Laelias have two characteristics which endear them to . orchidists: most laelias are reasonably hardy; and their flowers are as lovely as those of cattleyas, although not always so large. The dean of orchidists in this country, Dr. Louis Knudsen, once gave his wife several laelias and told her to grow them in a window without trying to look up their cultural requirements first. Her success convinced him that many people could grow them, even in New York State where this casual experiment was made.

Nearly every color in the rainbow is found in this genus. There are some of the finest whites and the deepest purples—purples so dark as to appear velvety black in varieties of Laelia purpurata, whose flowers may reach ten inches in diameter. The average laelia flower varies from several inches in width for spray orchids—of which Laelia autum-nalis is most frequently grown—to about six inches for Laelia majalis. Laelia foliage is uniformly small and compact, although some flower spikes may push upward to three feet; Laelia superbiens goes to ten feet. The leaves are thick and waxy, and all the plants have pseudobulbs; both characteristics make them more amenable to the harsh conditions under which they are found in nature and ideally suited for culture in a window box or an outdoor garden as well as the prosaic greenhouse.

Laelias are an intermediate form between epidendrums and cattleyas and seem to combine the good qualities of their cousins without the bad ones. Intercrossing with both genera produces interesting bigeneric and trigeneric hybrids, like epicattleyas, the epilaelias aren't commercially important; but most laeliocattleyas are unusually beautiful. Here again an enterprising amateur might obtain excellent results by backcrossing epilaelias. No one as yet has completed such an orchid study.
Culturally, laelias fall into two divisions: the Mexican group and—for lack of a better name—the Brazilian. These terms also define the distribution of laelias in the New World. It is one of the puzzles of plant explorers why no laelias exist between Guatemala and southern Brazil; they could not have died out for lack of suitable climates. It is also one of the unexplained coincidences of the plant world that laelias mark the northern and southern boundaries of cattleyas.

The Brazilian laelias are grown with cattleyas in greenhouses, for their cultural requirements are identical except that laelias can stand, and need, considerably more light than cattleyas. Don't try to grow them except in at least semiclosed glass structures where you can suit the atmosphere to their needs. The danger in injuring laelias in culture lies largely in the applications of water you give them. They are as intolerant of too much water as cattleyas, and are as easily injured by continuous excesses of moisture in the compost.

About twenty members of the laelia family are found in the southwestern mountains of Brazil, but only a few are easily procurable. However, these few are as spectacular as cattleyas, and one of them—Laelia grandis—lias flowers of Nankeen yellow. Laelia crispa is grown for its white flowers, and Laelia purpurata for its flowers of huge size and lovely texture. Laelia elegans, now believed to be a natural hybrid, goes under the name of Laeliacattleya elegans; it is a prolific bloomer and can always be counted on to deliver its quota of flowers each year.

The Mexican laelias, among the easiest of all orchids to grow, were once considered to be the most difficult and temperamental of all orchids. During the period between 1831 and 1873 they could be grown but not flowered regularly. Flowers would appear occasionally on newly imported plants, but after the second year in English greenhouses nothing but vegetative growth was produced. This vexed continental hobbyists no end because few orchids have as lovely a flower as Laelia majalis or as sturdy a flower as that of Laelia superbiens. Growers eventually realized that failure to flower Mexican laelias was due to climatic reasons. But just what factor in the climate was responsible was anybody's guess until the collector Herr Roezl, writing home about Laelia autumnalis, said, "It is one of those orchids which thrives in a temperate situation. It grows at an altitude of 7,000-8,500 feet upon rocks and stunted oaks, exposed to the sun as well as to the wet-season rains. The roots acquire a maximum of vigor and development in full sunshine. Where this and other Mexican orchids grow the temperature may descend at night to 4° to 10° F. below freezing, although such conditions of temperature are of short duration."

Note, as the earlier orchidists did, the implications in Herr Roezl's letter of the correct cultural conditions for Mexican laelias: temperate situation; and exposed to the sun and rain. Mexican laelias were then grown as cool orchids and were given full winter sunlight. From spring to fall they were placed outdoors under as little shade as possible. Thereupon, they grew more vigorously and flowered consistently. It is interesting to note that in recent years Dr. Louis Knudsen at Cornell University had trouble flowering Mexican laelias when they were left year in and year out in his living-room window; but when he took the plants outdoors between May and September he experienced little failure in obtaining flowers.

Mexican laelias are distinguished easily from their Brazilian relatives by their often egg-shaped, always short pseudobulbs; whereas the Brazilian members have elongated pseudobulbs like cattleyas. To many people Mexican laelias look like small onion or lily plants growing on top of the soil. Their small size and the simplicity of their culture make them pleasant window plants. As a rule, they require no special humidifying equipment. In spite of being epiphytic in habit, they get along on very little humidity except on hot days. Of course, the more ideally you can treat them, the better they'll respond.

There are no terrestrial laelias, but Mexican species frequently grow on rocks and low trees with their roots in the upper strata of the soil. Though botanists may classify them as semiepiphytes, many growers are successful in growing them in composts of leafmold and gravel. They have also been grown in adobe, on oak logs, and in pots of gravel, but osmunda still remains the best all-around compost for them. They are watered, in captivity, much as cattleyas and Brazilian laelias are—very, very carefully. While the technique of watering is modified to permit a drying-out interval, the compost need not be so dry as is necessary for cattleyas. In fact, Laelia majalis does better if the compost is kept slightly moist at all times during its growing period. This species must not suffer a check to its growth or it may fail to bloom.

All Mexican laelias are best grown outdoors as long as possible, from the earliest day in spring to the latest week in fall. If they should catch a day or two of frost, don't worry; mild frost is excellent for helping ripen pseudobulbs. It is not wise to be climatically harsh with them. There is much about our weather that is injurious to them. Our frosts are often too long and severe, our winters too consistently cold. In northern gardens bring laelias indoors when the leaves begin to color in autumn. In southern gardens they may be left outside the year round. Hang laelias in baskets from trees, or naturalize them on oak or olive branches. During hot weather drench them with a hose and don't be formal about it; get water all over the foliage and well into the compost. Cool nights, as long as they are reasonably dry, tend to be invigorating to Mexican laelias.

There are several species of Mexican laelias you should keep in mind when making a selection of plants; they are as nearly foolproof as orchids, or any garden plant, can be. One is Laelia anceps (natives call it "El Toro") from the mountains of southern Mexico. This species usually has rose and purple flowers. Its white-flowered form is so highly valued for garden decoration by Indians who have collected it for hundreds of years that it has not been discovered growing wild. Laelia autumnalis, another mountain habitue, is often grown as a terrestrial and succeeds well naturalized on trees in southern United States. Its rose-colored flowers are charming; its Indian name almost a tongue twister—Chichilitic Tepetlavhxochitl. From the open plateaus comes Laelia majalis with six-inch fragrant rose-lilac flowers—a sturdy addition to your select list of plant house guests.

Other apparently hardy laelias from Mexico are Laelia gouldiana, and perhaps twenty more. Little is known about their tolerance to outdoor or house culture, though they succeed well in cool greenhouses and cold frames. They are a bit more difficult than their hardier relatives, yet their rewards in flowers are just as great and as lovely. Combining these lesser-known species with the more common ones, an amateur could supply his home with laelia blossoms many months out of the year.

Propagation of laelias (both groups) is by division of the pseudobulbs. Repotting is done most often in the spring when new growth is initiated; and then only if the pots are crowded and the compost sour or decomposed. The plants accommodate themselves to various sizes of pots, but care should be used to select pots that aren't unnecessarily large. Laelias require careful attention to drainage. Some experts like to fill at least half the pot with crocks or gravel. Roots of the Mexican laelias particularly are thin and not too long; like dendrobiums they don't need much compost in which to forage.

Remember, as with epidendrums, too much pampering and continuous care are frequently sins in growing Mexican laelias. These laelias are as hardy as epidendrums, and their flowers gayer. This combination of toughness with lovely flowers, not always found in orchids, makes them an almost unsurpassable choice for ordinary gardeners.

Are You Ready To Move Onto The Next Lesson? Click Here...