SUMMER CARE 
During the late spring, summer and early fall months when the 
night temperatures outside usually do not fall much below 55 
degrees, your plants may be kept outside on a porch, hung to a 
tree branch or set on a rack in the shade of a tree. Some sunlight 
will not be harmful if it is “spotted,” as when it comes through 
spaces between the leaves on a tree, or the slats of a porch shade 
or Venetian blind. 
During this period, your plant will need more water than dur- 
ing the winter, especially on breezy days. About every other day 
or every third day give it a good drenching, letting it dry out 
before watering again. Hang your plants or set them on a rack— 
it is essential that the air reach the roots from the top and bot- 
tom. DO NOT OVER-WATER—that is the best way to kill 
a Cattleya orchid or other epiphytic orchid. If in doubt, stay on 
the dry side. As long as the foliage is plump or the surface or 
aerial roots show green tips, they re getting enough water. (Noie: 
Root tips will not be green while the plant is resting.) Never 
water on cloudy days—there’s enough humidity then to give the 
plant all the moisture it needs. On bright days, sprinkle the 
foliage once or twice a day. The small amount of water that 
will drip off the leaves will give the roots all the water ihey’l! 
need between heavy waterings. 
Should all of the leaves of your plant begin turning a_yel- 
lowish green, that’s a sign that they're getting too much light or 
too much water. The cure is to give more shade and less water. 
A good color for the foliage is about halfway between a deep 
blue-green and a yellow-green. 
OTHER NOTES 
Your plants will come to you in a pot of material known as 
osmundum fiber. The plants grow on this material DO NOT 
PUT ANY SOIL AROUND THE ROOTS, even if the roots are 
exposed. Cattleya orchids and other epiphytes do not grow 
in soil. If the roots are growing over the side of the pot, that is 
all right—it’s the plant’s natural habit. 
DON’T set the plants in water. NEVER set an orchid plant in 
a saucer as is commonly done with other house plants. The plant 
should be set ABOVE the surface. A wooden or wire rack will 
give the slight elevation necessary to permit circulation of air all 
around the pot. 
When to Cut Flowers 
It takes about 3 or 
It won't be— 
An orchid bud usually opens very slowly. 
4 days for the flowers to appear to be fully open. 
wait another couple of days before cutting it if you want the 
flowers to last well after cutting. 
Pests 
Fewer pests attack orchids than other plants. When growing 
outside, snails (slugs) or sow bugs may be attracted by the hid- 
These can be controlled by use of 
the usual remedies for such garden pests. 
ing place the pots offer. 
You may notice ants 
They are not harmful. 
on your plants. Another pest which your 
plants may acquire in time is scale. It appears first as a bit of 
tiny white fluff and then takes on typical scale appearance. It 
appears usually in the axils of the leaves and at the joints where 
the bulbs between the leaves and the roots connect to the rhizome. 
Use a soft tooth brush saturated with the same strength insecticide 
you use for aphids and brush the scale off, Scale may also 
appear under the husk which covers the bulb, and which may be 
stripped off when it dries. Never use an insecticide containing oil. 
Occasionally one or two of the rearmost leaves on your plant 
will turn yellow and drop off. Do not let that disturb you; that 
is normal. If all of the leaves turn yellow and drop off, that 
means that you have done something wrong. It usually means 
that the plant has been watered too much or has been chilled 
for a prolonged period while wet. If this happens, place the 
plant in complete shade and cease all watering until new growth 
starts. 
If you live in a “hard water” area, water your plants with rain 
water when convenient. Do not use water which has ¢one 
through a water softener. 
Orchid plants will stand a lot of punishment, much more than 
many other kinds of house plants. They are, however, not in- 
destructible. They usually do well and last for years for persons 
who love flowers and who will follow the directions given. 
VARIETIES OF ORCHID PLANTS 
These few paragraphs are written for the person who is buying 
his first orchid plants, who may want a variety in his collection, 
and who wants to have some idea of the kind of flowers his plants 
will produce. 
CATTLEYA orchids are those most generally sold by florists, 
as well as LAELIAS, and their various hybrids of similar char- 
acteristics. The hybrids are known as LAELIOCATTLEYAS, 
BRASSOCATTLEYAS and BRASSOLAELIOCATTLEYAS, usual- 
ly abbreviated Le., Bc., and Ble. 
Seen less often in the flower shops, but valued by many as 
interesting and pretty items in a collection are Oncidium, with 
long sprays of bright yellow flowers with cinnamon markings: 
Dendrobium, the flowers of which are usually white flushed with 
mauve; Epidendrum, with numerous color combinations ranging 
from greenish-white to bright orange; Cattleya and Laelia botani- 
cals. There are others, including terrestrial types, requiring special 
treatment not described in these notes. 
Plants may be listed as species or hybrids. When listed as 
species that means that they are direct offspring of the original, 
beautiful jungle plants of family and variety named. When listed 
as hybrids, it means that flowers of one variety or family have 
been “crossed” or mated with another, to produce a new variety. 
Some persons have a preference for hybrids; others for species. 
Hybrids usually are considerably more expensive than species, al- 
though outstanding individual plants of a species may command 
higher prices than hybrids. 
When the word “alba” follows the name of a plant, it means 
that the petals and sepals are white, and that the lip or “trumpet” 
is colored. 
How Plants Are Shipped 
Unless you specify otherwise, I ship plants in pots, express col- 
lect. All you need do is unpack them and begin enjoying them. 
Prices are f.o.b. point of shipment. All plants offered are in good 
condition (unless otherwise noted in the plant listing). 
When you order, be sure to specify second choice, in the event 
the plants you order have been sold when your order is received. 
Clarence M. Kilian 
210 Yorkshire Drive 
Birmingham 9, Alabama 
