I take it back again. I do have something else blooming besides the Pleuro. alata. Aerangis kirkii sent up another spike underneath the leaves, and I didn't even see it until lo and behold, one bud bloomed. You can't see it from the top, but if you look from the side, suddenly there it is. This kirkii is crazy. Single blooms have been popping up on and off all summer. And now a hidden spike underneath, a more visible spike on the side, and what looks like the beginnings of a spike off the other side. The obvious spike is coming up from the spot where it has been blooming its one flower at a time, previously. I guess we'll have to wait til next year to decide if this is normal behavior for this one. It's rather interesting, keeps you on your toes, and gives me a reason to pay close attention to it (which I obviously haven't been lately, if a spike could start blooming out of nowhere.)

Oh my gosh, Denise, those are some real beauties!!! You are definitely doing something right! My orchids are soooo neglected, you put me to shame. Have not repotted anything in 4 years, truly. Shameful. Have not fertilized in a couple or three months, and barely water once weekly, even in this awful, awful heat. Shame on me. Despite me, my orchids are mostly surviving, not thriving. I have been busy with life, and what little time I have, I have been spending it in the veggie garden, or trying to get the yard under control. In better times (when I used to repot on occassion), I used combinations of medium charcoal chunks, tree fern fiber, and then I'd throw in stuff like coconut chips and aerolite. I would just mix it together in a large plastic storage container. Stuff that I thought might need a bit more moisture I might put a little canadian peat moss. Really no set formula. The main thing I would avoid is bark, as that rots and makes repotting necessary every couple of years if you want the plant to survive at all. I am too lazy for fir bark. As a matter of fact, that's why my orchids have survived so many years of no repotting. There is mostly charcoal and tree fern fiber in all the pots. A few might have coconut chips. I used to get the stuff from my local nursery, or if I needed a lot, from OFE (are they still around?). Michael, I too find catts to be the toughest of the orchids. They tolerate more cold and more light variation than any of the others. I have all of mine in pots, but they are in a covered (some kind of lexan-type stuff) screened house. Last year we got down to 33-34 several times in winter and I never brought them inside. They survived. Some of my phals really suffered (I am sooo bad), and have not fully recovered. Obviously, I would not recommend this, but it probably won't change this winter either (sooo bad). My MIL is a snowbird and hangs the few phals I've given her in their pots, under a ligustrum standard 6 months of the year and they bloom for her every year. Not great, great, but they do bloom enough to suit her. Keep in mind you are in 9a, and I am borderline 10a, so you will probably be carting them in several times a winter. My advice is to not get too many to make this a big job. Phals are much more sensitive to cold than catts. Phals also need more regular watering to do well. If you attach your plants to driftwood, you will probably need to water quite a bit more. All things to consider. Anna

Eye-socking color!!!!! WOW! Sharon

Do not how common var. aquinii was in the wild but when found the hybridists used it to introduce splash petals into their breeding programs. There are various other beautiful colour forms such as; var. coerulea var. amethystina Have two forms of var. alba including Casa Luna which unfortunately is a poor grower so at the moment i do not have a photo. Which leads to asking the question. If your orchid is a genuine mutuation of the petal shape and horror upon horrors not a hybrid. Perhaps you should give it a name..... Cattleya intermedia var. alba '????????' or maybe it is Cattleya var. ????? Not sure about the naming convention that should be applied.