Must have Catts

[GardenTheater]

Brassolaeliocattleya (Blc.)
Brassavola x Cattleya x Laelia
It has all three species its lineage.

[InspirChid1712]

My top recommendations would be BL. Morning Glory (Brassolaelia) and BLC. Chia Lin (Brassolaeliocattleya).

Morning Glory is VERY easy to grow and develops giant clusters of spidery magenta/white flowers that are EXTREMELY fragrant at night. Be warned though! It grows exponentially every year and becomes GIGANTIC very quickly!

Chia Lin, I'd say, has some of the most beautiful cattleya blooms out there. (I made a post with photos of mine last fall!). Its a majestic plant with HUGE glowing purple/red blooms. If I could only choose one orchid as having "the most beautiful flowers of all", this would be it!

Good Luck! Let us know what you decide to get! I'm a big Catt-freak, and I'd be glad to offer advice anytime!!

[MACH5]

Originally Posted by Oscarman

Just 5! I don't think I could limit myself to only that many.

Species:
Brassavola nodosa
C. aclandiae
C. dowiana
C. gigas
L. purpurata
Rhyncholaelia digbyana, oh crap that's 6!

LOL Oscarman! Yes I know that a limit of 5 seems impossible and most likely I will not be able to keep it to this number myself!! Thank you for the recommendations and will keep these in mind

Originally Posted by Wynn Dee13

I forgot, hybrids generally are hardier because they were made to be easier to grow than species. Many hybrids also bloom more times per year than species. Although there are species that bloom more than once a year. I like species because they are natural and not man made. I do grow hybrids though too. As far as which one is more desirable it just depends on the person. Some people prefer species and some hybrids. And some people like both!

Thanks Wynn Dee for the clarification! Much appreciated.

Originally Posted by GardenTheater

Brassolaeliocattleya (Blc.)
Brassavola x Cattleya x Laelia
It has all three species its lineage.

Thank you GardenTheater!

Originally Posted by InspirChid1712

My top recommendations would be BL. Morning Glory (Brassolaelia) and BLC. Chia Lin (Brassolaeliocattleya).

Morning Glory is VERY easy to grow and develops giant clusters of spidery magenta/white flowers that are EXTREMELY fragrant at night. Be warned though! It grows exponentially every year and becomes GIGANTIC very quickly!

Chia Lin, I'd say, has some of the most beautiful cattleya blooms out there. (I made a post with photos of mine last fall!). Its a majestic plant with HUGE glowing purple/red blooms. If I could only choose one orchid as having "the most beautiful flowers of all", this would be it!

Good Luck! Let us know what you decide to get! I'm a big Catt-freak, and I'd be glad to offer advice anytime!!

Fantastic InspirChid!! Thank you for the suggestions!! Love them! I'd be happy to reach out for advise! I am relatively new to the hobby but I am already in love with Catts even when not in flower! I'll let you guys know what I end up getting

[Wynn Dee13]

One of my favorite species is Cattleya lueddemanniana they smell good too. I also love the species Laelia pumila. The flowers are bigger than the plant. You should look into Laelias too. They are a lot like Catts and some are reclassified has Cattleya anyway. Mini-Catts are fun too. They have bright flowers and bloom more than once a year. They stay under 6 inches tall so you can fit a ton in a small space. They make great little specimens too. They are easy to bloom. Sunset Valley Orchids is a great place to get mini-catts.

[Call_Me_Bob]

this is gonna be hard!! haha! ill narrow it down to just species, but its still gonna be tough! haha


Catt aclandiae
catt violacea
Laelia purpurata, especialy var Carnea!
catt maxima
catt walkeriana

[Wynn Dee13]

Two more of my favorites are:
Cattley walkeriana
Cattleya nobilior

Both very fragrant. I have a hard time blooming them though. But I'm not giving up!

[Magnus A]

I would say that this 5 are the ones!

Cattleya coccinea (Sophronitis coccinea) Red!
Cattleya wittigiana (Sophronitis wittigiana) Pink!
Cattleya briegeri (Laelia briegeri) Yellow!
Cattleya luteola Pale Yellow with colored lip!
Cattleya dowiana Yellow and Red

Both Laelia and Sophronitis has been moved to Cattleya.

[dounoharm]

blc, brasso laelia cattleya hybrid, a cross of plants that include brassavola, for a frilly lip, laelias, for color, and cattleya for substance (or some such theory).....loads of em to choose from and all good....i think if i had to limit my collection i would go with cattleya jose marti 'mothers favorite' for an all time fabulous white catt.....and anything with yelllows and or spots.....oh so many!!

[james mickelso]

They are crosses between brassovolas, laelias, and cattleyas. Big gaudy brightly colored and fragrant. I think thay are the showiest of the orchids. Some may scof but there are troglodytes wherever you go ;P Go to the santa barbara orchid estates site and the sunset valley orchid site. They have lots of pictures although some of them are a little damp from my drooling all over the pictures.

[MACH5]

Originally Posted by james mickelso

They are crosses between brassovolas, laelias, and cattleyas. Big gaudy brightly colored and fragrant. I think thay are the showiest of the orchids. Some may scof but there are troglodytes wherever you go ;P Go to the santa barbara orchid estates site and the sunset valley orchid site. They have lots of pictures although some of them are a little damp from my drooling all over the pictures.

Ok great James will check these guys out for sure!

Thanks again for all the wonderful suggestions people! No doubt it will be very challenging for me to choose among so many beautiful Catts! I will also like to consider the very charming miniature ones.