Our Cattleya Orchid, Jewel Box, is Getting Ready to Bloom!
** We are super excited about our Cattleya Orchid hybrid, Jewel Box ..** About a week ago I posted that it was a surprise that we saw the start of a new flower bud forming within the flower sheath, sitting at the top of a matured pseudobulb. The pseudobulb is just over a year old, and it is this orchids blooming season, so this makes sense. It's the only Cattleya Orchid in our collection, and it's about to show off its first-ever flower!
Right now, the new flower stem is popping out about 1 centimeter from the flower sheath and growing quickly. I am amazed at how fast this little stem is growing. This made me think that I really have no knowledge of the blooming process of the Cattleya orchid. I do know this much.. Cattleya orchids are famous for their amazing and colorful flowers. So I decided to take a closer look into what happens when they bloom to understand the process we are about to go through, better.
Here's what I found out:
Big Bulbs: Cattleya orchids have these big, round things called pseudobulbs, sometimes referred to as canes. They store water and food and help the orchid stay healthy.
Covered Up: The flower stem comes out from a cover on top of the pseudobulb, called a flower sheath. This cover keeps the flower buds safe until they're ready to open.
Takes Time: It takes a while for Cattleya orchids to bloom. From the start of the flower stem coming out to the flowers fully opening, it can be 3-6 weeks depending on the environmental conditions and hybrid type. It's a slow process, but it makes the flowers really special when they do finally open.
Lots of Colors: Cattleya orchids come in many colors. Some are purple, pink, yellow, or orange. The different colors make these flowers stand out and look amazing. Our hybrid, 'Scheherazade', will be bright red.
Smells Nice: Besides looking great, Cattleya orchids often smell good too. The smell can be different for each orchid. Jewel Box is going to be a treat for our noses with its fragrance that is most similar to roses.
Obviously what I have been learning is more in depth than just that, but I figured I would keep this short and sweet and not bore you to death. We're keeping an eye on our little Cattleya, as she gets ready to bloom. We are making sure we follow the proper watering and feeding protocol that I have newly learned, so she is under no stress while creating something special for our eyes and noses.
Nature has a way of surprising us with its beauty, and Cattleya orchids are like little treasures. We can't wait to see our Jewel Box 'Scheherazade' in full bloom, and we'll be sure to share the special moment with everyone.
Stay tuned!
Oh Yeah.. And EVERYONE got a bath yesterday. After all we are on a new and improved watering system.. flood baths every two weeks. Two weeks has passed since the last watering. Everyone is happy now!
Thank you for swinging by my blog and checking out the post. Have a great day!
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