Suggest me a long lasting blooming cattleya!
 

Hi guys!:)
I'm thinking about stepping into cattleya's world. I looove their blooms.... but I'm a bit discouraged by the fact that the flowers don't tend to last more than 3/4 weeks and the plants themselves are quite big.

I know that there're miniature cattleyas... but I'd love to start with a big flowered cattleya.

So I'm asking you to suggest me the name/s of hybrids of cattleya with better lasting flowers. Or at least cattleyas that are capable of reblooming multiple times per year (with good care).
Of course... If you know good hybrids with medium/small flowers.... I'd like to know them as well!

Thank you!:bowing

It's not a cattleya but, I enjoy BLPE Golden Peacock. It's a great grower, and it's almost always in bloom. (By the way that's what my tag reads.)

Chicken - I recently purchased my first BIG Cattleya and the blooms were stunning. Now I want more! You are correct though, the blooms didn't last that long. I am interested in the responses you get.

Happy growing, ROBB.

Wingsy ------ 3 to 4 weeks is considered amazing for flowers on a plant - when compared with say catasetum type flowers that are fantastic too - but lasts for say less than 1 week.

One method is to increase the number of catts - if possible - and if a certain number of catts is reached (there-abouts) ------- then it will be possible to see more flowers at most times of the year - or even any time of the year.

It would be difficult for you to buy from a California grower, but you can read descriptions on Web sites. Then you can look for plants with similar ancestry in the EU.

Fred Clarke in California has an extensive list of Cattleya seedlings for sale. In his descriptions he mentions which parents bloom more than once per year, and whether the progeny are expected to do so. Note that smaller plants are being bred to have larger flowers. Look up Sunset Valley Orchids.

I have seen European members here posting photos of SVO plants, so somebody there is importing them for resale.

If you're not as concerned with flower size, reed-stemmed Epidendrum hybrids can flower all year. Individual flowers are small but the inflorescence is large and brightly colored.

I only know of one grower who imports from SVO, and she retired. Her imports were also limited to Catasetum types. As far as I know, only the most well known SVO catasetums (the black ones mostly) pop up regularily at vendors, but their Cattleya hybrids are not easily available in Europe, which makes me very sad.

I sense a business opportunity. I can't remember precisely but I have noticed SVO tags in Cattleya photos posted by Europeans.

yes, I've heard wonders about the ability of this orchid to stay often in bloom! I'm not in love with the flower tho...
I'm looking for something like Pink Empress.... Triumphal coronation seto.... or some big green colored cattleya.

I know that there're orchids with even shorter blooming duration... but I'm trying to maximize the duration of the flower of an orchid that is not that small. Normally these types of cattleya (and intergeneric hybrids) are proportionate to the flower size.
I haven't a lot of space.... If I had more space It would be different! :D

If I'm not going to find anything.... I'll go for a sophronitis! :biggrin:

Anyway... thanks for all your replies. I'm looking for the site that you've suggested me.

Yes, Sophronitis coccinea has relatively long-lasting flowers, and can bloom more than once a year. If you can get one of the 4n cultivars (some fantastic ones being bred in Japan), most rewarding. Intensely saturated color. But the secret to always having blooming orchids... have lots of plants :biggrin: , purchased in bloom at different times.

These Cattleyas do exist. Some Cattleyas are always putting out new growths and bloom on the new growths. Other Cattleyas bloom twice a year and have flowers that last six weeks. One of the first orchids I owned, bought in terrible shape from a florist bloomed twice a year and the flowers always lasted six weeks. It is one that I lost to Calcium deficiency. The name was in Chinese and I haven't seen anything in English with the same appearance or name. I had another, nameless, from the same florist, that kept sending out new growths and they would bloom as soon as they reached maturity (lost that one, too, to Calcium deficiency, same time). If you have a vendor that really knows Cattleyas, call them and tell them what you want and ask them to recommend one.