Orchid of the day: Coelogyne nitida

Coelogyne nitida

This is another Southeast Asian orchid which likes cool and temperate climate. We give this orchid a lot of water during growth period but watering is reduced during the resting months, which is winter. I have made many posts about our Coelogyne nitida over the years, specifically in 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015 and 2014. In these posts, we have provided comments on how to grow this species. I do recommend you checking them out because you will see how this orchid has grown over the years in our care.

A) Sixteen flowers at the time this photo was taken in early March. Currently, the orchid is still blooming.

B) An individual bloom up close.

The flowers are quite large, about 3 inches or 7 to 8 cm. They do emit a very pleasant fragrant and the flowers are long-lasting. We observed over the years a special sign before the flowers fully develop. The flower stems are almost fully developed in the Fall. These stems would stand almost straight up during winter and suddenly swell up at the end of February, and burst into flowers in March.

C) In the pot, to the left, you can see four old leafless pseudobulbs from previous years. 

D) A view from above of our Coelogyne nitida. 

As usual, I hope you enjoyed my post today. I find this orchid very reliable and I am looking forward to see it bloom again next year. Larger and with more flowers, we hope.

Orchid of the day: Rhynchostylis gigantea

Rhynchostylis gigantea

We acquired this orchid as a seedling at the Maryland Orchid Exhibition in 2015 and it is one of the slowest growing orchid in our collection. But when it flowers, it is definitely one of our favorite orchids. The flowers bloom during the darkest time of the year but they can last up to two months. In this post, the flowers were in full bloom in early February, and they are still blooming today. 

A) Developing flower buds in late January this year.

Our Rhynchostylis gigantea is still a baby, and it produced a spike with twenty five flowers this year. It did the same last year, see my post from January 13, 2019. Arne believes at this rate, it will produce a flower spike with at least double the number of blooms in a couple of years. Perhaps even two spikes. Here hoping!

B) A closer look of the buds.

C) By early February, the flowers were blooming indoors in our basement. The flowers produced a pleasing mild fragrant.

D) An even closer look at the shape of the individual flowers. Simply gorgeous.

E) We photographed our orchid outdoors when the weather was agreeable. The natural light gives you an idea of how vivid the purple color looks on the individual flower. 

The only drawback with this orchid is its impressive air roots. As it grows, the roots will extend, encase and hang outside the wooden basket. I think this is a beautiful sight but to some, finding room to store this orchid can be challenging. One must be gentle with the roots to ensure the orchid remain happy and rewards you with flowers. 

F) Our Vanda-like pure species from Southeast Asia.

I hope this post was an enjoyable read for you. I'll be posting more shortly but until then, take care and be safe.