Most of my orchids grow outside all year in a shade house but the few Phalaenopsis in my collection are grown inside near a north east facing window. Phalaenopsis Minho Princess (or its older name, Doritaenopsis Minho Princess) is a hybrid registered in 1996 by SOGO Orchids of Taiwan. Tracing the breeding of Minho Princess on The International Orchid Register reveals parentage of a half dozen different species going back to the early 20th century.
I bought this plant on eBay in March 2013 as a seedling. It is currently growing in a 80 mm clear plastic pot with coconut husk chips, perlite and a little charcoal. It survived the winter with lows of 9°C in a room normally unheated. It’s housed in an Ikea SOCKER mini greenhouse to maintain humidity if the air conditioner is on for heating. It gets watered usually every 7-14 days in winter, every 4-7 days in summer and a weak fertiliser dose once a month in winter or once a week in summer.
The spike started in June (winter) with three flowers opening in late October (spring). The first flower is hidden behind the second flower in this image. I am still getting the hang of keeping the pot in the exact same spot so the flowers grow straight. A few days after taking this photo I found a caterpillar eating one of the flowers. Considering how small the plant is I will soon cut the flowers off and let the plant put more energy into growth now it’s nearly summer.