(Cattleya, Christmas Cattleya, Corsage Orchid)

Distinguished by the spice-musky fragrance of its pink-lavender and magenta ruffled blossoms, Cattleya percivaliana is a winter-blooming corsage orchid that is often referred to as the Christmas cattleya. An epiphytic (growing on another plant) or lithophytic (growing on a moist rock) tender perennial from the mountains of Venezuela, it will form a lush, heavy clump in frost-free gardens.

An oblong, stiff, leathery green leaf grows from each stout pseudobulb in the plant cluster. In...

(Cattleya, Corsage Orchid, Purple-lipped Corsage Orchid)

Long-lasting and boldly fragrant, Cattleya porphyroglossa adds springtime interest with its starry flowers of golden olive-brown and violet lips. More easily called the purple-lipped cattleya or corsage orchid, this tender perennial orchid is native to the trees along rivers in southeastern Brazil's swampy forests. It is epiphytic (growing on another plant) and will form a lush, dense cluster on a tree branch, or in a wood/wire basket or weighted pot in frost-free gardens.

Two oblong,...

(Cattleya, Corsage Orchid, Four-colored Corsage Orchid)

With fragrant flowers that never fully expand but resemble waxy white cups, very late winter heralds the white, rose, yellow and violet flowers of Cattleya quadricolor, the four-colored cattleya. This tender perennial orchid grows in the upper reaches of trees on the eastern slopes of the Andes in Colombia. This corsage orchid is epiphytic (growing on another plant) and will form a lush, dense cluster upon a tree branch, wood/wire basket or weighted pot in frost-free gardens.

One oblong,...

(Cattleya, Corsage Orchid)

Having a deliciously sweet aroma, the frilly lavender blooms of Cattleya schroederae have petal lips with an intense yellow-orange disc, occurring in late winter into spring. An epiphytic (growing on another plant) tender perennial orchid from Colombia, Schroeder's corsage orchid will vigorously form a lush, dense cluster upon a tree branch, wood basket or heavy pot in frost-free gardens.

Only one long, stiff, leathery green leaf grows from each slender pseudobulb. It typically grows...

(Cattleya, Corsage Orchid, Triana Corsage Orchid)

One of the most delicately beautiful of all the corsage orchid species, Cattleya trianaei is admired for its fragrant, ruffled, pastel winter flowers. An epiphytic (growing on another plant) tender perennial orchid from Colombia, it will form a lush, dense cluster upon a tree branch, wood basket or heavy pot in frost-free gardens. This species has produced many clones that orchidists have extensively used for breeding to create some of the finest hybrids (grexes) of corsage orchids known...

(Cattleya, Corsage Orchid)

One of the most prized corsage orchid species, but finicky in its cultural needs, Cattleya violacea produces fragrant, rose-tinted lavender-violet flowers. An epiphytic (growing on another plant) tender perennial orchid from the northern and western areas of the Amazon Basin in South America, where it grows in trees near rivers and in a climate that is warm and humid for twelve months. It will form a small cluster upon a tree branch, wood basket or wood slab in frost-free gardens. This is...

(Cattleya, Corsage Orchid, Deceiving Cattleya, Dolose Cattleya)

A vigorous, consistent bloomer, Cattleya x dolosa is beloved for its fragrant, pale purplish-pink, spring flowers. This tropical orchid is lithophytic, which means it grows on rocks, and is commonly believed to be a naturally occurring hybrid between Cattleya walkeriana and Cattleya loddigesii, both from southcentral Brazil. Easy-to-grow and vigorous, it will form a lush, dense cluster upon a tree branch, wood basket or heavy pot.

Two stiff, oblong, leathery...

(Corsage Orchid, Patrocinio's Cattleya)

With a catchy name and pretty wavy-petaled pink to deep rose flowers in autumn, Cattleya x patrocinii, Patrocinio's cattleya, is a medium-sized epiphytic (growing on another plant) tender perennial. It is native to southeastern Brazil and a naturally occurring hybrid between Cattleya warneri and Cattleya guttata. This orchid will form a leggy cluster upon a tree branch, or in a wood basket or heavy pot in frost-free gardens.

Two stiff, oblong, leathery light...

(California Lilac, Santa Barbara Ceanothus, Victoria Wild Lilac, Wild Lilac)

A drought-tolerant hybrid California lilac, 'Victoria' produces lots of alluring blue flowers in early summer. It has dense, evergreen foliage and an appealing bushy habit. Some speculate that this cultivar is synonymous with Ceanothus 'Skylark.'

The glossy, dark green leaves of this selection have deep, conspicuous surface veins. Lots of showy, elongated clusters of sky blue flowers appear in mid to late spring. Butterflies love the beautiful blooms.

For best results, grow 'Victoria'...

(Ceanothus)

Dark glossy leaves are found on this small deciduous shrub. The open, loose branch tips are are topped with fluffy pink flower panicles for many weeks in summer. Parent plants of pink ceanothus are Ceanothus delilianus and Ceanothus ovatus.

This hybrid pink ceanothus likes a full sun exposure in a light, well draining soil. It will tolerate warm dry sites. It seems unaffected by and tolerant of summer waterings, which is not typical of most ceanothus. Since flowering occurs...