Sam Tsui's visit to our orchid society was super exciting. Basically, he's one most successful and innovative Phaphipedilum breeders in the world. I skipped the Beginner Group so I could hover around him and pick up wisdom through osmosis. I had the opportunity to talk to him about new trends in Brachypetalum breeding and the pursuit of a Brachy with a pure red dorsal. Sam opened his laptop and showed me slides of his award winners while I asked him absolutely stupid questions like "What's the difference between 'Double Trix' and 'Triple Trix'"? It was awesome.
Sam's talk -- "What's New in Multifloral Paphiopediulms" -- was fantastic. You can find a full summary & some video here. He showed us the new frontiers in breeding Paph. rochildianum and Paph. sanderianum, but I don't see too many of them in my future. I like looking at the pictures of slipper orchids with the long trailing petals but, with a house of four cats, I just don't see those petals lasting very long. Those cute Brachypetalums, however, are another story altogether.
