Writhlington School may be closed for the holiday but the plants in the school greenhouses never take a break. In fact, christmas is a lovely time with lots of plants flowering in the run up to our peak time in March. Most of the plants we grow are cooler growing orchids native to the tropical slopes of mountains like the Himilayas or Andes. The majority of these species flower in the dry season (winter and spring). The current impact plants in our cool end (minimum 7-10 degrees celcius)are the Mexican Laelias. Lealia anceps is native to the mountains in South West Mexico where they grow on oak trees. With us they flower reliably every christmas with long sprays of bright pink flowers. We find the species is easy to growand flower. In Mexico it is used as a central part of the Day of the Dead (El Dia de los Muertos) celebrations. Whether you celebrate El Dia de los Muertos or not, we recommend you have a try at growing Laelia anceps.