We love Cymbidium dayanum! For the past two years, this orchid has resided on a hook below the eaves outside our front door for the warmer months (March-November). Her location is somewhat determined by size, now about 3′ (1m) in all directions. This beautiful Cymbidium cast too much shade on the other orchids when she was hanging from the roof of the shade house. A wonderful place to enjoy her abundant flower spikes, beginning in September.
Cymbidium dayanum tends to be a sequential bloomer, with groups of 1-3 spikes usually blooming at a time. While not as spectacular as if they were all open at the same time, the blooming season extends into December/January.
Cymbidium dayanum has considerable variety in the form, likely due to its widespread distribution from the eastern Himalayas to Japan to Malaysia. The large plant in the photos, with exceptionally clear flowers, is from Vietnam.
We have two other clones of Cymbidium dayanum that are very compact, with grass-like foliage. The alba form is the smallest, blooming size with a few spikes this year, in a 4″ pot. The others are in 6″ pots, with a bit wider leaves. While the flowers are very similar, looking at the foliage and size of the three orchids, you would assume that they were different species. Our smaller Cymbidium dayanum are not very cold tolerant, and I struggled to bloom them for a few years until we figured this out. They relocate from the outdoor shadehouse into the indoor cool room when nights drop below 50F (10C). The other larger plant stays outside until nights consistently drop below 40F (4C). Interestingly, the smaller clones have bloomed in the summer (August) rather than the much later autumn bloom of the larger form plant.
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