Posted on by susurrus

Anguloa ‘Isabelle’ – A Curious Orchid

Anguloa 'Isabelle' - pale pink orchid with dark pink speckling inside the flower

I’ve never had much success growing orchids, but their sturdily-constructed, often theatrical flowers are guaranteed to lure me over when I see specialist growers exhibiting their treasures at UK flower shows.

Anguloa 'Isabelle' leaves and flowers

Anguloa ‘Isabelle’ had pale peach flowers made prettier because the inner sides of the petals were speckled more or less heavily with russet-pink. The plants seemed vigorous enough to withstand even my inexpert handling, but luckily for them, were not for sale.

It was only afterwards when I looked more closely at the pictures that I noticed something that sparked my sense of whimsy.

Anguloa 'Isabelle' close up of flowers

Inside each flower is a Humpty Dumpty character, laughing over something they’re reading – a book or a letter. When I look again, the Humpty Dumpties seem to be in cradle-style rocking chairs.

The only reasonable conclusion I can draw is that, having fallen off their various walls, the Dumpties are recuperating together. They seem to be doing just fine.

Shared for Cee’s Flower of the Day. 

30 Replies to “Anguloa ‘Isabelle’ – A Curious Orchid”

  1. I would have said they are elegant in a peculiar kind of way, but now all I can say is they are hilarious. I am seeing only Dumpties laughing. And I can’t help thinking they have snow pebbles in their wellies! It all comes together.

    1. Snow pebbles in my wellies would put me off my reading, but they do say you shouldn’t expect other lifeforms to be exactly like us, so…

  3. I’m afraid I can’t see the resemblance to Humpty Dumpties but the one on the left looks to me like the face of a small dog with long ears and a bow on top of its head 🙂

  5. Interesting way to describe such a proud flower! Still, I think they are beautiful in a slightly odd way!

    Joanna

    PS. Thank you for your moral support, all is well but more hearing is needed as the other party is not cooperating.

    1. I’m sorry to hear that. So much of life is odd. I tend to associate flower petals with flimsiness, grown outside in Lancashire’s filtered sun, wind and rain, although there are exceptions. Bluebell petals are sturdy. These orchids were super sturdy.

  8. It’s almost a Rorschach test of what we see. I saw baby birds with their mouths open, waiting for mama to give them a worm. But then the Humpties and the prams make sense too. They are lovely, whatever we see in them.

  9. In my garden, I have neglected orchids and they continue to survive. Recently I heard that orchids like humidity, so that explains why they continue to flower, and even thrive when neglected, as my area is in a humid, subtropical zone. If living in a colder climate, a tip was given to help your orchids grow – if you have a glasshouse or conservatory, grow your orchids in there, with bromeliads! Broms hold water in their “cup” shape, which creates the humidity the orchids crave. So there you go, perhaps you need to create a humid environment to grow orchids. 🙂

    1. That’s a great comment. Companion plants fascinate me, especially the ones we often see in nature. We’ve had snow and ice here this month, which is more of a challenge.

      1. Snow and ice are two things I never see here, but I hear of many avid gardeners in the northern hemisphere who battle with the opposite elements to what we have, here in Australia. Good luck.

  11. You have such an imagination! I had to look carefully and it’s true, there is definitely a laughing face hidden inside those cradles.

    1. I had to resist making a similar observation about an orchid Cee posted the day after I shared this one. There seemed to be a little man trying to escape from a water shaft, but I thought putting that in a comment would have been a step too far.

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