Bloom Event - Coelogyne Mem. William Micholitz 'Burnham' AM/RHS

It says on the label that this hybrid is a cool grower (temperature, not street cred). I grow it warm as you may have guessed and I can only use one word to describe it: Rampant. It is a hybrid between C. lawrenciana and C. mooreana (hopeful I'll get blooms soon, but can't promise), so having a warm growing and a cool growing parent. Whatever temperatures it actually wants, it is a strong grower and quickly grows into a large plant, as mine is doing. I don't have too many awarded clones in my collection (I can't afford them, more's the pity), but this is one, and for good reason.

Flower colour (including the orange lip) has come straight from the C. mooreana parent, while the sequential flowering habit, flower shape and size has come from C. lawrenciana. I really like this hybrid; it really makes a statement. Flowers are somewhere between 4 and 5 inches across, and unlike its C. lawrenciana parent, it opens a few per spike at a time. My plant has two lead growths, so two spikes. At time of writing there are four flowers open, with quite a lot more to come.

It has always done well for me, whatever growing conditons I have thrown at it, so it must be a very robust hybrid indeed (the best ones all are). As must be pretty obvious from reading this blog, I have a great soft spot for Coelogynes in general, but these large flowered white hybrids are a real favourite of mine. It always seems to flower at the same time each year. It has been in spike for quite some time now, taking quite a long time to develop its buds (another habit it shares with C. lawrenciana). I particularly like it when I grow a primary hybrid like this one, and also have both its parents in my collection, as I can compare it to its parents. Sadly I haven't bloomed C. mooreana yet (and may not do at all as my growroom is, at least on paper, too warm for it), but it is clear to me that C. mooreana has mostly given flower colour and the ability to hold several flowers per spike at the same time to the mix and not much else. The overall habit and size of the plant seems much more like C. lawrenciana. The flowers are scented, but only in a nondescript sort of way.

Yes, I know this needs potting on quite urgently. I'm intending to do it after blooming. This is one of those awkward hybrids that starts showing flower buds at the same time as new roots, which is when I would ideally want to pot it on. I needn't worry really; this hybrid is so robust it probably wouldn't notice if I did it this minute. You will notice if you look at the pseudobulbs that they are rather wrinkly. I spent quite some time obsessing and worrying about this, during which time the plant just got on with it and carried on growing. I have noticed the same habit with C. lawrenciana and it doesn't seem to affect the health of the plant at all. I guess it just uses up a lot of energy pushing out new growths (particularly to that sort of size) and flower spikes.

At any rate, this is a very nice hybrid and I'm proud to have it in my collection.