The first of our Coelogyne stricta plants is in flower today.

Spring wouldn’t be spring without this lovely giant coelogyne species from the Himalayas.

The species is native to the Himalayas and we have seen some wonderful specimen plants flowering in the forests of Sikkim at around 2000m altitude in cool moist monsoon forest. One plant in particular had completely enveloped the trunk of a large tree – a real site.

The photo shows a close view of flowers on a plant near Tinkitam in Sikkim.

In cultivation we replicate the natural habitat with wet summers and cool damp winters – The forest at Tinkintam is damp with mists throughout the dry season. Lots of food and water during the growing season to grow big fat bulbs is the secret to good flowering the following spring.