Pronounced Sim-bi’-deyum and also called Boat Orchids, this beauty has a genus of fifty two species in the Cymbidium orchid family. Derived from a Greek word meaning hole or cavity, the name refers to the base of the lip of the flower and comes in different sizes. The larger flower grows at high altitudes and generally grows in tropical and subtropical Asia in countries such as China, Japan, India, Borneo, Malaysia and the Philippines as well as northern Australia.

These wonderful flowers have been making a comeback recently as more of us discover that they are more tolerant of cold, as low as 28 F for short periods of time, than many other species and feature gorgeous displays of large blooms in winter when few other orchids can bloom. Many of us prefer the newer miniature varieties since they are more manageable. They make wonderful house plants and floral arrangements and are as popular in corsages as the Cattleya orchids.

These special flowers are among the most beautiful and long lasting of all of the orchids. They often have twenty or more blooms to a spike and these thick waxy blooms last for months. You can grow them on your windowsill but most need more room than that to grow. All but the smallest of blooms love to spend most of the year outdoors after the threat of frost is gone. Frost will kill them if you’re not careful. If you live in the middle or coastal regions of the U.S., or other temperate countries, they can be outdoors from spring through fall. They will grow quickly and then the flowers are on display during the winter months. I have my cymbidiums on an outdoor balcony and leave them out until the night temperatures fall to about 50 degrees in the fall. Lower than that, I bring them indoors. They do require more care than some of the other species but it’s worth it. Resistant to most insects, there are always some aphids around. Always follow label directions when treating with standard orchid products.

These lovely blooms need lots of water during the warm seasons. I drench the pots thoroughly with pure water and fertilize regularly. Bi-monthly should be often enough. Salts accumulate in tap water and the leaf tips will turn black and die. Use you finger as a guide. The potting mix needs to be slightly damp. They can be kept a bit drier and fed less during the cool darker winter season. When they’re outdoors you can use a timed release fertilizer. Do avoid high nitrogen food because it will cause the leaves to grow at the expense of the blooms.

Approximately eight long, narrow green leaves grow out of the sheath of each pseudobulb, more leaves than most of the other orchids produce. These leaves should be apple green rather than dark green. During their growing season they need dappled sunlight, meaning about 50% shade. If the leaves are dark green, they need a bit more sunlight in order to produce good blooms. Direct sunlight can burn the leaves. Due to the popularity of hybrids, only a couple of the cymbidiums are grown in nurseries. Their normal habitat is continually shrinking but they are usually found more in botanical gardens. I’ll bet you didn’t know that the Cymbidium hookerianum is cooked in a spicy curry or stew in Bhutan. They call it olatshe.

These beautiful plants grow to a height of 60 cm (about 22”) and the flowers can have a diameter of 5 to 10 cm (2” to 4”), depending on their species. Each plant can have fifteen or more flowers. The incredible color range includes cream, yellow, white, green, yellow-ish green, brown, pink and red/orange. There can even be markings of other shades within the bloom at the same time. However there is no blue or black. The blooms can last as long as ten weeks and are waxy. What more can you ask from this bit of paradise.

The following video is the best I’ve seen about Cymbidium Orchids and I highly
recommend that you take a few minutes to watch its entirety. Enjoy!

Naturally grown in loamy humus, these orchids send their thin roots well into the mixture so they are ideally suited to being potted. Growers normally recommend using perlite, peat moss or fir bark or any type of loose organic material in various combinations. A commercial mix usually works well. I divide my plants when I repot them in the spring.

We do have the option of acquiring knowledge of these enchanting plants from the Cymbidium Society of America, which was founded well over forty years ago. The group tries to develop and disseminate all of the information we need to learn how to grow and enjoy our wonderful new hobby — Cymbidium Orchids. They have a bimonthly journal that includes information for the beginner orchid grower to an advanced grower. The effort is worth the energy expended.

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