Coelogyne nitida

We know that May is here when our Coelogyne nitidas start to flower. This pretty, fragrant orchid is one we have seen growing abundantly in the Hiamlayas and its flowering is always a treat.

This is a cool growing species that we have seen growing in profusion in Sikkim and in Arunachal Pradesh (We took the photograph of plants flowering in the wild on the road to Twang in the Arunachal Pradesh mountains). In our experience it grows in wet evergreen and semi-evergreen forest from about 1000m up to 2500m mostly on the trunks and lower branches, often with moss and ferns, 

In cultivation we replicate the species’ cool wet habitat and find it grows best with a minimum of 7C in our Himalayan Greenhouse and we water well throughout the year. This is a great species for a cool greenhouse, conservatory or a cool room in the house – We previously grew a lovely plant in an East facing bathroom window.