Hi all,
I would like to share some personal experience on my orchid collection. I am still new to orchid growing but I have a few fragrant orchid in collection (I prefer collecting fragrant type). I wouldn’t be able to rate them by their intensity accurately whether it can fill up a room or not because I keep them in my car porch (open space) area where wind might carry their scents away but sometimes I can still catch their fragrance a few feet away. Below are my sharing
P. bellina – can smell it within 2-3 meter radius
P. violacea - can smell it within 1-2 meter radius. Its fragrance is not as attractive to bellina because bellina has citrusy / fruity scent therefore you can either say it is slightly weaker or as strong as bellina.
Onc. Sharry Baby – Can smell it within 2-3 meter radius. I am not sure whether mine was the sweet fragrance variety because I heard the sweet fragrance variety has the most intense scent.
Catt. nobilior – Can smell it within 3-4 meter radius.
Dend. anosmum – I have only 6 flowers when this blooms and that time I have my Catt. nobilior blooming too. When I was standing within 2 meter radius, both of them are competing their fragrance..one moment I was breathing in the nice nobilior fragrance, the next moment the anosmum kicks in, then nobilior, then anosmum. I believe if anosmum is blooming with its full capacity, it will definitely overtake the intensity of Catt. nobilior. As of now, this is the most intense day fragrant orchid that I have.
Vanda Mimi Palmer – can smell it within 1-2 meter radius. I heard that it releases fragrances more frequently and longer hours (8am-6pm) compare to other orchids. Which I did experience the differences. (I heard vanda mimi palmer unleashes even stronger scent under stronger sunlight compare to other vandas)
BLC. Greenwich – can smell it within 1-2 meter radius.
Brassavola nodosa - can smell it within 2-3 meter radius. I believe is stronger than this because I remember I sense this fragrant at night more than 10 meters away from some stranger’s house with orchid shades. I remember similar fragrance. Maybe this stranger has many of them blooming at the same time.
Brassavola Little Star - can smell it within 1-2 meter radius. I believe this is as strong as nodosa since it is a primary hybrid from nodosa.
Brassavola cucullata – can smell it within 2-4 meter radius. I believe this is stronger intensity compare to nodosa because I only have 1 flower in bloom and I can smell it 2-4 meter away where else my nodosa was 6 flower to reach me at the distance. In my collection, I think either nodosa or cucullata is the most intense fragrance among night fragrant orchids.
Again like I say, my judgement might not be accurate since im in open area with wind movements but I hope this is useful as some kind of reference.
NOTE : Intensity might varies due to temperature, exposure to light and wind movements.