# The four w's



## cnycharles (Mar 5, 2015)

don't mean the world wide web, but Willowbrook, Wellspring and Windy Hill  I didn't realize until I was just uploading pics of plants I've just received that each came from a 'W' vendor. The fourth isn't here yet, but there are bletillas on the way from the Wild Orchid Company

About a month or more ago I started looking for certain phrag hybrids and species. One of my google searches turned up a Willowbrook Orchids in Georgia, which it seems I hadn't heard of before. After emailing a few questions I realized that the business was owned by David Kessler, who used to live in Central NY in Oswego and was a member of the Central NY Orchid Society while I was there! We caught up a bit, and he revealed that one day after Oswego had a roughly 214" total winter snowfall, he'd had enough shoveling  I still need to call and find out how he ended up becoming an orchid vendor






package from Willowbrook that showed up at work today amidst a blizzard
from mid left up clockwise: Phrag Moriza Rolando, 
besseae flavum 'chucks choice' am/aos x 'germany #2', 
phrag manzurii 'waunakee' x 'wonder', 
phrag besseae flavum 'chuck's choice' x ackers ballerina and a
free plant David sent my way for being patient with weather delays
phrag wossen!

all are excellent plants, the box was very well padded and wrapped, David has excellent 
communication and concern for his plants and customers. he 
has excellent stuff, lots of great phrags and paphs, and other orchids
and an excellent orchid image blog. by the way, he will have more phrag manzurii
for sale soon!

I also decided to try some bletilla orchids since they would now survive outside where i'm living in south jersey. I ended up getting part from Wellspring Gardens in Lakeland Fla. which has many tropical plants, excellent quality over a number of years, great ebay and dave's garden website ratings. They are seedlings at a seedling price, and excellent, not junk. I would highly recommend anyone to check them out





left to right: bletilla Yokohama 'kate', a primary hybrid between
bletilla striata and formosana; lemon grass (how'd that non-orchid get in there?!) and bletilla ochracea

i'm planning on putting these in pots, and two others from the Wild Orchid Company will also go in pots. Those will be mature tubers, while these are emerging seedlings

I also hemmed and hawed about other phrag seedlings, and decided to also get some from Marilyn LeDoux at Windy Hill Orchids in Missouri, who is an excellent grower and overall nice person, and I can prove this by the fact I emailed her and accidently called her 'marylin' a few times and she didn't object  . I ended up deciding to get a phrag d'alessandroi 'Windy Hill' x self and a phrag elizabeth castle, and Marilyn also sent me a nice seedling of paph hirsutissimum var. esquirolei! All plants/seedlings were in excellent condition, and the packaging/wrapping was so neat and tidy that I felt bad tearing the packaging open (just like at Christmas!) Thanks very much!





left to right clockwise: phrag elizabeth castle, phrag d'alessandroi 'Windy Hill' x self 
and free plant paph hirsutissimum var. esquirolei 'carolyn leonard' am/aos x self

whew! I looked at my bank account this morning, and was quickly reminded that it's a good thing that I get paid tomorrow, and that my federal tax return will be generous this year. definite halt on more purchases!


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## NYEric (Mar 5, 2015)

Wow. You are going crazy!


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## abax (Mar 6, 2015)

Really nice acquisitions and I'm looking forward to photos
on growth and blooming. Thanks for the info. on a vendor
I hadn't heard of either. I've got orders waiting to be 
shipped and it's killing me!


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## cnycharles (Mar 6, 2015)

It was me too. Both last scheduled dodged or went through big snowstorms to get into my apt. Part of the reason I ended up getting so many was I'd ordered things that couldn't ship and didn't tally how much it was all going to add up to (ouch)


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## Clark (Mar 6, 2015)

Holy moly!!!

Bletilla striata grows outside in regular garden soil over here.
I found the flowers are ripe for aphids.


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## eggshells (Mar 6, 2015)

Good haul. Congrats! I'm getting spring fever here.


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## SlipperFan (Mar 6, 2015)

eggshells said:


> Good haul. Congrats! I'm getting spring fever here.



Me too!

Great purchases, Charles!


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## cnycharles (Mar 7, 2015)

Spring has arrived in south jersey!  40'F, no clouds, 8" of snow melting, thousands of snow geese flying overhead; what could be better?


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## SlipperFan (Mar 7, 2015)

cnycharles said:


> Spring has arrived in south jersey!  40'F, no clouds, 8" of snow melting, thousands of snow geese flying overhead; what could be better?



75º, flowers blooming, pleasant breeze, no insects.


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## Migrant13 (Mar 7, 2015)

I am trying to be patient but I agree with Dot!


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## Kawarthapine (Mar 9, 2015)

It pretty sad when one gets excited about 42 degrees, but its the truth up here in Ontario.

This is our first week with temps that will be above freezing (during the day anyways) so I celebrated with two spring orders totalling ten adults and four seedlings.

It may 42 outside but I'm getting that Phrag feeling and it definitely warms me up!


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## cnycharles (Mar 9, 2015)

SlipperFan said:


> 75º, flowers blooming, pleasant breeze, no insects.



 I grew up in upstate ny, so am pragmatic about 'nice weather' and willing to accept positive 'baby steps' whenever possible

It was completely sunny and hit 56 ! today


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## cnycharles (Feb 22, 2016)

Last fall I had a sad looking bletilla potted, inside living room window and scale had hit it pretty hard. Growth had disappeared so I figured it was dead and stopped watering

Today I picked up the pot with the 'dead' bletilla inside, was going to use the soil in another pot. Much to my surprise I saw two shoots coming up! I put it back in the pot (bone dry) topped it off, soaked it with water and set it outside, now waiting for new shoots!


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## SlipperFan (Feb 22, 2016)

:clap::clap:


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## abax (Feb 22, 2016)

It's funny that this time of year many of us go completely
order crazy. I've got four large Phrags. coming from
sweet Marilyn and I'm still shopping for more goodies.
I might just check out Willowbrook. Thanks Charles!


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## cnycharles (Feb 23, 2016)

Yes I did go over a bit last year, had been a long time since I'd bought anything and it seemed like the job was one to last. 

Dave Kessler and Willowbrook are great! He used to be in our orchid club in upstate ny until where he was got 210" snow and he moved to Georgia :rollhappy: his plants are excellent, though you may have to contact him to find out what's available since a lot of things in his site appear to be sold out


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## MaryPientka (Feb 23, 2016)

I'm seeing Robins-Spring can't be far away.


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## Clark (Feb 24, 2016)

MaryPientka said:


> I'm seeing Robins-Spring can't be far away.



I had them all winter this year.


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