Consistently produces 5 or more long, pendulous spikes. Grown with lots of sun. It likes cool nights. This area is about as perfect as it gets for cymbidiums.

Cym. Yellow Giant

Huge light green flowers

Cym. Blue River Thunder

The inense color of this Cymbidium has to be seen to be believed. It's a brilliant gold-bronze with subtle red veining. With the velvety red lip, it almost glows. It only put up one spike this year. But what a spike - 38 inches (96 cm) tall!

Cym. Tom Thumb

A prolific miniature, rich bronze flowers with a deep red, velvety lip, lots of flowers on pendulous spikes. (May be mis-identified, may be Tom Thumb progeny. But very beautiful, whatever its name)

Cym. erythrostylum

A fall-blooming species. Petals do not fully open, but display themselves gracefully.

Cym. insigne

These beautiful flowers emerge on a graceful 30-inch (76 cm) inflorescence. The plant has the thin, grass-like leaves of the Chinese Cymbidiums. This one is a native of the mountains of Vietnam.

Cym. eburneum

The single flower has a firm, waxy substance and lovely fragrance. It is a native of the mountains of Vietnam and Burma. It seems to be growing very well in a long, narrow Chinese Cymbidium pot. It also seems to do best when hanging in the breeze.

Two wonderful parents make for big, rich red, round flowers with lots of substance.

Cym. Gypsy Fire
(Cym. Mustang Ridge "Plum" x Bo Jangles "Dancin' Man")

A particularly beautiful first-bloom seedling. I won it at an orchid society plant table a couple of years ago. Loren Batchman of Casa de las Orquideas has bred some wonderful Cymbidiums with spectacular colors, and he brings seedlings of his new crosses when he speaks at meetings. This one was a lovely surprise. This year (2005), he registered it as Cym. Gypsy Fire. The color this year is not quite as deep, but three very well-formed flowers.

This sunny miniature cymbidium blooms in late summer. It is wonderfully fragrant.

Cym. Yuri 'Red Velvet'

A very cute miniture. Flowers are only about 1 inch (2.5 cm), with a very nice star-shape and very dark, rich color. The whole plant is very small - great for people with limited growing area.

Cym. Sola 'Cinnamon'

An even smaller miniature - flowers are only about 3/4 inch (2 cm) across - but are perfect Cymbidium shape, and VERY cute. Two spikes have bloomed so far, and there's a third one that looks like it will bloom in Februrary - so I'll get two blooms from this plant in one year. Perfect for those of us with limited space.

Cym. Wyanga 4n x Loch Lomond 4n

A big plant with big, striking flowers with lots of substance. The spikes was at least 30" (75 cm), and there were 3 of them this year.

Cym. Dark Spirit
(Rolling Stone 'Embers' x Peter Pepper 'Cinnamon')

What distinguishes this Cymbidium is its fragrance. Similar to Cym. Golden Elf 'Sundust', although not strong.

Cym. "nonoame"

I got this as a division on a society raffle table. It is a beautiful concolor flower with faint fragrance.

Zygos are wonderfully fragrant - one can fill a house. They like slightly more shade than cymbidiums, but otherwise the same conditions . I grow mine in with the cymbidiums, which shade them because they are taller.

Zygo. Artur Elle 'Ben Wrighton'

A very vigorous zygopetalum, fragrant, with particularly rich color.

Woodwardara Adelaide Light

This is one of the new Zygopetalum intergeneric hybrids. This is a cross between a Zygocolax (Zygopetalum x Colax) and a Zygoneria (Zygopetalum x Neogardneria). It has heavy substance and a delighful fragrance. Since I think most of these Zygopetalum relatives are not so well-known (at least in the US) here are the abbreviations:

Woodwardara - Wdwa
Zygocolax - Zcx
Zgoneria - Zga
Colax - Clx
Neogardneria - Ngda

Hamelwellsara June 'Indigo Sue'

This Zygo intergeneric (5 genera) hybrid is so dark that the petals are almost black. It has very long-lasting flowers (about 2 months), on graceful, flexible, thin racaemes.

Cym. sinense x lancifolium

This (and the rest of my Chinese Cymbidiums) grow in the shadiest part of my front patio, under a large tree fern, and shaded from the late afternoon sun. They seem to be doing much better than they did in the shady patio. I think that among other factors, air circulation is much better, as well as a little more light. Coconut chips seem to keep the Chinese Cymbidiums happier than bark, but I have had even better luck with Diatomite. Like many of the Chinese Cymbidiums, this is extremely fragrant.

Cym. unnamed 'Miki'

This Cym. sinense hybrid is vigorous, and very fragrant. Like the other Chinese-type cymbidiums, it needs a little more shade than the other cymbidiums.

Lc. Liptonii (Laelia anceps var 'Veitchiana' x Cattleya labiata var. 'Coerulea')

I acquired this plant as a rootless division, at a society meeting raffle table about 2 years ago. It looked like it belonged on a mount, but the speaker suggested to me that it would proably be too heavy for that. The pseudobulbs are about 6 inches (15 cm) long and thick, the leaves 10 inches (25 cm) beyond that. I planted it in a mesh basket, since it seemed like it really wanted to be free even if it wasn't mounted. I was so right... It grew beautiful roots that extend as much as 18 inches (46 cm) below the pot. When it outgrew the pot, I planted it in a wood basket. I have also moved it to the shadiest part of my sun area - both because it has more room, and the blooms were rather weak at last blooming in the shady area. It is really taken off - had 3 spikes (in July), blooming again with two spikes with 5 flowers on one and 4 on the other.

Fragrant too!

Laelia Anceps

This orchid comes in various color forms. See the Fragrant Orchids for one that could probably be called "albescens" - nearly white, with just a little color in the lip. ,These orchids are extremely tolerant of cold - are not damaged even by light frost. They also impart cold-tolerance to their progeny, and are used extensively in hybridizing. See Winter for additional notes. They seem to grow best in hanging pots (or on mounts) with lots of air circulation, and plenty of filtered sunlight.

L. anceps var. coerulea

Not actually "blue" . There's no blue pigment in orchids, but rather an absence of pink gives these flowers a bluish-purple color. It's a very difficult color to photograph well, since the color is so subtle.

L. anceps var. Guerrero

This variety of L. anceps has particularly intense color, with a spectacular dark, velvety lip. It tends to want to be a little warmer than the other L. anceps varieties. The coastal climate where I live seems to be fine for it - it might be a little tougher than the others to grow inland. It blooms earlier than the other L. anceps that I have.

Slc. Coastal Sunrise
(Slc Helen Veliz 'Goldminer' x L. anceps 'Guerrero')

The L. Anceps influence is very strong in the shape of the flower and the long spike, but the striking color comes from the Slc. parent. Both parents have good tolerance for cool weather. It has done better in a shady part of my sun area than it did in the shady patio, like the L. anceps.

This vigorous species from Mexico grows under conditions similar to L. Anceps (to which it is closely related) The flowers, on a long spike, have a pearl-like luster in the sunlight.

Lc. Mini Purple
L. pumila 'Islander Delight' x C. walkeriana coerulea

There are many cultivars of Lc Mini Purple. This one is a very soft blue-lavender.

Laelia crispa var. delicatissima

This elegant Laelia has bloomed magnificently this year - 3 leads that each have 2-3 flowers! it lives up to its name - the lip has a blush of delicate pink, with dark purple veins, and a bright yellow throat. Photos don't quite do it justice.

I have this plant in the shadiest part of my sunny patio. The leaves do seem to be vulnerable to sunburn. However, it blooms very well here, and there is also more room for it. It's a very vigorous grower.

Laelia rubescens

This little Laelia grows on a mount, shaded slightly by a large tree fern.

Laelia fourneri

At the opposite end of the size range from L. crispa, this is a tiny jewel. The flower is about 3/4 inch (2 cm) across, and the leaves are not much more than 1 inch (2.5 cm) in length. This is one of the rupiculous Laelias that inhabit crevices in rocks. Neither the chill of winter nights nor the full sun of summer seem to bother this strong little plant.

Epi. parkinsonianum

This plant was a rootless cutting. I mounted it, and it rooted and established itself quite quickly. The leaves are very thick and succulent. The flowers have the fragrance of cloves at night. I had it in the shade area, but have moved it to a relatively shady part of the sunny area, and it is doing better.

 One of the "reed stem" epidendrums. A non-stop bloomer, with many spikes 5 feet (150 cm) tall. It also produces keikis (baby plants) quite generously so that one can have even MORE of them. Bright light. These grow with the cymbidiums, but should receive balanced fertilizer like a cattleya.

Reed-stem Epidendrums

Growers are starting to produce some wonderful reed-stem Epidendrum hybrids, but there are also many "generic" Epis in yards and patios in temperate climates. These plants just keep putting out flowers, in a rainbow of colors, staying in bloom most of the time. And often they produce keikis (baby plants) that can be potted - an endless supply of orchids. They need very little care. They'll even grow in well-drained soil as well as the more usual orchid bark. They're an excellent addition to any outdoor orchid collection, providing color throughout the year.

Lots of arial roots and growth pattern of Epi. radicans, with color and subtle fragrance of roses from Soph coccinea.

Bardendrum Desert Rose

A cross between Barkeria and Epidendrum. The plant looks like a reed stem Epidendrum, but the flowers have the color, and some of the shape, of Barkeria, but fuller. More floriferous, and easier to grow than Barkeria. Truly best of both worlds.

Encyclia radiata

I grow this with the Cymbidiums (pretty much full sun). It has the powerful fragrance of wintergreen, with long lasting flowers (as much as 2 months)

Cattleya aurantiaca

The flowers are small, but the intense color says "notice me!"

Enc. rigidum

This little plant grew as a keiki on an essentially bare stem (which finally died). The keiki has lots of roots - it was clearly getting plenty of moisture from watering, and enjoying the drying out. The flowers are tiny - 1/8" (0.3 cm). I have potted it in diatomite, on the assumption that it likes humidity but not a lot of moisture, lots of air around the roots. I give it essentially full sun, with the Cymbidiums.

Barkeria lindleyana

This Epidendrum relative likes a very loose mix, or else a cork slab. It has copious roots that need to dry out between waterings. It also prefers cool evenings, and goes nearly dormant during the winter.

Cute and colorful. This plant needs just slightly more warmth and protection than the reed-stem Epidendrums to which it is related. This winter, I placed it near a wall, which radiated just enough warmth to make it bloom much better than it has in the past.

Epidendrum aff. villotae

There are many Epidendrum species in Central and South America, that are still being discovered and named. This one is, I think, from Ecuador. Its flowers bloom in succession. In general, Ecuadoran species don' t do well for me because I cannot offer them even close to the humidity that they want. But this one seems to be growing well (I have had it for several years, and it finally seems to be adapting). I grow it in the shady part of my sunny patio, next to the wall where it seems to get enough warmth to be happy.

This flower is almost 3 inches (about 7 cm) on a plant that is only 5 inches (12 cm) tall. It flowers twice a year. The flower develops hidden inside the developing leaf. Then it seems to appear almost out of nowhere, when the leaf opens. The plant, like my other miniature Cattleya hybrids, is sheltered just a bit from the full western sun, but seems to do better with a lot of sun than it did in the shaded patio.

Sc. June Bug

These flowers have heavy substance, and lasted about 2 months. As the flowers aged, the color became a more intense yellow. A spectacular little gem.

Hawkinsara (Hknsa) Koolau Sunset 'Sheer Delight'

The Cattleya tribe of orchids has many complex intergeneric hybrids. This one is Cattleya x Laelia x Broughtonia x Sophronitis. This one has intense dark flowers that defy my poor attempt at photography.

Lycaste Pixie

I this little Lycaste bloomed about 4 years ago, a year after I bought it, and finally bloomed again in 2005, after languishing in the shady patio. The shady part of my sunny patio has turned out to be a good area for growing many orchids that did not do well in the shady patio - I don' t think that these plants get much more light now, but do get much better air circulation and therefore do not stay as wet in the winter.

Lycaste Brooklyn
(Macama x Auburn)

Lots of substance to these flowers. This one grew with the Cymbidiums, with a little more shade.

Den. lindleyi (aggregatum)

This species usually blooms in the spring. But we have had rather unusual weather patterns with mild winter, a warm spring, and a cool summer, and I think that it was slightly confused - it bloomes July - September. While the plant is listed as needing intermediate temperatures, it seems to do fine outside all winter, as long as it is kept dry. Indeed, that cool winter rest is probably necessary to initiate blooming. This particular plant seems always to bloom somewhat late - I have another that blooms a month or so earlier.

Epidendrum (Neolehmannia) porpax

A huge name for a small (1/2 ", 1 cm) flower. The plant is small, grows best mounted, but can form very large clumps, with many flowers. It grows on a piece of coconut husk, in the shade of a large tree fern.

Dockrillia pugnioniformis

Small mounted plant, growing in the shade of a large tree fern. it's easy to miss this one when it blooms because the flowers blend in with the foliage (greenish-white). But it has a nice light fragrance. Leaves are very fleshy, and flowers have lots of substance for something so little.

Den unicum

This little plant with brilliant flowrers grows best mounted. It goes completely dormant in the winter, and needs to be kept pretty dry at that time. I think it would like to be a little warmer than I can keep it, but it still does survive and bloom. It grows in full sun.

Bifrenaria harrisonia

I grow this in a shady corner of my sunny patio. The flowers have heavy substance, a very fuzzy lip, and are very fragrant.

Sarcochilus hartmanii 'Tinonee'

A lovely little species from Australia. I have found that it does best in a shady part of the sunny patio. The flowers are very crystaline.

Native to southeast Asia, they are also known as the "ground orchid". Unlike most orchids, they are happy in well-drained soil. Cold weather? These don't care. Grow them like bulb plants. They die back to ground level in the winter, to send up new shoots and flowers in the spring. You can protect them from freezing by mulching.

Ascofinetia Cherry Blossom 'Orange'

The Neofinetia falcata parent imparts excellent cold-tolerance in this Vandaceous hybrid. It gets full sun, sheltered only a little by the Cymbidiums. Lots of flowers (3 spikes this time), and fragrant, too.

See Vancaceous Orchids for more...

Neofinetia falcata

This hardy, fragrant vandaceous species is the parent that imparts excellent cold tolerance to Ascofinetia and Neostylis hybrids. It needs a winter chill to flower, and seems to like the bright sunshine. It is grows with the Cymbidiums - shaded a little by the larger plants.

See Vancaceous Orchids for more...

Brassavola cucullata

Strange, delicate flowers have a wonderful, powerful fragrance at night. The plant on the left grows vigorously on a piece of manzanita wood, shaded a little by a large fern. The one on the right is in bark, in a tree-fern pot. The one on the right seems to be a particularly fine specimen, with petals and sepals about twice the length of the one on the left. (6.5 inches, 16.5 cm as compared to about 3 inches, 7.6 cm) But the one with smaller flowers has more of them. We'll have to see how the bigger one matures, since it is a younger plant.

Encyclia alata
(also known as Epidendrum alatum)

Orchids evolved fairly late, and taxanomists still argue about classifications. But at least one can be grammatical about gender agreement in the Latin names! This flower has subtle fragrance, and rich chestnut color.

Encyclia tampensis
(Epi. tampense)

Color is green-brown (the brown develops more as the flowers mature)

Encyclia belizensis

A bit more red in the flowers than Enc. tampensis. The two look pretty similar to me - there must be a subtle difference for the taxonomists to list them as two species.

Oncidium cajamarcae

The spike on this magnificent plant is over 3' (1 m). Flowers are about 1.25" (3.5 cm) wide. I had help identifying this plant from readers of Orchid Guide Digest , since the tag was not correct. Clearly the taxonomists have not agreed upon "what is a species" since I learned that this species may have be a synonym with several other species (excavatum, armillare). This one definitely blooms in the fall, may be a difference since according to The Internet Orchid Encyclopedia, Onc. excavatum blooms in the spring. I'll let the experts debate this one!

Miltonia clowesii

It's a thrill to be able to grow species from environments that no doubt are very different from mine, in Brazil. Orchids can be very forgiving. This lives in a shady corner of my sunny patio, under a large tree fern.

Onc. flexuosum

An easy-to-grow species, with charming little (1/2 inch, 1 cm) flowers. It has lots of arial roots. It should be in a very open medium (I am having success with diatomite). It gets less humidity than it would like, I'm sure, but it seems to thrive in the shady corner of my sunny patio.

Milt. candida

This one also comes from Brazil, and I grow in the same shady location on the sunny patio.

Lemboglossum bictoniense

Lemboglossum is a close relative of Oncidium. This plant developed two tall spikes in the shade of a large tree fern, in my sunny patio. Like many others, it is basically a shade-lover, but still did better with a bit of filtered sun, and excellent air circulation in the "sun" area than it did in the shady patio.

Oncidium Taka

This one is a lesson in patience... I obtained this plant at an auction at an auction back in 1996, shortly after I began collecting orchids (and certainly was a novice). It had many aerial roots and essentially none at the base, so I decided that it would be a good candidate for mounting. I had it in my shady patio for several years, during which time it grew slowly, but did not bloom. I finally moved it to the front patio, under the fern that shades the "mounted orchids" area. It clearly liked that area better. The mount also has some baby ferns growing in it, evidence that it is also getting bettter moisture. At any rate, it finally bloomed - quite beautifully.

This one is growing on a cork slab; it has moved from the shady patio to the sun area, mostly because of space considerations. It gets watered daily, but otherwise doesn't need any special care, and seems to be doing just fine in its new area, shaded a bit by a large fern. I have one in a pot that grows and blooms in the shady patio, too, though .This plant has the fragrance of chocolate - and none of the calories.

Onc. cheirophorum

Small, fragrant flowers on mounted plant. I have it shaded a little - under a fern - but still facing west, behind the cymbidiums.

Trichoceros antennifera

This little flower looks very much like a fly, which is the insect that pollinates it. The red portion is fuzzy and warty. Flies are not very bright... It grows best mounted.

Rossioglossum Rawdon Jester

This Oncidium relative has huge 5 inch (13 cm) flowers. It wants to dry out a little bit in the winter (not extremely dry, but not soggy) and produces its flowers in the spring.

Miltonia spectabilis var Moreliana

This species seems to like it quite bright. I grow it behind the Cymbidiums, where it is shaded just a bit. The foliage and pseudobulbs are very yellow from the strong light, but that is what this plant seems to need to bloom. When I had it in a more shaded area it did not do well at all (and I lost a division to rot). So, the secret seems to be lots of sun, as well as good air movement.

Milt. roezlii v. alba x bismarkii 'D'

A really amazing Miltonia (or probably more correctly, Miltoniopsis). It is prolific -3 spikes, and fragrant! It grows in the shadiest part of the sunny patio. The flowers are long lasting (more than a month). All quite unusual for this genus, at least for me.

Odontocidium Susan Kaufmann 'Red Wonder'

Flowers are only about 1/2 inch (1.5 cm) but the color is brilliant. This plant languished in the shady patio, but is doing much better in almost full sun.

Odontocidium is Odontoglossum x Oncidium, and Odontioda is Odontoglossum x Cochlioda. I had this plant in the shady patio, but it did not want to bloom, and was growing poorly. I moved it to the shadiest part of the sunny patio, and it is doing much, much better.

Den. sanderae

A Philippine species, which comes from the mountains and is therefore cold-tolerant. It should receive less water in the winter. It does drop some of its leaves. It grows well mounted on a piece of cork, shaded a little by a large fern.

A Dendrobium nobile type. These need to receive no food and very little water from approximately Nov. 1 to Feb. 1. (I mist them a little when the dry desert winds make the humidity very low.) They also like the cool nights, but need to be sheltered from the winter rain. During the spring and summer growing period they should get very little nitrogen. They reward this abuse with beautiful flowers in the spring. They need bright sun and cool winter nights.

For more noblile-type dendrobiums click here

Den. nobile 'RC's JC'

This is the Den. nobile species. It grows just as well as the hybrids for me, under identical conditions.

This dendrobium loses its leaves in the winter, and needs to be kept dry. Then in the spring, it blooms with fragrant flowers all along the leafless cane. After that, a new cane grows, starting the cycle again.

Den. anosmum

The name means "no odor" but in fact, this orchid is extremely fragrant. This one is still quite small, but shows much promise. It wants to dry out between waterings, and be given a good rest in the winter, with very little water. It will lose its leaves in winter, and flower on the bare canes from the previous year. It is in sphagnum in a clay pot, and hangs where it gets excellent air circulation, in full sun.

Den. Golden Aya
(Den aphrodite x capillipes)

The canes of this Dendrobium look similar to the nobile-type, but the flowers are on longer racaemes. I don't dry it out quite as much as the nobile-types, but do give it a bit of a rest in winter.The flowers are extremely fragrant.

Fragrant, compact, with lots of flowers.

Lots of flowers with the fragrance of wintergreen. This is a natural hybrid between Den. kingianum and Den. tarberi.

Just a baby. This year only two spikes, but last year it had 4. It is typical for Den. speciosum to have so-so years between spectalular ones. I think I have a St. Bernard puppy here (little now, lots of potential for growth). For those who went to the Santa Barbara, California, show in 1998, and saw the magnificent Den. speciosum there (or saw the article on it in Orchids, the AOS magazine) you know what I mean. That one was about 9' (3 meters) across, weighing around 1000 pounds (454 kg), with 316 spikes, 100-250 flowers per spike. My little plant has a long way to go to reach that size, and I hope it doesn't get THAT big, since I live in a condo with very limited space. But fortunately, they grow slowly - it took the Santa Barbara plant about 27 years from first bloom to magnificence that it showed a few years ago.

A member of this genus, native to Madagascar, served to support Darwin's theory of natural selection. The flower has a distinctive long spur, and Darwin predicted that it was pollinated by a moth with a very long tongue. 20 years later, that moth was discovered, and Darwin's prediction proven correct. The flowers are fragrant at night. I have two of these plants; one was indoors during the winter, and one was outside in the shadiest part of my sunny patio. The outdoor plant has grown much better, so I have moved the picture to the "Sun Orchids" page.

Stenoglottis longifolia 'Heidi'

This plant has many of these tiny, intricate pink flowers on a cone-shaped inflorescence. It produces several of these spikes in succession in the fall. When the blooming has ended, the leaves die back and the plant becomes completely dormant. All winter, the pot looks empty, but it is far from dead. Keep it dry and cool, and in the spring, there will be fresh new growth. It is a very vigorous grower, and soon fills its pot.