C. Dinard ‘Blue Heaven

[southernbelle]

This one started my cattleya obsession. I saw it with 15 flowers on 5 spikes (2014 +-) and had to have it. It came from Floradise and when it finished blooming Janet repotted it dividing it into 3 plants, as it was overgrown. I killed 2 of the 3 divisions over the next couple of years but one made it and survives today. TerryRos has a division. It grows well but I don’t get more than 2-3 flowers at a time, sometimes 1. Here are how different the blooms can be. Oct 2017, Feb 2019, Sept 2020 and Dec 2020.

 

[monocotman]

Stunning clone!
I‘m still looking for one,
David

 

[JustinR]

Stunning indeed . My seedling is slowly coming along, putting out some new roots now...

 

[southernbelle]

I

Stunning clone!
I‘m still looking for one,
David

if you weren’t in England…. I have seen them on a couple of occasions from Waldor. you might contact Dave Off at Waldor, he likely has one even though it’s not listed. And I’m pretty sure he’s has the permits to ship it. There is one on eBay right now from someone in Venice, Florida but I doubt if they could ship to you.

 

[terryros]

Deb, it looks like both shape and coloration are varying for you. Can you even make a guess about the health/maturity of the plant for the different blooming, as well as whether you think the temperature has made any difference?

 

[southernbelle]

I opened my grow room in May of 2017. It bloomed that Oct. for the first time for me after getting enough light, finally. If memory serve, I’d grown it for 4 years after the original purchase as a foliage plant. My eastern exposure windowsill didn’t provide enough light. So, I was on your light temp schedule exactly for the first couple of years. Then I modified them a bit. I’ll email them to you so you can compare by month of bloom because you will want to see the months leading up to the bloom.

 

[big923cattleya]

I would bet that Palmer Orchids in the Sarasota area of Florida might have one.
If there is one on e-bay from the Venice area of Florida, there are a few vendors there that I could vouch for. Plantio is one along with Florida Suncoast!!
I know both Raphael and Jim Roberts very well and they would not sell you crappy orchids!

 

[KyushuCalanthe]

That's some kinda lip!

 

[DrLeslieEe]

That's some kinda lip!

That lip is likely the best ‘blue’ lip of the genus. Too bad the petals are all over the place.

 

[southernbelle]

That lip is likely the best ‘blue’ lip of the genus. Too bad the petals are all over the place.

Yep, it really is too bad! Hard to even imagine perfect form in the petals with that lip

 

[big923cattleya]

I have nothing against C. Dinard, it is beautiful.
For me, I have always been partial to C. Canhamiana ‘Azure Skies’. But honestly, any good collector of ‘blue Cattleyas’ should have both.

 

[Carmella.carey]

I saw one of these for $125 a bulb at Chadwick's last year. About how many bulbs did the divisions have and how much did they cost?
-Patrick

 

[big923cattleya]

I am assuming we are talking about a bare root division? Ideally, Cattleya divisions should have a minimum of 3 bulbs. That’s $375! No way would I ever consider buying any orchid for that kind of money! What if it dies? It is a bare root division.

 

[southernbelle]

I saw one of these for $125 a bulb at Chadwick's last year. About how many bulbs did the divisions have and how much did they cost?
-Patrick

Wow, that seems way beyond the norm!

 

[NEslipper]

That lip is just incredible. The petals are the reason I haven’t yet brought myself to try to find a division. The photos I’ve seen of the FCC ‘Veronica’ clone are as close to perfection as it gets. That lip with incredible petal form. Hopefully, someone will be able to clone that plant and make it widely available. The originally Dinard cross was registered in 1930, does anyone know where/when these blue forms turned up? I can’t imagine they’re from the original cross…

 

[NEslipper]

I am assuming we are talking about a bare root division? Ideally, Cattleya divisions should have a minimum of 3 bulbs. That’s $375! No way would I ever consider buying any orchid for that kind of money! What if it dies? It is a bare root division.

I wonder if those were divisions of either the original plant or the awarded plant? I would expect those to be priced above the norm, although, I believe Chadwick’s sold some clones on eBay this summer that went for near that amount. The plant hasn’t been widely available the past few years, so maybe that’s what the market will bear right now.

 

[big923cattleya]

The blue forms of Dinard come from remaking Dinard using coerulea or blue parents.

 

[big923cattleya]

There have been several remakes of C. Dinard. I sincerely doubt that any of the originals are still around. That was 92 years ago!!! 92 years is a long time for a human to live let alone an orchid.

 

[terryros]

This is speculation, but if Cattleya Dinard 'Veronica' did not die it likely belongs to that segment of of fantastic orchid plants that become like collectable works of art. With the 2016 FCC certificate in hand the plant would never again be taken for judging. The private owner has adequate resources and does not need to meristem the plant to make money. The owner carefully controls who gets a division. Members of the small circle who own 'Veronica' also have the incentive to keep the plant special and valuable by not mericloning the plant.

 

[big923cattleya]

However, things do die.
I have had the misfortune of getting two awards and both plants died less then 2 years later.
It was like, ‘mission accomplished’, I am going to rest eternally now.
I had the occasion of leaving a few other awarded plants of mine in Florida when I moved in 2018 to Michigan. I left two with a sunnier grow person because they were sun loving plants, a Vanda and a Catasetum hybrid. I get images every time that they bloom.
I left a few others with some one who can provide cooler shade. I get images from her too.