| Dear Fabolusus,
Coelogyne is pronounced: see-LODGE-eh-nee. Dudley Clayton (Coelogyne expert) prefers the pronounciation: see-lo-GUY-nee but I have never, in my 10 years of orchid growing and 4 of judging, heard anyone use the latter, always the former.
Cynthia is quite right to reiterate the need to carefully select Coelogyne that fit your conditions. Coelogyne come from a wide range of habitats, from cool mountain elevations to hot, humid sea-level forests and everything in between. C. cristata, for example, comes from the Himalayas and likes a cool, cool winter (as low as 45-50F) in order to bloom. If you can't provide that cool period, it will grow and grow and never bloom. As you are in PA you might be able to accomplish this by leaving your plant outdoors in the autumn and take it in when the temp dips below about 45-50F at night. Here in Australia, I leave mine outdoors all winter long (nightime temps are about 45-55F in the winter).
Here are a few Coelogyne I have successfully grown and bloomed in my home on a windowsill:
C. finbriata
C. ovalis
C. primulinum (a yellow form of fimbriata)
C. speciosa
C. xyrekes
C. flaccida
C. gramanifolia
C. minuta (although it requied me to mist daily and water about every 3 days)
C. tomentosa (you might see C. massangeana, which is a syn. for tomentosa)
C. prolifera (in spike for the first time now)
Dudley Clayton has an excellent book on Coelogyne. It does have helpful general cultural info, but only about 5 pages of it. If you have questions about specific plants check that book, ask people in your local orchid society, or continue this thread.
Happy growing!
-Kevin  |