Guaridendrum Isler’s Goldregen (3.5” pot blooming size)

New! This is a new seedling batch of a cross between Guarianthe aurantica and Epidendrum stamfordianum that was originally done by Jakob Isler of Switzerland. Despite the fact that both parents bloom only once per year in winter/spring, the resulting cross blooms in both winter and summer, and as the name Goldregen (golden rain in German) suggests, mature plants will produce masses of blooms lasting up to two months. For us, peak flowering has been in February/March and again in July/August, but the timing may vary slightly based on your growing conditions. Each cute starry flower is golden yellow with a smattering of red speckles on the two petals and a wide, flat lip of the same color. First flowers have been in small clusters, but in each successive bloom cycle as the plants grow older more flowers are produced, eventually coming in clusters of 25 to 30, often with a couple side branches of additional blooms. Like any orchid in the cattleya alliance, this one likes good light levels and can tolerate some morning or late day sun or grow and bloom equally well under LED lights. Each watering should be thorough, but then the root system and growing media should dry completely before the next watering. Generally, one thorough soak a week should be sufficient, but a little more often if exposed to hot, dry weather and less when days are cloudy and damp. While seedlings, with only two species involved, the variation from one to the next is minimal and your plant should look very similar to our photo examples.