Masdevallia veitchiana and its hybrids can give big flowers on big plants. The challenge of these is high summer temperatures. They can tolerate chill, but hate heat. Ideally, day temperatures below 80 deg F, summer nights around 65-68 deg F. Masd. ignea and Masd. coccinea aren't quite as big but still impressive. A bit more forgiving of summer heat if they get copious water several times a day if it's hot. Clay pots help keep the roots a little cooler. (When I go to the San Francisco orchid show and see all those beautiful Masdies on the society sales table I have to keep my hands in my pockets, to not grab them... I have killed too many in summer hot spells) My summer nights are not too hot... most of the time... but I can't match San Francisco.
I have actually had better luck with some of the larger Draculas . Drac. roezlii blooms on and off all year, and doesn't do too badly on the hotter days. Drac. bellerophon, Drac woolwardii and Drac. cordobae also grow and bloom pretty well for me. I water them A LOT in summer. Still, I live about 4 miles from the Pacific coast, and most of the time there are late afternoon breezes that keep temperature under control - but not all the time. Pure water is a must. But temperature is the hard part to manage.
Last edited by Roberta; 05-01-2022 at 10:30 PM..
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