# Madeira – Home of the slipper orchids



## Ricky (Jan 21, 2011)

OK, the title is a joke. There exist no natural slipper orchids in Madeira.

Madeira is an island that belongs to Portugal and is placed in the Atlantic Ocean northwest of Africa. The climate is perfect for a lot of tropical and subtropical flowers. And because the people there love to have flowers in their garden, you find flowers from around the world there. That´s why Medeira is called "Island of Flowers".

Most people have slipper orchids, cattleya and zygopetalum in front of their houses. When I visited Medeira in Dez. 2010, the slipper orchids were blooming. Funny to see that all people have the same species. I found them 

- in the hotel lobby (big pots with more than 10 flowers each)






- in front of their hauses





- at the big flower market in the capital ciy





- as a christmas decoration





- as a decoration of a church altar


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## paphreek (Jan 21, 2011)

WOW! Whatever that Paph is, it has certainly found its ecological niche!


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## Shiva (Jan 21, 2011)

They may all have the same flowers, but they also have good taste.


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## cliokchi (Jan 21, 2011)

้Hi Ross,

they're all Paph. insigne types ,var chantinii, maulei etc etc
they also grow them in huge masses in spain and the 
ligurian coast in italy
i think there's more in culture today as ever existed in the wild
at any given time
cliokchi





paphreek said:


> WOW! Whatever that Paph is, it has certainly found its ecological niche!


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## JeanLux (Jan 21, 2011)

That is really impressive!!!! Jean


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## NYEric (Jan 21, 2011)

The Peoples Democratic Republic embraces the warm welcome of our comrades in our newest province! :evil:


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## Ricky (Jan 21, 2011)

NYEric said:


> The Peoples Democratic Republic embraces the warm welcome of our comrades in our newest province!



American humor? Looks like I have to improve my lousy english.


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## W. Beetus (Jan 21, 2011)

Wow! Those displays are massive!


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## Eric Muehlbauer (Jan 21, 2011)

I seem to recall that I read, many years ago, that insigne was naturalized in some parts of Mexico. Is that true? If so, how many populations?


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## SlipperKing (Jan 21, 2011)

Impressive I wonder if they give them out at the airport when you land!:evil:


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## John M (Jan 21, 2011)

Ricky said:


> American humor? Looks like I have to improve my lousy english.


 Don't worry, Ricky. Your English is fine. I haven't got the slightest clue what Eric's trying to say either!


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## SlipperKing (Jan 21, 2011)

I think Eric wants to bring the Island into the Union of the US of A!


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## SlipperFan (Jan 21, 2011)

Those are fantastic displays. I wonder how it was that insigne was the chosen Paph.


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## John M (Jan 21, 2011)

SlipperKing said:


> I think Eric wants to bring the Island into the Union of the US of A!


 I wondered about that too; but, isn't "comrades" of Russian origin (The Oxford Dictionary of Current English: Comrade/ fellow socialist or communist) and you've got states not provinces.


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## paphioboy (Jan 21, 2011)

Insigne must be a total weed over there...!!! I'll let it invade my garden any day...


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## cliokchi (Jan 22, 2011)

Hi Dot,

probably because Paph. insigne was the only paph that would naturally flower
around Christmas without having to spend a lot on heating cost .
because Christmas has always been an important factor in the flower trade .
respect and greetings
cliokchi




SlipperFan said:


> Those are fantastic displays. I wonder how it was that insigne was the chosen Paph.


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## Kevin (Jan 22, 2011)

Very impressive displays! Are any of them grown as garden plants, or are they all potted? Did you see any other orchids 'naturalized' when you were there?


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## Ricky (Jan 22, 2011)

Kevin said:


> Are any of them grown as garden plants, or are they all potted? Did you see any other orchids 'naturalized' when you were there?



All orchids are potted. 
In Summer 2009 i saw some Phal. Shireen flowering in their gardens.

Here some other orchids that were flowering.

Zygopetalum:















Cattleya:


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## GuRu (Jan 22, 2011)

Ricky that's a very impressive show of masses of flowering P. insigne 


cliokchi said:


> Hi Dot,
> probably because Paph. insigne was the only paph that would naturally flower
> around Christmas without having to spend a lot on heating cost .
> because Christmas has always been an important factor in the flower trade .
> respect and greetings cliokchi


As far as I know, they grow these plants in the open all year long and therefore another reason might be that P. insigne is able to grow in this climate!
If I recall properly I saw some photos in an orchid magazin some years ago which showed P. insigne growing as garden plants in south of France or Spain.


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## Dido (Jan 22, 2011)

Hope you brought some plants with you!!


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## SlipperFan (Jan 22, 2011)

Thanks, cliokchi & rudolf. Makes sense.


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## Pete (Jan 23, 2011)

awesome photos! i went to madeira, morocco and portugal years and years ago and never saw any paphs!!


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## hchan (Jan 23, 2011)

So many plants! I wonder what growing media they use?


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## troy (Aug 5, 2016)

Hhmmm were these grown from flask?


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## abax (Aug 5, 2016)

I'm with Eric. Let's ask the local inhabitants if they'd like
to be Americans. I've never seen such a lavish display of
orchids. I have seen lots of orchids outside in the summer in the south of France, but not in this profusion. WOW!

If Trump is elected, I've been looking for a place to ask
to be a refugee. This place looks perfect!


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## NYEric (Aug 6, 2016)

I was not reffering to anything about people becoming American, rather the passing of natural goods from the far east.


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## Secundino (Aug 6, 2016)

These plants came very likely from the UK some long time ago. Not everything we see for a first time is recent!:rollhappy: There are also some happily growing Phrags ... outside in the gorgeous front gardens.


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## Hien (Aug 6, 2016)

the flowers which Ricky called Cattleyas are actually cymbidiums , a lot of peoples in California and southern states in the US do grow them as garden plants


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## abax (Aug 6, 2016)

Ah well Eric, sometimes your posts are a tad cryptic.


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## Ricky (Aug 8, 2016)

troy said:


> Hhmmm were these grown from flask?



I don't know.
The P. insigne are growing that fast in this climate that they might use divisions.

And the best is: They are growing in heavy garden soil. No coconut husk, no bark or anything else. They are treated like usual garden plants.


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## paphioboy (Aug 8, 2016)

Ricky said:


> I don't know.
> The P. insigne are growing that fast in this climate that they might use divisions.
> 
> And the best is: They are growing in heavy garden soil. No coconut husk, no bark or anything else. They are treated like usual garden plants.



Interesting. Do you know how often they water the paphs? Some species like bellatulum (certain populations) are naturally found growing in clayey soil too.


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## Ricky (Aug 8, 2016)

paphioboy said:


> Interesting. Do you know how often they water the paphs?



Well, it depends on the weather. 
When it's not raining, they water them daily together with the rest of the garden (if I remember right). As I wrote before, orchids are grown there like ordinary garden plants. 
I got a big pot of P. insigne as a present. It was to heavy for the airplane so I had to remove the soil. It was a wet, clayed soil.


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## Secundino (Aug 8, 2016)

It rains - though not lots of rain always - every other day. There is plenty of good water on Madeira, and there are several orchid vendors (and some remains of Wyld Court Orchids) and cut flower producers. You can see some fine Sobralia also.


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## Hien (Aug 8, 2016)

Ricky said:


> I don't know.
> The P. insigne are growing that fast in this climate that they might use divisions.
> 
> And the best is: They are growing in heavy garden soil. No coconut husk, no bark or anything else. They are treated like usual garden plants.


 Maybe we do everything wrong, after all in nature , nobody give them coconut husk or bark or anything special , whatever substrate they land on , that is where they grow .


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## Kawarthapine (Aug 8, 2016)

That's the prettiest church alter I have ever seen!


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