– “Mystery”/no-Name Cattleya Orchids – Huge Variety, Easy to Grow, Big Blooms, Many Fragrant (NOT in-Bud/Bloom When Shipped)

Cattleyas might very well have the most color of any orchid family. Big. bold flowers (and often bold fragrances) with a vast array of hues and patterns have enabled orchid breeders to delight orchid lovers for nearly 200 years. There's been a myth floating about for over 100 years about how Cattleyas sparked the "orchid fever" that swept through England starting in the early 1800s. The story goes that William Cattley, an English fancier of tropical plants, was sent a shipment of plants from Brazil and found some other plants used as packing material. These packing material plants were set aside but eventually bloomed into what is now known as Cattleya labiata. A fantastic story...but fake. It was concocted by a writer who loved orchids, and that version of events is now even in Wikipedia. Of course, one hopes that you know better than to trust everything you read on Wikipedia, and in all fairness, the entry does mention that the story may not be accurate. The truth is that an English collector, Swainson, had shipped the Cattleya plants to Glasgow, Scotland, and at his request, a specimen(s) was sent to William Cattley in London. So how did this whole family of orchids get named after Cattley? Well, Cattley hired a young botanist, John Lindley, to organize and illustrate his collection. Lindley eventually went on to become a famous orchid botanist and published a major work on orchid classification. Anyways, young Lindley named the genus Cattleya after his erstwhile employer and both men are part of orchid history. Growing Cattleyas is very easy, as they are hardy plants (and have an amazing ability to bounce back from prolonged stressful conditions). How to grow Cattleyas: 1) Bright light (avoid prolonged direct sun) 2) Water once to twice a week during the growing season; let dry between waterings 3) Use chunky bark for plenty of aeration at the roots

• PLEASE NOTE: the flowers in the main photo are only REPRESENTATIVE of the range of excellent Cattleyas we offer, but will NOT be the plants we're offering. SD2 means large seedling, about 24+ months from reaching Blooming Size. We offer SD2 plants INDIVIDUALLY or in PACKS OF 4. The SD2 4-pack costs about 4X the price of a single SD-2 plant. The same is true for the Blooming Size plants: they're offered INDIVIDUALLY or in PACKS OF 4. PLEASE CHOOSE CAREFULLY!.
• This listing offers plants individually (i.e., qty 1) or in 4-packs (i.e., 4 plants). Please look at all the pictures carefully (and read the text in the photos) so you'll know the sizes of the plants we're offering. SD2 means large seedling, ~24+ months from reaching Blooming Size. We offer plants of a given size INDIVIDUALLY or in PACKS of 4 (which costs ~4X as much as the individual plant). Some people get mixed up between the INDIVIDUAL plant and the 4-PACK, so PLEASE CHOOSE CAREFULLY!
• Blooming Size Cattleyas often have OLD, DRIED-UP ROOTS. Happy Cattleyas produce roots prolifically, and eventually these roots wear out. They can then be trimmed off. BUT IF OLD/DRY/CRUSTY/GRAY/CRUMMY ROOTS are a problem for you or your recipient, PLEASE PASS ON THIS.
• How to grow Cattleyas: 1) Bright light (avoid prolonged direct sun) 2) Water once to twice a week during the growing season; let dry between waterings 3) Use chunky bark for plenty of aeration at the roots 4) Fertilize 2X/month 5) Avoid temps below 50 F; keep well-watered in high heat
• IMPORTANT NOTE: these plants are NOT IN BUD/BLOOM when shipped. PLEASE look at all the pictures in this listing so you know the condition/size of plant you'll be getting.