Today’s Sobralia is even bigger than yesterday’s Sobralia macrantha with caned up to 3m long.

The species is native to Costa Rica, Panama and Colombia, where it grows as a terrestrial or epiphyte, produces its thin canes about 3m long, and in late spring these large (15cm across) flowers that last about two days. This is a lot of leaves and stems for a couple of days flowers but we are really fond of the species as it has a dramatic splendour all of its own. Each stem will produce a two or three flowers successively over five or six weeks, so actually the flowering period is well over a month.

We grow the species in large pots in our Warm Americas section with a minimum of 15C and good light and we spray the plant daily.

We divided our giant plant during lockdown and we will have plants for sale at shows including the Devon Orchid Show on 7th May. The show is in Budleigh Salterton from 10.30am to 4pm and always a good day out by the sea – do join us.

In complete contrast to yesterday’s miniature Stelis species, we have had an explosion of gigantic flowers on our Sobralias.

This enormous flowered orchid has always been a real favourite for students responsible for our Warm Americas section

Sobralia macrantha is found from Mexico to Costa Rica where it grows as a terrestrial in leaf litter, and its massive flowers are matched by the plant with thin canes that grow to a height of around 1.5m with alternate dark green tough leaves. The terminal flowers open successively over a period of several weeks. The flowers are fragrant but only last two to three days.

The lip of flowers have a charming creased look from being all folded up in the bud but when fully open the flowers a about 20cm across and 25cm from top to bottom.

We grow our plants in pots of bark and moss to replicate the natural habitat in Central America and keep plants watered all year in our Warm Americas section where plants get a minimum if 15C and bright light.

Here is another of our Glasgow show species.

Stelis emarginata makes a wonderful floriferous plant in a 6cm pot (above) or a small basket (top) and is a star of the greenhouse every April.

Some plants seem to change their name more than others. We first purchased this species in the 1990’s as Pleurothallis tubata before changing it to Physosiphon tubatus to reflect changes in Pleurothallis, before changing it back to Pleurothallis tubata, then finally changing it to Stelis emarginata.

What ever its name it is a fantastic small growing orchid that does well in pots, mounted or in baskets, producing masses of small orange or yellow flowers that cover the plant. The leaves are stiff and rather spoon shaped, lasting many years and producing fresh flower spikes when ever the plant comes into bloom.

Stelis seems to fit it well but it is a tougher plant that many of the Stelis species we grow so a great addition to any collection. We grow it in Cool Americas where the orange clone flowers in April and the yellow clone flowers in May. It is native to central America and is found from 1800 to 3500m altitude indicating that it could grow cooler or warmer than we grow it.

This is the first time we have features this Brazilian orchid on 365 days of orchids.

Miltonia spectabilis is a warm growing species from the Mata Atlantica in Eastern Brazil – a habitat we explored in our school expeditions top Brazil in 2000 and 2006. The species is found at around 800m altitude where the open forest experiences frequent rainfall interspersed with dryer periods especially in the winter.  Temperatures are warm and the habitat is shared by Cattleya species and several other orchids we grow in our collection.

We replicate the natural habitat by growing the species in a basket hung in our warm Americas Section (min 15C) where it receives good light but is shaded in the summer. We water frequently but the basket filled with large bark dries out quickly between waterings. This regime encourages extensive rooting.

The flowers are long lasting and large (10cm top to toe) and plants quickly form large specimens although their nature is a little straggly.

Today we have to feature our prize winning Odontoglossum cristatum. (Photographed here in Glasgow yesterday)

This wonderful orchid has been in flower since January and with 15 flower spikes will still be in flower at the end of May.

We have had this species at Writhlington since 1996 and it is always a special time when plants come into flower. Over the years it has won  Grand Champion of Europe at the Paris Show in 2018, a Cultural Certificate from the RHS and countless rosettes. The clone ‘Writhlington is a particularly large flowered and long spiked individual with deep red flowers. We have other clones too that are smaller growing and have brown flowers.

 Grand Champion in Paris

Odontoglossum cristatum is native to Ecuador and Colombia where it is found in cloud forest from 1500-2600 m altitude and so it is very well suited to growing in our Cool Americas section. I have always known this plant as Odontoglossum cristatum but odontoglossum species have been included in Oncidium on the basis of molecular studies although there is scientific support for reinstating Odontoglossum.

Our plants go back to a seedling purchased in 1996 and since then we have grown the species in pots, mounted and in baskets. We find that the species particularly enjoys a basket where it produces masses of roots and can grow into a specimen.