Laelia are a Mexican species that are all cool growing and very easily flowered. According to “Cool Growing Orchids for the South East Area” of Melbourne By Craig Trainor (2012).
The following is information provided by Brian Milligan discusses the genus Laelia:
“There are about 75 species in the genus Laelia. Most epiphytic species of Laelia grow in Mexico while the rupiculous laelias (those that grow on rocks) grow in Brazil. The Mexican species, Laelia anceps and Laelia gouldiana, are arguably the easiest to grow under cool conditions, especially if you have a shadehouse with a fibreglass roof, so that the plants can be kept fairly dry in winter. Laelia anceps has been cultivated in Europe for over 150 years. Over twenty different varieties were then cultivated but only a few are common in Melbourne today”. This is an excerpt from an article on Two Cool-Growing Laelias by Brian Milligan
Further information on the OSCOV website explains that:
L.anceps and L. Gouldiana will grow in bark and some in a mix of fine Perlite and fine Vermiculite. They can be in a heated igloo, or out hanging above the cymbidiums in the rain. Once flowering has finished, those in the Perlite can be moved in under cover for a couple of months until they start to move again.
For further information on the care and cultivation of Laelias refer to the Orchid Societies Council of Victoria (OSCOV) Website under the section Articles & Resources.
- See also our Cattleya and Laelia photo gallery.
- For further information about orchid care at Southern Suburbs Orchid Society (SSOS) or membership enquiries, please do not hesitate to Contact Us.
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