SHUNRAN IN BLOOM

Off season, my Cymbidium goerengii 'Setsuzan' 雪山 is in bloom! First flower is open, two more are getting ready.

I acquired this orchid last August. It originates from Kumamoto Prefecture in the central part of Kyushu island, Japan, The plant came with three matured growths and nice healthy roots. Here is the photo of the potted plant then.

A year later, 'Setsuzan' or 'Snow Mountain' is in bloom. It has been growing quite nicely and developed multiple growths and more compact leaves. The leaf length changed due to better light. Keeping it outdoors has been quite beneficial. 

The flower emits a peasant aroma reminiscent of a Cyclamen. The fragrance is stronger in the morning and can be sensed around the plant. 

The leaves are beautiful on their own, dressed with a thin white border, beautifully harmonizing with the orchid's green and white flowers.

I grow my SHUNRAN in a mixture of Akadama (baked Japanese clay) and Kanuma soils. This acidic and well draining mixture assures healthy white roots. I fertilize with Super Biogold pellets placed on the substrate and with occasional Super Biogold foliar spray.

With night temperatures gradually getting cooler, I am looking forward to seeing how this SHUNRAN will respond to a Florida winter chill and how it will effect the quality of its flowers. Cymbidium goerengii 'Setsuzan' 雪山 is known for requiring less chill time to bloom successfully.

NOT A BEGINNER, BUT A NOVICE

Orchids have been a passion of mine since the age of eight, yes eight! I became fascinated with nature early in my life and orchids amazed me with their unmatched diversity and adaptability. This interest deepened and prompted me to study biology at the Kiev State University, Ukraine, where I graduated with a degree in botanical science. I soon accepted a position at the botanical garden and ended up curating the orchid collection and cultivating hundreds of orchid species. My amazing career spanned for over twenty years. In the end, after eight years of curating the Display House and assisting with the Orchid Identification Center at the Marie Selby Botanical Garden in Sarasota, Florida, I decided to change my course and pursue photography.

Throughout and after my orchid career, I have been reluctant to grow orchids at home. Not expecting this to change, one day, I was reminded of Neofinetia falcata * with its mind boggling selection of cultivars. More so, for me being a Japonophile, Neofinetia falcata or FUURAN 風蘭 is not just an orchid to grow and bloom. FUURAN with its cultivars, known in Japan as FUUKIRAN 富貴蘭 has deep connection with Japanese esthetics. Much like with my other avocation of keeping and breeding RANCHU, a Japaneese veriety of goldfish (visit my High Ranchu Blog), FUUKIRAN requires patience and discipline, being a great subject of appreciation, both in and out of bloom.

Not new to orchids, but new to this 400-year-old FUUKIRAN tradition, I am looking forward to keeping this blog, sharing and promoting my fascination with this orchid. I also plan to cultivate and write about other traditional Japanese orchids like SHUNRAN - Cymbidium goeringii, CHOSEIRAN - Dendrobium moniliforme and NAGORAN - Sedirea japonica **.

Welcome to my High Fuukiran Blog!

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* Neofinetia falcata has been recently placed into Vanda orchid genus, thus it's current proposed scientific name is Vanda falcata.
** Sedirea japonica has been recently placed into Phalaenopsis orchid genus, thus it's current proposed scientific name is Phalaenopsis japonica