Description
IMPORTANT NOTES AND CAVEATS:
PLEASE NOTE: the flowers in the main photo are only REPRESENTATIVE of the range of excellent Cattleyas we offer, but will NOT be the plants we’re offering (as there are literally thousands of possibilities out there). This is a ‘grower’s choice’/’potluck’ kind of listing, so we are not able to accommodate requests for a specific color or type. It’s just luck of the draw…but every plant is a winner!
This listing offers plants individually (i.e., qty 1) or in 4-packs (i.e., 4 plants). Of course, you can purchase as many individual plants or 4-packs as you like.
***Please look at all the pictures carefully (and read the text in the photos) so you’ll know the sizes of the plants we’re offering in this listing.***
Plants are NOT in-bud/bloom when shipped. Blooming Size plants will be shipped BARE ROOT (no pot).
Blooming Size Cattleyas often have OLD, DRIED-UP ROOTS. Happy Cattleyas produce roots prolifically, and eventually these roots wear out. They can then be trimmed off. BUT IF OLD/DRY/CRUSTY/GRAY/CRUMMY ROOTS are a problem for you or your recipient, PLEASE PASS ON THIS.
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FULL AND EXCITING DESCRIPTION
Cattleyas might very well have the most color of any orchid family. Big. bold flowers (and often bold fragrances) with a vast array of hues and patterns have enabled orchid breeders to delight collectors and plant lovers for nearly 200 years.
There’s been a myth floating about for over 100 years about how Cattleyas sparked the ‘orchid fever’ that swept through England starting in the early 1800s. The story goes that William Cattley, an English fancier of tropical plants, was sent a shipment of plants from Brazil and found some other plants used as packing material. These packing material plants were set aside but eventually bloomed into what is now known as Cattleya labiata. A fantastic story…but fake.
It was concocted by a writer who loved orchids, and that version of events is now even in Wikipedia. Of course, one hopes that you know better than to trust everything you read on Wikipedia, and in all fairness, the entry does mention that the story may not be accurate. The truth is that an English collector, Swainson, had shipped the Cattleya plants to Glasgow, Scotland, and at his request, a specimen(s) was sent to William Cattley in London. So how did this whole family of orchids get named after Cattley? Well, Cattley hired a young botanist, John Lindley, to organize and illustrate his collection. Once you’ve been reading about orchids for awhile, you’ll definitely come across Lindley’s name, as later in his distinguished botanical career, he published a major work on orchid classification, with illustrations he made himself. Anyways, young Lindley named the genus Cattleya after his erstwhile employer, William Cattley, and both men are part of orchid history.
Growing Cattleyas is very easy, as they are hardy plants (and have an amazing ability to bounce back from prolonged stressful conditions — yes, we’ve seen this happen MANY times).
How to grow Cattleyas:
1) Bright light (although avoid prolonged direct sun)
2) Water once to twice a week during the growing season; let dry between waterings
3) Use chunky bark for plenty of aeration at the roots (or grow them mounted)
4) Fertilize twice per month
5) Avoid temps below 50 F; temps into the 90s F or even over 100 F are tolerable if kept shady and well-watered
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ABOUT THE PLANTS WE’RE OFFERING
We have many different varieties of Cattleyas at our nursery, but for some of these varieties, we have only a limited number of plants, and some do not have any IDs. Our ‘mystery’ plant listing format has been extremely popular over the years (with Cymbidiums, Paphs, Odonts) and we’re pleased to offer these ‘mystery’ Cattleyas; some will have ID tags, and some will not, but all are great plants.
– NOTE: Blooming Size Cattleyas often have OLD, DRIED-UP ROOTS. Happy Cattleyas produce roots prolifically, and eventually these roots wear out. They can then be trimmed off. BUT IF OLD/DRY/CRUSTY/GRAY/CRUMMY ROOTS are a problem for you or your recipient, PLEASE PASS ON THIS.
= Plants are NOT in-bud/bloom when shipped. Blooming Size plants will be shipped BARE ROOT (no pot).
We’re offering here two sizes, large Seedlings (‘SD2’ size), and Blooming Size. Please keep in mind that different varieties grow to different sizes at maturity (e.g., a full-grown Chihuaha vs. a full-grown Poodle), so you may receive a miniature-ish Cattleya variety (i.e., one closer in size to a Pug than to an Irish Wolfhound).
You can select individual plants, or a ‘4-pack’ of plants. If you order more than one plant, we will do our best to select different varieties for you.
PLEASE NOTE: the flowers in the main photo are only representative of the range of excellent Cattleyas, but will NOT be the plants we’re offering (as there are literally thousands of possibilities out there). This is a ‘grower’s choice’/’potluck’ kind of listing, so we are not able to accommodate requests for a specific color or type. It’s just luck of the draw…but every plant is a winner!
Blooming Size Cattleyas often have OLD, DRIED-UP ROOTS. Happy Cattleyas produce roots prolifically, and eventually these roots dry out. They can then be trimmed off. BUT IF OLD/DRY/CRUSTY/GRAY/CRUMMY ROOTS are a problem for you or your recipient, PLEASE PASS ON THIS.
Plants are NOT in-bud/bloom when shipped. Blooming Size plants will be shipped BARE ROOT (no pot).
HOW THESE PLANTS ARE SHIPPED:
– The seedling-size (SD2) plants will be shipped IN POT. You generally do not need to repot these for about six months.
– Blooming Size (BS) plants will be shipped BARE ROOT, so you will need to supply your own pot, typically a 5-inch pot for regular Catts, and 3.25-inch pots for miniature-ish.
PLEASE NOTE: the flowers in the main photo are only representative of the range of excellent Cattleyas, but will NOT be the plants we’re offering (as there are literally thousands of possibilities out there). This is a ‘grower’s choice’/’potluck’ kind of listing, so we are not able to accommodate requests for a specific color or type. It’s just luck of the draw…but every plant is a winner!
Plants are NOT in-bud/bloom when shipped. Blooming Size plants will be shipped BARE ROOT (no pot).
Blooming Size Cattleyas often have OLD, DRIED-UP ROOTS. Happy Cattleyas produce roots prolifically, and eventually these roots wear out. They can then be trimmed off. BUT IF OLD/DRY/CRUSTY/GRAY/CRUMMY ROOTS are a problem for you or your recipient, PLEASE PASS ON THIS. (Yes, this is the FIFTH TIME that this message about roots shows up in this listing. Why? Long experience doing this. You’d be shocked at how a newbie buyer will panic to us because their orchid roots don’t look like what they’ve imagined in their minds. Some immediately leave negative comments that only reflect lack of experience and ignorance, so we’ve found it helpful to repeat these caveats and warnings repeatedly in the listing. And despite repeating a message like this FIVE TIMES, it’s still not 100% effective…)
