Calanthe Tennessee Waltz

[Sue]

Click for larger pics, so you can really check out the spots on the lip.

[shalene]

Love the spots and the pink. I think I failed with my Calanthe. They are still growing new leaves. I forgot to cut off the water.
Shalene

[Diane]

Oh Boy! I want one of those!!! I've never tried growing them - are they difficult??

[Sue]

Hmm. Still growing new leaves? Are the bulbs developed? Is this new growth? One of mine lost its leaves about a month late this year, but it's got spikes on it (about two months late as compared to normal). So maybe it's just not finished yet.

Diane: Calanthe have been super easy for me, but I know some people have trouble with them. I guess my environment and watering habits work well for them. I pot them in a pretty moist bark/peat mix, like for Cymbidiums. They go outside for the summer, where I push them up to around Catt light levels, which makes the leaves look awful by the end of summer. But then the leaves fall off, and spikes emerge from the base. The blooms are semi-successive, so they bloom for a good while. Then you keep them almost completely dry until new growth emerges in the spring.

I don't cut off water in order to induce leaf-loss. They just lose the leaves when they're ready. My favorite thing about them is they have big nice palmate leaves while they're outside, and then lose them just in time for compact overwintering.

Oh, I should note: there are also evergreen Calanthe. The above only applies to the deciduous ones. I can't help too much with the evergreen ones; I've only got one, haven't had it for too long, and I'm not sure it's too terribly happy.

[shalene]

It's good to know you don't cut off watering to induce the leaf loss. I haven't because the bulbs aren't fully developed. I think our move in combination with weird weather might have confused them. Or it could have been me!!!! So don't stop watering until the leaves are gone, right?

[Sue]

I water less when the leaves are starting to fall, but I don't cut off watering until it's done blooming. I'm not quite sure if that's exactly the right thing to do, but it's been working for me.

[shalene]

Sue, thanks for the advice. Diane, Calanthe are wonderful. I love the blooms, the lush leaves, and the kind of weird bulbs. I wish I could find them more often.
Shalene

[Hoa Tony Nguyen]

Lovely blooms. That makes me wanting to own a few of these beauties!
Cheers. Hoa.

[Piper]

Gorgeous blooms, Sue! And interesting culture tips. I don't have any, but I need to stick to the genera that are happy with my rather rigid condititions. Still it's fun to learn about them all!

Julie

[Lore]

I absolutely adore this one. I love the fresh pale pink and cream colors to it.
Thanks for sharing!