Vanda Miss Joaquim orchid

Vanda Miss Joaquim orchid, originally uploaded by manful.

Late 19th Century one Agnes Joaquim discovered a new orchid growing in her Singapore garden – a natural hybrid (or so she claimed) between two lovely species, Malayan Vanda hookeriana and the Burmese Vanda teres. The lady was an avid gardener so truth be told she probably gave nature a little prod along. But never let truth get in the way of a good story.

Thus was born the beautiful Singapore Orchid, Vanda Miss Joaquim, finally crowned in 1981 as the national flower of Singapore. What an achievement.

V. Miss Joaquim is a rampant, rather rangy lady and great stands of the orchid flourish in the Singapore Botanic Gardens at two and three metres height, but there is a delicacy to the flower itself. This, the first showing in my new orchid space, feels a bit yellowy to me, but time will tell. It’s just lovely to find the lady flourising here in Brisbane suburbia, so far from home. A world traveller.