Description
If you prefer your orchids on the indestructible side, then Cattleya bowringiana is for you. In the wild it grows on trees, on sandy river banks, and even clinging to rock faces getting full sun. Another example of this species’ resilience: when tender new shoots appear, some jungle creatures will eat these shoots, but the plants take it in stride and continue to proliferate, so growing in a pot on your patio will be a walk in the park for Catt. bowringiana!
No surprise, then, that Cattleya bowringiana is one of the easiest Cattleya species to grow. The most common flower color is a rich lavender, but other varieties produce deep purple or even almost-blue flowers (known as coerulea). This species tends to bloom in the fall/early winter and on a mature plant can produce 20 flowers on one inflorescence!
Catt. bowringiana used to be much more common in orchid collections, but in recent decades, it fell out of fashion. What this means is that more recent orchid collectors will have not grown this excellent species before, making it an excellent gift to for any excited orchid enthusiast in your life (which often means making a gift of it to yourself – and any occasion will do!).
