subjective color and presentation aspects.

Wardii is a bit special compared to many other paph species, in that the within species variation of flower color and form is very high, and "going for a different look" with wardii is much easier to do with this species. 

The plant was screened by a student judge to compare to all the old records before making it to the judging team who also reviewed the records and the photos. Fortunately, it was a sunny day, and not too cold, so the judges took it outside to see what it looked like in bright light, and that's were it really stood out. Under standard florescent room lighting, wardii can all look like muddy dogs. Photo flash is closer to sunlight, so the award photos in the history files have a leg up on plants sitting under the room lights. So there was a bit of luck factor that the judges took it out into good light for inspection, and this particular "look" caught their fancy.


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## John M (Dec 11, 2011)

Wide petals, great colour and markings and what a wonderful dorsal! This is a very special clone! Congratulations, Rick!!!


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## goldenrose (Dec 11, 2011)

How exciting! :clap::clap::clap: CONGRATS! WTG! Lovely!


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## Paph_LdyMacBeth (Dec 11, 2011)

:clap::clap::clap:


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## SlipperFan (Dec 11, 2011)

That's gorgeous, Rick. Congratulations!


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## NYEric (Dec 11, 2011)

I said wow when I saw dark edge to the lateral petals. Congrats!


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## paphioboy (Dec 11, 2011)

Beautiful! and congratulations! :clap::clap::clap:


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## abax (Dec 12, 2011)

*You did goooood, TN Rick!*

Congratulations. The bloom is very impressive. Can I have it?????


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## JeanLux (Dec 12, 2011)

Bravo Rick, a well deserved award!!!! Jean


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## AquaGem (Dec 12, 2011)

Congrats!!!!!!!!!


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## Ozpaph (Dec 12, 2011)

lovely. well done


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## Roth (Dec 12, 2011)

Excellent one... It's very hard to get an award for wardii, especially an AM, it must be really a good one.

Wardii is not too variable in fact, but there has been hybrids sold as wardii for ages ( there used to be a wardii with red petals, no spots, sold by a famous nursery in California. This was the hybrid with purpuratum, made in Kunming Botanical Gardens).

Wardii is as well extremely rare now in the wild, except a colony in north Burma, that is not really big.


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## SlipperKing (Dec 12, 2011)

As I mentioned, excellent job Rick! The basket thing must of thrown the judges for a loop!


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## Mocchaccino (Dec 12, 2011)

Congratulations Rick. No one would ever question you !!!


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## physiognomy (Dec 12, 2011)

Thanks for sharing your beautiful P. wardii, Rick. Congratulations on the award!


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## Rick (Dec 12, 2011)

SlipperKing said:


> As I mentioned, excellent job Rick! The basket thing must of thrown the judges for a loop!



Thanks Rick!

And yes the basket thing did raise a few eyebrows and questions.


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## Brian Monk (Dec 12, 2011)

Well done!


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## W. Beetus (Dec 12, 2011)

Excellent blooms! Very worthy!


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## Mrs. Paph (Dec 13, 2011)

NICE! Congrats!!!  I love the color and shine! :clap:

I know the feeling of 'I know there's already plenty of awards on record, but I still think you just have to see this one'! I have to agree that I do not, nor will I ever base all my acquisitions or future breeding on getting things awarded, but the inevitable flaws and frustrations of judging plants won't keep me from enjoying it as part of the hobby! I'm finding that it's really interesting to see what gets brought in for judging, and plant raffles are always fun, so I'm hoping to make the drive more often even if I don't have plants to submit.


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## Wendy (Dec 13, 2011)

An awesome flower! Congratulations....well deserved! :clap:


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## Stone (Dec 13, 2011)

Congratulations Rick. Its a good feeling to recieve recognition for all the quiet backgound work which no one sees. Well deserved:clap:

Mike


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## Evergreen (Dec 14, 2011)

Fantastic wardii :clap:


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## rdlsreno (Dec 14, 2011)

Very Nice and well deserve!:clap::clap::clap:

Ramon


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## cnycharles (Dec 19, 2011)

congratulations! I was looking back at this thread again because I was at the southern tier orchid society christmas party yesterday and they buy plants to raffle off to each person who shows up. one of the plants they got from a vendor in hawaii that was supposed to be in a previous auction was a paph wardii that was so big it looked like a small shrub. the main roots down in the center of the pot had sort of lifted the plant out of the media and the new growth around the outside just had root nubs because of the exposure to air. the bid winner spent $40 for the plant and I asked him about giving $10 for a division which he was happy to do; only problem was that even with guidance from another member who is good paph grower, there really weren't any decent divisions that had roots on them except for a small shoot with one long root which sort of had become dislodged anyhow when the plant was being moved around. I don't think I'd ever seen a paph that large.

for my raffle plant I selected a paph venustum that had no buds (most plants were in bud) though I looked hard at a very nice paph lynleigh koopowitz that was in veeeery high bud (two buds about to open), and some other masdevallias. I had been too busy eating very good food to look over the raffle table  . as a consolation, my friend ken hull who I take around on native orchid hunting trips did select that p. ll koop so I may get a division someday! at least he'll take pictures and send them to me


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## Clark (Dec 19, 2011)

Congratulations Rick!
Eye candy!


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## Gilda (Dec 23, 2011)

Congratulations Rick !:clap: You did the pollen parent 'Charles' proud ! I am very happy he lives on in your plants :smitten:


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## paphreek (Dec 23, 2011)

Congratulation, Rick! Excellent culture has a lot to do with flowers looking their best for awards. *WELL GROWN!*


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## chrismende (Jan 3, 2012)

Wow, Rick! What an excellent wardii! How satisfying to have bred it yourself!
Congratulations on the whole shebang: breeding, growing, exhibiting, and winning the AM!


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