Cascading Orchids?

[Kevstar]

Hey guys,

I'm on the hunt to find a cascading orchid of some kind that will look good in a ceramic hanging basket.

Something that will fall over the edge and preferably something nice and big..

I found the Cymbidium Marygreen Bon when looking online which would look amazing but no idea where I would even source one from?

Any ideas of anything else I could go for?

[katrina]

My favorite "cascading" orchid is my Den hercoglossum. It is one that loses leaves but only after the growths are 2 years old...blooms from both leaved and leafless canes and blooms for years on the older canes. Mine started blooming in May with a small flush of flowers...was loaded with flowers in june into july...and then began to slow down but it still has a few flowers even now. The flowers dont last super long individually but it makes so many that it is in flower for a very long time.

Easy and fuss-free grower - bright light, loads of water during warm months and slightly drier during the winter. Looks good even when it's not in bloom. Fairly fast grower once it gets going.

[plantzzzzz]

Most stanhopinae and aerangis species have cascading inflorescences.

Cuitlauzina pendula

[SaraJean]

Not sure what kind of conditions you have but some of my personal favs are the Dendrobium lindleyi (or some of the larger Callista types Dens like the Den. farmeri) and Ceratostylis rubra. And while I don’t grow any Coelogyne, they are gorgeous. How big is big? And are you just looking for something with cascading flowers or ‘cascading’ growth that will crawl all over the basket? There is always something like the Maxillaria tenuifolia. That one holds its flowers close to the pseudobulbs but it’s a beautiful big orchid that’s pretty easy to care for and grows like a champ

[Kevstar]

Well when I say big, I mean ideally large flowers that will hang over and grow quite a long spike. I'm not too fused about the foliage. The more I look at this picture (attached) I think this is what I'm really looking for...

[Cym Ladye]

If you are living in an area where you can keep your orchids out all year, I recommend a cascading Cymbidium. Any one listed as "pendulous" or "cascading" should work for you and they come in a variety of colors. However, the flowers are small but numerous. Crosses to look for are Dorothy Stockstill and Phar Lap for reds, Sarah Jean for whites, and madidum hybrids for greens. There are several cultivars available for Mary Green, all cascading, just varying slightly in color.

I do not know where you can purchase these plants locally, as the only local nursery I know of in England has Standard Cyms only.

[estación seca]

If you can give enough light and winter warmth, consider Rhynchostylis gigantea, as well. Cymbidium aloifolium has very long pendulous inflorescences, but the flowers are not as dramatic as the photo you show. Many Catasetum relatives have extremely long, pendulous inflorescences, and many flower more than once a year.

[Kevstar]

Thank you! It does look beautiful! Cym Ladye I love the Dorothy Stockstill. Hmm.. Decisions..

[Subrosa]

Gongora species produce pendant spikes, well suited for baskets. G. galeata produces shorter spikes, hanging down perhaps a foot or so. G. rufescens hands down around 2', and G. fulva closer to 3'. All fragrant as well. Plus galeata turns into a impressive specimen in short order.

[Paul]

Put simply, your options are legion. Many orchids do not produce strong upright flower stems. Instead, they hang down.

Even the inflorescence of many basic phals will cascade -- that is what they do in nature afterall. Go for the larger growers known for producing longer flower spikes. The vegetative part of the plants could be mounted to the outside of a basket or the basket turned sideways.

Laelia anceps produces inflorescences that can be 5ft long and tend to hang down if not supported. The plant itself stays quite compact.

Same can be said for inflorescences of many of the oncidiums. (Though the flowers will generally be small, oncs tend to produce quite a few of them on branching inflorescences. )