Jardinerong Sunog (the Burnt Gardener)

About one-and-a-half years ago, I was given a small plant of Crinum gracile which I potted in gritty soil and placed in partial shade. The plant grew steadily, yet slowly even with regular fertilizer application, until I finally noticed a peduncle forming near the base. As with practically all crinums, the inflorescence developed rapidly, and two nights ago, the first two flowers opened, at night. Crinum gracile is one of only two native representatives of the amaryllis family ( Amaryllidaceae ) in the Philippines. It has been found in Nueva Ecija, Rizal, and Laguna provinces in Luzon, and the islands of Mindoro and Mindanao, although there seem to be no existing precise locality records for the latter two islands. It is also found in Sumatra and New Guinea. Compared to the much larger and more robust C. asiaticum which is widespread around beaches, C. gracile appears to be rare and localized plants, at least in the Philippines. As such, it is barely known in cultivation. It ...

I would like to lead myself into believing that I already have way too many plants, which should explain why, since November when I started seeing spent flowers of these plants, I have not seen the floral display at the height of its anthesis. But no, I think it's just a plain case of inattentiveness. Nothing more, nothing less. Because you see, Trachoma phillipsii is one of my (very) small-flowered orchids that when in bloom, are just very likely to drown unnoticed in a sea of green. I have seen batches of buds about to pop, only to miss the show and realize the boo-boo a day after, after seeing the flowers already closed. You see, the blooms, cute and attractive as they are, only last for a day. Trachoma phillipsii was described by Timothy Choltco (as Tuberolabium phillipsii ) in 2007 and was named in honor of Andy Phillips, the well-known orchidist from California and the importer of the plants from where the original description was taken. The flowers are barely a cen...