My new acquistions!
 

After finding a Cattleya percivaliana at a grocery store, I started paying more attention to the orchids that are usually hidden in the sea of phalaenopsis.
Yesterday I found these 2 amazing cattleyas and immediately bought both.

This one caught my eye because the bulbs looked exactly like my Iwanagara Apple Blossom, except the flowers were yellow. I did a bit of research and I'm 99% sure this is actually Iwanagara Apple Blossom 'Golden Elf' clone.
It has a nice subtle sweet fragrance and 4 flower spikes.
http://i.imgur.com/uvdalWk.jpg

But this one is my absolute favorite. I love red cattleyas, but most "red" ones never look red to me in real life. They always have an orange, pink or purple undertone, or are more like a wine color. Well, not this one. It is just deep cadmium red that the camera can't quite capture.
It looks like it is a 'Cattlianthe Rojo'.
http://i.imgur.com/751sKw6.jpg

Orchids at grocery stores are usually much cheaper than they are at orchid nurseries, and this was the case as I paid the equivalent of $20 for both. I'm really happy :biggrin:

Lucky,happy you!

Nice! Those Iwangarias are really tough, all round plants. And that is a pretty red one too. So far I haven't gotten any that have a stalk and multiple flowers. I love that kind. The flowers may be smaller, but the display is gorgeous!

Both very nice, but I particularly like the yellow one.

After almost one year, the Iwanagara Apple Blossom 'Golden Elf' is going to bloom again. It's doing great and has 4 spikes, just like it did when I bought it!

I'll post pictures later :)

I love it when flowers have that shimmery texture - it kind of reminds me of the way eye shadow looks in the compact before you start using it. :)

It's amazing how regular cattleyas are when it comes to blooms. The first flowers on both of these are probably going to open exactly one year later after the first pictures I posted here.

Here's the Iwanagara, with 20+ buds:
https://i.imgur.com/Fa8p2Ac.jpg

And the light is too bad right now for me to take a picture of the 'Cattlianthe Rojo', but it has 7 flowers!

GLORIOUS!!