So here goes – follow us through a year’s worth of Orchid Species flowering at Writhlington. At the end of each month we will organise a public online vote for orchid of the month – how exciting!

This dramatic species, endemic to Venezuela, is known as the Christmas Cattleya and with us flowers bang on time. We have had this plant for many years and it is a relatively compact species with large flowers notable for the dark lip characteristic of the species. We grow it like most of our Cattleyas in a basket hanging in Warm Americas – Minimum 14 C and vents opening at 22 C.

Here is a closeup of the flower: