Coelogyne ovalis

Here is another one of my recent Coelogyne additions. I purchased it in May at Windswept in Time's spring open house. Although Coelogyne ovalis has a reputation for having a rather dull flower, I find this one very captivating. Some Coelogyne ovalis can look a bit washed out. This one has a rich golden color to its petals and sepals. Plus a nice dark textured lip. So I think it is a very nice C. ovalis! But I am no expert so this could all be absolute non-sense. 

Coelogyne ovalis is known to be one of the tougher, more tolerant Coelogyne species. This one is living up to that reputation. I repotted it shortly after purchasing it. Most Coelogynes get really cranky about having their roots disturbed. Not this one. Three weeks following the repot, I noticed a small flower sheath emerging between the leafs. Arguably, the sheath was already developing. Still I was impressed it has not aborted. So I recommend this Coelogyne to anyone interested in growing Coelogynes. It seems to be a nice entry species.

I have been growing it evenly moist in an east window. Clearly, it has responded well. I water  it every 2-3 day. Anything less than this and the pseudobulbs start to shrivel. The east window is pretty warm (high 80s) when the sun shines in, but there is a fan close by keeping the air circulating. Soon all of my orchids will be moved to another room in the house, and this one will go under lights for the winter and experience cooler temperatures. My plan is to keep the orchids room between 75F and 55F over the winter. At that time, I will try to decrease its watering to better handle the cooler temperatures. I will see how it responds to the change and report back.

The only negatives I have noticed with this orchid is it rambling growth habit and successive blooming habits. Hopefully, my C. ovalis will branch to start to fill out the pot. Otherwise, it will become difficult to contain. Additionally, more branching will mean more flowers open at the same time. I have heard you can nick the rhizome of some species to encourage branching, but I rather have this happen naturally. Time will tell how it progresses. For now I will just enjoy the blooms and see what happens.