A most astonishing genus, with the peculiar habit of inflorescences blooming downward from the plant and featuring remarkably sculpted, pendant, large, waxy, fragrant, creature-like flowers. While the flowers may only last a few days, their dramatic beauty makes them a favorite among orchid enthusiasts, and large specimens will produce masses of inflorescences blooming in succession for a much longer period of time. The main blooming season for Stanhopeas is summer-time, primarily July through September.
     Stanhopeas are natives of Central and South America and are easily cultivated in a range of conditions; many are temperature tolerant (27-100F) and can be grown outdoors year round in subtropical climates (indicated TT); others are intermediate to warm growers and are best off in a greenhouse or conservatory (lows of 55F, indicated Int). All should be grown in filtered light in hanging, open-mesh baskets that allow the flowers to come through the bottom, or mounted on slabs.
      We generally start a plant in a standard 3 or 4-inch plastic pot and after its first year or two of blooming, when it has outgrown the pot, transplant it into a basket lined with moss and filled with regular bark or coconut chips. Plants offered at list price are still in their starting-size plastic pot; multispike plants are priced higher accordingly (typically $10 per additional spike); larger plants in baskets start at $50 and up, plus shipping.
Note, not all listed plants are currently available. We try to maintain a list that is representative of our collection, which contains many different varieties, but often only a few of each variety. Listed prices reflect a minimum basic division; inquire about larger specimens.