Show us your tropicals and exotics, your hot Mediterranean colors and wild combinations, amazing discoveries and unusual variations. Or how about something exciting you just saw, a crazy garden, amazing garden art or design, an inspiring visit or hike?
This meme is open to all (you do not have to live in an exotic location to participate) and will be on the last day of each month…so mark your calendars and lets do something fun on the hot, the loud and the proud meme. I’ll have the link available early, east coast time (USA) to catch you early birds and even earlier for those of you in other countries.
Its hard to believe that we are at the start of December and celebrating another hot meme. This month, I’m visiting one of the most popular orchid nurseries on the Big Island called Akatsuka Orchid Gardens up in Volcano with over 200,000 orchids growing in their specialty nursery. At Akatsukas, they specialize in Cattleyas and other hybrid orchids including orchids with scented blooms. A typical hybridized orchid takes up to 5 years to mature from a a tissue cutting to full bloom.
On my way around the display gardens, I found quite a few worth sniffing and admiring some of the more exotic hybrids that they are growing here.
As I mentioned, they are specialty growers of cattleyas especially the scented variety and this first one had a faint whiff of a plumeria. The vivid purple hues are enough to attract any attention, but the added scent makes you want to stop and enjoy the blooms for a longer time frame.
This black lady slipper/ paphiopedilum caught my eye right away, its striped black on black with dark purple petals are very bold and truly make a statement to any orchids in the display garden. The bottom photo shows the flower starting to come out, it looks more like an alien warship about to take off.
This newer hybrid, I could not even locate a label for so I’m assuming it is not yet named. I haven’t seen this type of orchid with frilly petals and a white green color combination. It is absolutely stunning.
A few more exotic paphiopedilums ordhids on display.
Hope you enjoyed the tour, if you can’t visit this in person, they have a wonderful website to check out what’s happening at http://www.akatsukaorchid.com/
To see other posts to the Hot, the Loud and the Proud please click any of the links below and enjoy your visit.
Posts
19 comments:
Your flowers are extremely gorgeous today. Slipper orchids are rare beauties, befitting your meme today. Noel, is something wrong with your Mr Linky today? I can't link in. I already have you meme in mind when I prepared my passion flower post. Thanks for your visit.
the link will be active in a few more minutes, i had to change the active date to the 29th, even though its already the 30th in your country
Aloha Noel, i opened your site last night and realized you are late by one day there, haha! Those Paphiopedillum hybrids are really very very beautiful. I love this lady slippers but cannot successfully raise here in the dry tropics, maybe i need to create a mini-humid environment first before trying to raise some of them. I love the black one. By the way Noel, have you seen the new anthurium hybrid just released? It was in your papers. My friend at the UH Manoa is a breeder of anthuriums.
Wow, amazing! Now I want to go out and buy some orchid's right away...except we're still remodeling and I don't have any room.
What a fun meme, though. I'll be curious what you'll get. Regrettably, I'll have to pass this month, I'm chipping the ice of the bird bath...
Aloha, Noel! Your orchids are simply gorgeous. Thanks for giving the website address.
Lovely, could do with some heat, its feeeeeezing over here in Ireland, burrrrr
Aloha Noel! Your orchid images are stunning! The ones with the green coloration are new to me. Awesome images.
Thanks for stopping by my blog the other day. Have a wonderful week!
Aloha Noel, The Orchids are out of this world. Beautiful as ever and great capture! Its always a delight visiting your blog and participating in the Meme. Cheers Radhika @ Evergreen Tree
Beautiful posting, as usual, Noel. Thanks for having us over for Hot Loud and Proud.
Hi Noel. When I get starved for some color all I have to do is visit your blog. What gorgeous orchids. I love the red and orange one. Have a wonderful week.
How beautiful! I especially love those lady slippers. How lucky you are to find so many orchid spots to enjoy!
The frilly orchid looks more like a particular species that belongs to the Cattleya family: Rhycholaelia digbyana. People have tried to breed the fancy lip into other Cattleya hybrids with very little success
Beautiful exotic orchids! Especially love those ladyslippers orchids. I just posted mine, and it is also an orchid :) Joined a little late, but at least we are still on the 30th of november here :)
Oh, I love these paphiopedilums orchids! Your fabulous photos make me miss the ones I use to grow. ;>) Happy December Noel!
Hi Noel, my first visit here. I wasn't sure what link to include in my post so I just put your regular blog url in. I have been visiting our local conservatory and enjoying the tropicals so much. I've posted some anthuriums for this meme:
http://www.artsquadgraphics.com/blog/2010/12/01/red-and-green-anthuriums/
What can one say... fantastic blooms! L
Such a magnificent selection of orchids ... the Black Lady Slipper is a stand out!
Thank you very much for joining the carnival! your flowers are beautiful, so many amazing colors!
Hi Noel,
Someone over at blotanicals said I should check out your blog - great stuff :)
Unless I'm very much mistaken, I think http://lh6.ggpht.com/_lmgSAAm3Lnk/TPQUT9p2gRI/AAAAAAAAEuc/IDrzpTOiVbY/s1600-h/IMG_5350%5B5%5D.jpg
is a Rhyncholaelia digbyana. This species was quite important in a lot of Cattleya hybridisation. It's a very distinctive flower!
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