# C. maxima coerulea ‘Natural World’ x self



## southernbelle (May 5, 2021)

Mild fragrance. Not crazy about this form, but beautiful color and prolific bloomer. Last photo shows truest color


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## dodidoki (May 5, 2021)

I love it....a threw away most of my catts these days, but this one is one of the survivals.


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## terryros (May 5, 2021)

Mine is so much smaller and hasn’t bloomed. Your roots are more robust. Maybe it will like the Hydroton or maybe I have a dud. What light intensity are you giving it? I was always worried about the shape of maxima but wanted one and thought this selfing would be a good one. I thought the color would be darker and more metallic.


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## Ozpaph (May 6, 2021)

i think it would look better in natural light.


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## DrLeslieEe (May 7, 2021)

The one rule of maxima is that they will almost never conform to ideal cattleya form of flatness or roundness. They will often be skinny and scraggly.

Unless you have a selected division.

That deconstructed form is what is appealing about them. They look wild and free.

OzPaph is right. Best color is seen in sunlight, under shade or reflected sunlight.


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## tomp (May 7, 2021)

SB, C.maxima is a beautiful reminder that “full round and flat“ is not necessarily what nature prefers. Gorgeous color, nice fragrances and the free form are ours to appreciate. The Japanese have a concept for this aesthetic. It a world view known as wabi-sabi.
Wabi-sabi is the appreciation of the imperfect, the impermanent and the incomplete in nature.


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## PeteM (May 7, 2021)

Many of you have been busy this week it seems, I'm just catching up with all the new threads in the this section.
Very cool Deb., wow look at all these blooms. I subscribe to Tomps point of view on the wabi-sabi. I wonder if you could enhance these features in some way by repotting with a Japanese technique. Taller thinner cymbidium pot, mounted in a plant raft on a funky piece of drift wood, Potted like a Neo., or bonsai. Where is KyushuCalanthe / 'BotanyBoy' when you need him. Exciting to think what you can do / play with on this front.. not many have something this fun in their collection, definitely a keeper.


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## southernbelle (May 8, 2021)

I think I let it get too dry with all the climbing roots as the two older canes only have one flower each.


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## southernbelle (May 8, 2021)

Someone asked for one in natural light. 


Here’s a shot outside on a bright overcast day.


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## DrLeslieEe (May 8, 2021)

What beauty the blue is!!


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## Ozpaph (May 8, 2021)

MUCH better photo. Great colour!
Thanks


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## southernbelle (May 8, 2021)

Ozpaph said:


> i think it would look better in natural light.


I posted a photo down this thread in natural light. Not unlike the 3rd photo above.


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## Guldal (May 9, 2021)

I wasn't convinced by your first photos, Belle, but by Jove, as the Brits would have said back then, out in the free it's stunningly gorgeous!


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## southernbelle (May 9, 2021)

Guldal said:


> I wasn't convinced by your first photos, Belle, but by Jove, as the Brits would have said back then, out in the free it's stunningly gorgeous!


Thanks!! This forum is good in that it’s made me appreciate this plant.


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## southernbelle (May 9, 2021)

terryros said:


> Mine is so much smaller and hasn’t bloomed. Your roots are more robust. Maybe it will like the Hydroton or maybe I have a dud. What light intensity are you giving it? I was always worried about the shape of maxima but wanted one and thought this selfing would be a good one. I thought the color would be darker and more metallic.


It’s at about 225 PAR. I got it in July of 2017. It bloomed in May of 2018 (1 flower); Dec of 2018 (1); Oct of 2019 (2) and this month (7). Although, as I mentioned, two of the 3 spikes had only 1 flower each. Don’t know if it was underwater, or what. Those two are smaller leads on the opposite side of the plant. It climbs so air roots galore. Will repot when it finishes bloom.


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## terryros (May 9, 2021)

southernbelle said:


> It’s at about 225 PAR. I got it in July of 2017. It bloomed in May of 2018 (1 flower); Dec of 2018 (1); Oct of 2019 (2) and this month (7). Although, as I mentioned, two of the 3 spikes had only 1 flower each. Don’t know if it was underwater, or what. Those two are smaller leads on the opposite side of the plant. It climbs so air roots galore. Will repot when it finishes bloom.


Mine really has a ways to go. The leaves are smaller and a different color! I will give it one more year to get going.


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## southernbelle (May 9, 2021)

terryros said:


> Mine really has a ways to go. The leaves are smaller and a different color! I will give it one more year to get going.


When did you get yours?


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## southernbelle (May 9, 2021)

Guldal said:


> I wasn't convinced by your first photos, Belle, but by Jove, as the Brits would have said back then, out in the free it's stunningly gorgeous!


Again, as with the duvaliana, my original photos show very dark on the computer vs. the phone (photos were taken on the phone). Natural light photos were taken on the phone, as well, however, present true to color on the computer. Now I see why you all said you liked these better!!


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## DrLeslieEe (May 10, 2021)

SB, though your monitors may not differentiate the colors of indoor and outdoor shots, the indoor lights casts a yellow tone to the pics, making the flower colors less bright and intense.

In natural light, the blues of the maxima and the red lip of the purpurata hybrid pop out.

That’s why in judging under indoor lighting, we always bring to sunlight to see ‘true’ color which may be dramatically different.

In fact, I’ve seen drabby flowers under flourescent glow in sunlight! That made a difference in the scoring, which is 30 points or more! A difference of an HCC and an AM is one point for a 79 point score!


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