Coelogyne Memoria Louis Forget

Coelogyne Memoria Louis Forget is a classic hybrid that should have a place in every collection. The breeder has used excellent forms of both Coelogyne mooreana (the ‘Brockhurst’ cultivar, now known as ‘magnificum’) and Coelogyne speciosa. Somewhat unusually for hybrids containing C. spesiosa, the inflorescences are strongly upright and haven’t got any of the droopiness that C. speciosa is so known for. The flowers are large and off white with a striking orange marked lip. As a bonus, they are also sweetly scented. Just like both its parents, its inflorescences are produced from new growth as it unfurls. This plant can get quite large with pseudobulbs up to the size of a hens egg and the leaves are up to 50cm tall. Having said that, it is a nice compact grower and could be accommodated on a window sill, ideally facing east or west to avoid direct summer sun.  I grow this hybrid warm which seems to give me shorter inflorescences which are held just above the pseudobulbs. People who grow it cooler report longer inflorescences held amongst the foliage, so temperatures does play a part in the appearance of it even though flowering is not directly affected.

Potting mix could be medium or fine bark chips, depending on the size of the pot, or you could mix in some chopped Sphagnum moss as this plant won’t tolerate being dry at the roots. It initiates new growth as soon as new pseudobulbs are completed and will bloom off most new growths. This also means no rest period so it shouldn’t be allowed a dry rest. Should you decide to repot or divide this, it is best to wait until just after blooming as new roots will be produced in a flush from the new growth at around this time. This plant does seem to benefit from being periodically divided and it is worth keeping hold of old leafless backbulbs because they may well sprout and produce a new plant.