Fragrant orchid.

[JanS]

I'll chime-in on this one since I've become somewhat obsessed with collecting fragrant orchids in the past couple of years: Since you are limited to mail order in Europe, your question is not just which fragrant orchid is easy to care for and worth buying (scent-wise) but also which is relatively common to be available from most growers.

Phaleonopsis are relatively easy to grow and a few are very pleasantly fragrant but none of them have a fragrance powerful enough to fill a room and thus have you and your friends go "WOW!". Forget Paphiopedilums, a few of which are faintly fragrant (most commonly an apple scent) but they're trickier to make bloom (need an annual temperature drop) and you have to stick your nose right into the flower to smell them. Cattleyas have many species that are fragrant, ranging from lemon and roses to what I can only describe as an "old lady's apartment" smell. But Cattleya flowers don't last that long.

So as per previous responses, and with the easy-to-grow and easy-to-find-via-mail in mind, my recommendation is a fragrant Zygopatelum (will fill a room and make you say WOW!), Oncidium Sharry Baby (most commonly described as a chocolate smell but you'll have fun with your friends trying to pin it down) and Maxillaria tenuifolia - smells like coconut and can smell strong enough to be noticed from several yards away.

Finally, if you REALLY want to impress your friends and family, get a Bulbophyllum fragrant species which smell like dead meat, best is B. beccarii - which has been described as smelling like "100 dead elephants rotting in the sun"! From personal experience, it will guarantee you have the house to yourself !

Best of luck!

[Pilot]

If you get a max t try to get the 4n variety. I got one from orchids.com and it's a beast...grows fast and loves to grow in semi hydroponics.

[wrighty.uk.gorl]

Originally Posted by Rowangreen

If you are not worried about it being a named variety, just sniff any orchids you see! Commercial Phaleanopsis are rarely very scented, but 'Cambria' types can be (Wildcats come in this group, though the noid (no id) one I have didn't have a scent when it last flowered).

I'd be very surprised to find a Max. ten. in a UK shop. It's mostly Phals, Phals and more Phals! You do get some others, but usually very little labelling.

'Easy to grow' can depend on the conditions you can provide. Eg does your place get cold in winter, or are you someone who keeps the heating turned up and the rooms bone dry? Have you got a room or unheated greenhouse which gets cold in winter? Can you cope with an orchid that 'rests' in winter?

Also what kind of smells do you like?

For me the best orchid smell I've smelt yet is Lycaste aromatica. Smells of buttered cinamon. But that's a deciduous orchid, so you'd need to be able to control the urge to water too much in winter.

Max. ten is very difficult to kill, though I think some people find it a bit reluctant to flower.

If you like intense floral scents then Zygopetalums might work for you.

There's some EU sellers in this list: Orchids Vendors in Europe (Do read the whole thread, they are not all in the top list). CITES regulations mean you'd have to do paperwork and pay big fees to import orchids from outside the EU, but you can buy freely within the EU. I've ordered from Germany without trouble: if they post via DHL they seem really good.

My front room is normally the same temp as it is out side. Apart from in the winter when i do have the heating on for about 6 to 8 hours.

Humidity is always stupidly high in my house never found the reason why but i never drops below 50% normally around the 60 mark.

For the smell i am after, to tell the truth i just want something different that have a smell. I have currently got 5 Phals and all off them are doing fantastical well.

I am just looking for a plant that catch my eye and have a nice smell to it.

Thanks for the link to online shops, I had a look at a Zygopetalums and think that could well be what i try.

[ronaldhanko]

I'm surprised that no one mentioned Neofinetia falcata (or some of its hybrids - you have to make sure the hybrids are fragrant), but I would think you'd be able to find one in the UK or the EU.

[ronaldhanko]

Should add that some of the orchids mentioned only bloom once a year, and that might be a consideration for you.

[flexdc]

I agree with Rowan, Zygopetalums is a good choice for you and also Miltonopsis considering your condition in the UK. Both of these can take a little chill in the winter in an unheated room.
Also Oriental Cymbidiums (Chinese and Japanese Cymbidiums) are also good choices. They also like it coolish in the winter.
For more adventurous options, try Pleione orchids they can almost take freezing and some growers in the UK grow them in sheltered cold boxes. I have seen many growers from the UK reported good success with these on this orchid board. I know they are very fragrant in the spring.

Most Cattleya type hybrids are scented. brassavola nodosa as suggested has a very nice fragrance especially at night. They give out a scent to attract moths. However, if you keep the light on, the scent can be absent or faint. If you turn the light off, the scent comes back on. It is very interesting.

If you are only into Phalaenopsis, try Phal. violacea. It is a species from Malaysia and Borneo. Grows like any other Phals, but I don't know if it is readily available in the UK.

I hope this short list helps. There are plenty more.

Andrew

[HeavyD]

Hi, I found that the Burrageara Nelly Isler is very easy to grow indoors and outdoors (in summer). it is one of the least expensive orchids I have purchased and requires very little fuss. It also smells fantastic during all its flowering phases and it flowers with ease.

[wrighty.uk.gorl]

I really want a max t the more I see it the more I want one. Before I place a order for one how do they handle the cold. As my front room can drop very cold in the winter.

Same question for zygopetalum and burragara nelly isler

Thanks ian

Sent from my GT-I9300 using Tapatalk 2

[Leafmite]

Here is what I found:
Orchid of the Week Library: Burrageara Nelly Isler 'Swiss Beauty' AM/AOS

Orchid of the Week Library: Maxillaria tenuifolia

I have a zygo louisendorf and the other two and I will bring them into the house when night temps fall below 45'F/7'C at night. The max ten has been with me a few years and seems okay with this, the other two should be. Hope that helps.

[Leafmite]

JanS, love your ideas! I just bought my first bulbo, an ambrosia. Alas, it won't send boring guests running if we bring it forth to display but...that will be the next one.