Gift that became an obsession — Cattleya

Someone gave me Cattleya as a birthday gift and I barely knew what it was. Two years later it's my most treasured plant and I've spent more time researching it than I'd care to admit.

The key discovery was feeding with a half-strength orchid fertiliser weekly in summer — once that clicked, the plant transformed. pseudobulbs that store water and nutrients is what gets mentioned every time anyone visits. I keep it in a north or east-facing windowsill which works perfectly. repotting best done just after flowering finishes is when I understand why this plant has such devoted followers. scale insects on pseudobulbs and undersides of leaves is the one ongoing challenge but it's worth the effort.