Phrag China Dragon bloom which lasted 99 days

[Achamore]

Well... Here's an opportunity for you then...! We have the house up for sale, as we need to move closer to my wife's dairy farm at the north end of the island.

Ok, since we're pretty far into this thread, perhaps I can be allowed to show the following photos of the greenhouse etc..?

 

[Achamore]

 

[Achamore]

 

[Achamore]

Achamore House and the greenhouse on the Winter Solstice a few years ago

 

[Achamore]

 

[SlipperFan]

wow.

You have to move from that?! :sob:

 

[Heather]

Holy cow!

 

[Achamore]

I bought Achamore House just under 12 years ago, to run as a (large) B&B. But on the one hand, after 11 years of changing sheets for guests, you end up growing tired of said activity. And on the other hand my wife really wants to move back up to her farm at the north end. I've been promised an even bigger greenhouse as part of my deal... and it will be far easier & cheaper to heat than this one!

 

[Achamore]

And this is the view we would have. The building plot is the foreground in this photo. Jura and Islay are the islands to our west. On a clear day you can just make out New York which is about 2,500 miles to our west.

 

[17andgrowing]

Bottle the water and sell it world wide. That's a very lovely home you have too.

 

[SlipperFan]

Looks like a dream to come true!

 

[Achamore]

We looked into that idea of bottling all this water. Two problems. First of all, it is pretty acidic, so not all that great for selling for drink, even though the orchids like it. Secondly, we would need to invest far more money to set it up than any of us have locally. To comply with the various regulations, you're probably looking at a minimum investment of £500,000. Just not feasible for the likes of us. A big house in our case simply means owing the bank far too much already!

 

[Achamore]

I forgot to mention that I had the following email from John Valin of EYOF regarding this remarkable China Dragon.

70 days does seem a long time for one flower, probably from the Grande now
recognised as Leslie Garay. Often Leslie Garay holds three flowers at the
same time, the first opening well before the last and holding many days. I
have never taken note of how long. Regards, John Valin

 

[NYEric]

I have seen a couple of Paph blooms last that long so...

 

[Achamore]

Of course Paphs do have that endurance. Just have never seen it before in a phrag. So it is interesting what he says about Grande 'Leslie Garay'.

 

[trdyl]

I have seen a couple of Paph blooms last that long so...

I had one Paph as a teenager that the flower lasted over 4 months one year. Normally I'd only get 3 months out of it.