✿❀ TOMAS BAJZA at Queensland Orchid International ❀✿
Lepanthes tsubotae
Tomas Bajza’s fervent dedication to miniature orchids and photography has opened up for the viewer an intricate world in which some of the smallest flowering plants thrive in niches that put them on a similar par to lichens and mosses revelling in microclimates often akin to those produced in bottle gardens and terrariums, within which colours, textures and densities can be as nuanced as the biological interplay between size and functionality.
A short critique bySoundEagle on 27 May 2015
Orchidaceae belongs to one of the two largest families of flowering plants with blooms that are often colourful and fragrant. Within this family, there are species of all sizes and shapes to suit a litany of assorted aficionados. Occupying one extreme of this vast spectrum of orchid devotees are those championing not the spectacular and magnificent, but the tiny denizens sometimes so slight and Lilliputian that they can almost vanish under our noses. Their delicate features and intricate minutiae invite, even demand, close attention and fine-grained observation to adequately uncover their colours, forms, textures and anatomies.
Cumulative evolutionary forces have resulted in miniaturized phenotypes, as if Nature has precisely re-engineered them with microscopic strokes and in ultrafine details to populate the environment with diminutive replicas across the ecological landscape and the phylogenetic and phylogeographic history.
Meeting a miniature orchid specimen requires one to be patient and still, to be careful with movement and touch, to be sharp with the naked eye, even aided by the magnifying glass, as one gently descends into the botanical world of little midgets and compact dwarfs.
Scrutinizing over the miniscule dimensions, one is able to witness the genetic diversity that allows plants to inhabit micro niches and finite spaces, to examine the intricate mixture of ancestral and derived traits, and to observe structural simplification, species variability and morphological novelty.
Whether miniature orchids are collectively potted as terrarium plants or painstakingly cultivated in bottle gardens, whether they form an undersized aggregate or function as the principal focus in a small design or decor, and whether they live aloft as pint-sized epiphytes or grounded as petite terrestrials, a beholder cannot fail to be struck by their cute appearance, minute detail and space-saving potential.
In contrast to the much larger and imposing expanse of magnificent orchid specimens, miniature orchids are tiny, exotic, furtive floras whose mesmerizing features compel one to get up close and personal, to see with the naked eye or the zooming lens in proximity, and to discover the glistening texture or delicate translucence of the leaves and flowers of many species that would otherwise remain the hidden subjects of the world of orchids due to their exiguous stature.
SoundEagle would like to present Tomas Bajza to you on the basis that here is a gardening enthusiast whose cherished plants seem to have encompassed all of the above about miniature orchids:
Hi to all orchid lovers!
To introduce myself — my name is Tomas (Bajza) and I am the orchid addict — I call it lover though 🙂
I originally came to the USA from the Czech Republic, and settled down in hot tropical Miami, Florida some 13 years ago where I run my own package forwarding business.
I adored orchids during my teenage years, but there were not many to see in my country at the time. My neighbour grew a few of the Paphs and Phals amongst her windows, and when they bloomed, I could just go across the street from our house to hers and stare at that window for hours! I always dreamed about growing orchids somewhere warm one day!
My orchid beginnings were funny and sad at the same time. I managed to obtain few orchid plants back in the Czech, two Phalaenopsis plants, and one Cymbidium plant. I had neither knowledge nor options to do some research (the Internet was really nowhere), so I grew as I felt. That approach was of course totally wrong. My poor Phals were overwatered constantly and kept by the window right above the heating, so the humidity was at zero. They must have hated me all these year as they were suffering and barely surviving, but I got at least one spike once, before they both went to the orchid heaven. My Cymbidium was even “better”. That sucker did nothing except growing leaves for years. Then I went to college and moved out of the house, completely forgetting about that plant. Once I came back home in the fall, and my mom called me outside to our courtyard. When I got there, she pulled out from behind her Oleander bush my forgotten Cymbidium with absolutely amazing long spike carrying some 40+ green waxy blooms. I was shocked, as I was not able to bloom this plant for many years. So I asked her what she did with it. She replied, “I just throw it outside behind the Oleander bushes early spring, water it with the hose when watering oleanders, and fertilize it with chicken shit when fertilizing my oleanders, that’s it!” I was laughing my ass off about my over-caring this plant for some four years with no success whilst my mother just threw it outside behind the bushes. And that’s it, she gets the blooms!
Even though I am living in Florida surrounded by orchids for some 13 years, I got into growing orchid only 7 years ago, starting with the usual grocery store selling Phalaenopsis and Dendrobiums, slowly adding some Cattleyas and Vandas since these were the orchids that everyone in Florida grows! All of these were large orchids and mostly hybrids. Some three years ago on one of the orchid forums, someone posted about Lepanthopsis astrophora — that was the very first time I have ever seen a miniature orchid. I had no clue that such a thing even exist! I fall in love totally and completely, and immediately ordered a few. When they came, they were even smaller than I ever imagined!
That was it, I’ve got bitten by a “huge” miniature orchid bug — and in the past years I was fortunate enough to collect hundreds of micro and miniature orchid species, many of them pretty rare. I am a very stubborn grower — I do not listen to anything, and I do not like the word “impossible”. I like all orchids, but I do love huge amount of cold- or intermediate-growing species. Many growers in Florida told me that I cannot grow this and that here, because it is too hot or they are too hard to grow. I do not believe any of this till I try myself and either succeed or fail!
I grow most of my collection at the balcony in North Miami, where my orchids are outside year round. Summers get very hot (even over 100F), and winters can have very cold fronts passing through — just a few weeks ago, we had only 38F early Friday morning. Growing from the apartment balcony has many challenges and it is truly only for an orchid addict! Since I cannot use any hose, I have to water with buckets and baking pans when I soak my orchids some 2 to 3 times a week, and also with spraying bottles for any misting. It is nonstop work around the clock, each soaking taking me anywhere between 2 to 3 hours now. And on the top there are some that need to be misted every morning. There are some advantages too though — since I have to take down every single pot and mount every time I soak, I can control over-watering, check for any issues and fix them before they become real issues. My balcony also protects most of my orchids from constant rain during our rainy season, so I do not deal with fungus and rot as many Florida growers do.
I have some 50 orchids that are cool-to-cold growers, which I keep inside year round in very simple vivarium setups and one tall hygrolon cylinder.
Last year I decided that it is time to get rid of all large- and medium-size orchids — there was just absolutely no space to even turn at my balcony — and I dedicated my growing to only micro, miniature and small orchids (keeping still some 20 large plants). My collection shrank from some 350 orchids to some 200+ micro, miniature and small size orchids, 99% are species. 90% of my collection is grown mounted.
Through extended research, reading and being active on different orchid boards and in orchid groups, I’ve learned tremendously. I do not consider myself in any way orchid expert, but someone once told me that a beginner orchid grower is someone who killed less than 10 plants, advance orchid grower is someone who killed more than 100, and orchid professional is someone who killed over 1000 and doesn’t count anymore. By this yardstick, I do belong to advance growers 🙂
I’ve been very fortunate with meeting and becoming friends with many international orchid growers and nursery owners. At the beginning, I bought only plants sold by the US nurseries. But in the past two years, all of my orchids come from abroad (either pre-orders for the shows or even personal imports shipped directly to my house), all of which I am starting to like more and more. Buying orchids from the US growers is safe and the majority of the plants come nicely established. Unfortunately there are no offerings for the species that I am looking for at this stage of my growing. I was really pushed to search and start my own importing because I could not just find any of the plants I wanted to own. Importing plants always brings high risks and costs — paperwork cost, high express shipping cost, any delays during the shipment or at the agriculture when clearing the customs, communication with the sellers abroad, when many does not even speak good English. This all makes importing stressful, but still worthy for me. Imported plants are 99% bare root divisions and they need extra love and care. I would not suggest buying imported plants to any newbies, these plants are sometimes very hard to establish and many can die within days from receiving them.
To end this long essay, I would like to wish all the luck to orchid-growing people in Australia. And I hope many will choose the way I grow — hit and miss, learning from our own mistakes and errors, but giving it all! Rewards are endless and orchid blooms bring so much joy to our lives! Your continent has so many amazing orchid species and I hope that one day I’ll be able to visit and see with my own eyes (I do have family in Adelaide, so it is on my bucket list!).
Click any image below to see gallery images displayed in a full-size carousel view and to comment on each photo. More photos will be added as they become available.
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03/03/2015 16:02
Tomas Bajza …. in any way I feel like any expert or profi grower, but in years, I became somehow respected for the miniature growing in Florida conditions, and the fact, I do grow most of the miniature species here that most would not even dare to buy. I definitely don’t have success with all, but I am a person who will rather try 3x before deciding it is not really possible …. -
Tomas Bajza I remember especially Mediocalcar that was like one of the first cold growers with some Draculas I was considering to try and everyone told me absolutely no way I can grow this here, I was very discouraged for years, I did got one Dracula and than gave it away in a few weeks scared I’ll kill it 100% just because all said so!
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Tomas Bajza well I have few Draculas growing outside for a year now, and they are doing just fine
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K-w SoundEagle HaHaHa! Experience trumps Hearsay! You may say that there has been a lot of the blinds leading the blinds . . . . until you show them the light and the way . . . .
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K-w SoundEagle Thanks! I am really enjoying looking and admiring your fantastic specimens of miniature orchids . . . What petite gems they are!
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Tomas Bajza Many thanks, it is definitely ma passion, I love all orchids, but within past few years I got completely eaten by miniature orchid world 🙂
I find them so much more interestingthe variety of leaves, growing habits, and blooms is fascinating!they are also much harder to grow, than usual large orchids, so it is great challenge too 🙂
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K-w SoundEagle I must say that you have met the challenge with a good dose of glee and style, Tomas!
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Tomas Bajza It’s funny, some 3 years ago I was at the point where many is right now, I just started with miniatures and I wanted so many, thinking I will never even see, on the top to own many of these gems. But through extended research and many great connections I was able to accumulate collection many people would kill for, with species that some huge growers are searching for the past 20 years and still do not have them 🙂
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Tomas Bajza 🙂 Thanks a bunch, I am definitely not greatest one at all, there are much more skillful growers, but I did bloom plants that these growers (growing for 20-30 years now) didn’t bloom ever 🙂
- How to Grow Miniature Orchids in Simple Indoor Setups (queenslandorchid.wordpress.com)
- How to Cultivate Cool-Growing Miniature Orchids in the Hot Zone (queenslandorchid.wordpress.com)
- Tomas Bajza speaks on “Giant World of Miniature Orchids & How to Grow ‘COOL’ in Miami” (cosspecies.com)
- Tarzane Group: Micro and Miniature Orchids (tarzanegroup.com) Tomas Bajza’s orchid website where his orchids are available for sale.
- Miniature Orchids in Perspective 🔎✾🔍 (queenslandorchid.wordpress.com)
- Miniature Orchids Shared in the Queensland Orchid Society Facebook Page (queenslandorchid.wordpress.com)
- Mystacidium capense: A Dainty Orchid from South Africa (queenslandorchid.wordpress.com)
- An Intimate Parade of Miniature Orchids: Petite Beauty in Minute Detail (queenslandorchid.wordpress.com)
- Miniature (dailypost.wordpress.com)
Another huge surprise, have not seen any spikes till fully open blooms this morning. Particularly happy for these because this one did not bloom for me for past 3+ years! Grown inside in vase, intermediate, LED.
Will always be my absolute favorite. Stunning mini miniature species with astonishingly beautiful, huge orange blooms. Grows fantastic in glass orbs and terrariums in intermediate conditions.
One of my very favorite babies, super attractive velvet fuzzy leaves with beautiful blooms! Grows inside in wood/glass terrarium under the LED.
One of the easy growing intermediate species, does great in simple wood/glass terrarium inside the apartment under low LED. Blooms many times through out the year.
Hot growing species from Centra America blooms pretty much nonstop year round. Blooms peek out under the round shaped leaves. Super cute and unusual small orchid.
It is a cute small-size orchid growing very well warm to hot, with nice white blooms occurring at any time of the year.
Definitely winner among larger growing Eria species, this “Gene Simmon’s Tongue” is super cool! Growing outside year round.
What to say, LOVE Eria species! Another one growing happily outside year round.
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