Laelia anceps 'Constellation'
A select offspring from the selfing of the esteemed flower 'SanBar Marble King'. The blooms of the plants offered here are very full and shapely, creamy white, and the bright-white lip has a small, purple accent. The throat is yellow-green with dark. True to its species this plant is a very robust grower. . Temperature Tolerant. January blooming. Species from Mexico.
Orchid of the Day: November 28, 2015

Laelia anceps 'Mr Chrismans First Orchid'
Named in honor of Mr. Chrisman himself, the founder of our nursery the Santa Barbara Orchid Estate, the plants offered here are divisions of the very same plant of the very first orchid he purchased in 1947 at Thrifty Drug Store in Beverly Hills! He had a lifetime interest in plants, and he was a forestry major at Oregon State. Although he worked as an insurance executive for his career it was ten years after that, as a retirement project, that he opened this nursery in Santa Barbara with Paul Gripp as his first employee.

As its origin affirms this is a very easy growing orchid variety with jaunty star-shaped flowers, three to four inches across, displaying the soft purple-pink color and bold lip that are classic to this species. This variety is also remarkably compact for a Laelia anceps, with the overall height when in bloom at just about 24 inches tall.
The wet Winters of 2023 and 2024 proved that this species must be protected from Winter dampness as even the tree-mounted mother plant struggled to dry out because of the increased shade caused by nearby trees over time. Our potted and mounted divisions are now guarded from the seasonal rains where the direct Winter sun can dry them quickly when the rain is over.

Now early October of 2025, our mother plant in our Chrisman Garden has about 20 spikes, which might be in bloom for
* * * SBOE's 2025 Fall Open House, November 7th - 9th.* * *

For the upcoming 3-day weekend, besides our usual open days of Friday and Saturday, we will be open 10am-2pm on both Sunday October 12th and Monday October 13th.

Established blooming-size divisions from our mother plant, each with : 1 flower-spike, 3 mature green bulbs, potted in three-and-one-quarter inch pots.

Temperature Tolerant. November blooming. Species from Mexico.
Orchid of the Day: October 10, 2025

Laelia anceps 'SanBar Marble King', AM/AOS
The most famous, and successful, breeding quality Laelia anceps. The petals are opaque white and have a shapely fullness; the lip is white with a green and gold throat patterned in maroon stripes. Very strong floral substance (sturdy flower parts). Former winner of Best in Show at the Santa Barbara International Orchid Show! This top quality L. anceps undoubtedly deserves the moniker of "King"!

Established blooming-size divisions from our mother-plant.

Temperature Tolerant. December - January blooming. Species from Mexico.
Orchid of the Day: October 31, 2022

Laelia anceps 'SanBar Parade Day'
This late blooming lavender 'Wallbrunn' type is among our showiest and productive display plants. Grows to become a terrific specimen!

Established blooming-size divisions from our mother-plant.

Temperature Tolerant. November - December blooming. Species from Mexico.
Orchid of the Day: October 5, 2021

Laelia anceps 'SanBar Pink Perk', HCC/AOS
A beautifully shaped Laelia anceps from the 'Pink Perfection strain' breeding line. Flower petal color is clear soft pink, darker along the midline of the petals; the lip is a creamy white with purple and more pink on the edge, and the throat is yellow with red lines. When awarded by the American Orchid Society, the flower had a natural spread of 9.8 cm and a petal width of 4.5 cm.
Temperature Tolerant. January blooming. Species from Mexico.
Orchid of the Day: December 21, 2020

Laelia anceps 'SanBar Pink Porcelain'
A lovely cultivar from the "Pink Perfection" line of breeding. The flowers are large, shapely, and share the distinctive and unusual soft, shell-pink coloring that gives this line of breeding its name. . Temperature Tolerant. December - February blooming. Species from Mexico.
Orchid of the Day: September 22, 2016

Laelia anceps 'SanBar Pink Splendor'
Another stunning member of our exceptional "Pink Perfection" line of breeding. True to form, this plant produces big, full flowers of the distinctive powder-pink hue of its pedigree, accented by a vibrant, deep pink lip. In addition to all its elegant beauty the plant retains the resilience of its light-loving species, thriving outdoors through Winter and Summer alongside the hardiest orchids. In all, this is a plant worthy of its "Pink Perfection" pedigree!

Established blooming-size divisions from our mother-plant.

Temperature Tolerant. December blooming. Species from Mexico.
Orchid of the Day: November 1, 2022

Laelia anceps 'SanBar Pink Triumph', AM/AOS
A very full and shapely clone from the Pink Perfection Strain line of breeding. The color is a soft lavender-pink with a light purple tint. . Temperature Tolerant. January - February blooming. Species from Mexico.
Orchid of the Day: January 4, 2015

Laelia anceps 'SanBar Pink Virtue', AM/AOS
An award winning, shell-pink beauty from our 'Pink Perfection Strain' breeding line! The flower color is clear shell-pink and the cream-colored lip has a strong pink edge and a yellow center with red stripes in the throat. Winner of the 'Best Orchid of Show' and an Award of Merit at the March 12, 2010 S.B. International Orchid Show!

Established blooming-size divisions from our mother-plant.

Temperature Tolerant. January - February blooming. Species from Mexico.
Orchid of the Day: November 15, 2021

Laelia anceps 'SanBar Pinkie', HCC/AOS
One of the finest of the Pink Perfection line. The phenomenal pedigree of this plant is from the combination of two outstanding Laelia anceps cultivars, 'Wallbrunn' AM/AOS and 'SanBar Marble King' AM/AOS; and is setting new standards for size and shape in the Laelia anceps group. The plant offered here is true to form with it exquisite shape and shell-pink hue with vibrant lip accent. . Temperature Tolerant. January - February blooming. Species from Mexico.
Orchid of the Day: December 1, 2015

Laelia purpurata 'Santa Catarina'
A beautiful semi-albescent form of the "Queen of Brazilian Summer". Flowers are 6 inches across, the petals white with light purple striations, the lip, violet with yellow in the throat. Temperature Tolerant. July - August blooming. Species from Brazil.
Orchid of the Day: July 25, 2018

Laelia Splendid King 'Ice Castle'
A wonderful, stand-out flower from the cross between Laelia Splendid Spire and Laelia anceps 'SanBar Marble King'. This variety stands out because it inherited the white petal color and the robust flower and plant texture of its Laelia anceps parent, instead of the lavender color most of its siblings show from the Laelia Splendid Spire parent. This bold, cream-white flower has a colorful lip: large yellow and purple markings and burgundy stripes in the throat.
This cross was awarded an Award of Quality and has produced six, quality, award winning cultivars thus far.

Established blooming-size divisions from our mother-plant.

Temperature Tolerant. November - December blooming.
Orchid of the Day: November 16, 2021

Laelia Splendid King 'Purple Pageant', AM/AOS
This is perhaps the most intensely colored flower from this cross. The flowers are a rich lilac-purple with a vibrant yellow and white lip with a magenta-purple margin, and blooms as a cluster on a long, stiff stem up to three feet in length. This cross was awarded an Award of Quality at the end of 2010 and has produced six, quality, award winning clutivars thus far. From the cross between Laelia Splendid Spire and the famous breeder flower Laelia anceps 'SanBar Marble King'. . Temperature Tolerant. January blooming.
Orchid of the Day: December 9, 2017

Laelia Splendid Spire 'Crescendo'
A lovely, select variety of this large and robust primary-hybrid, from the cross between Laelia anceps and Laelia splendida species. Clusters of large star-like flowers, peach-pink overlaid with suffuse lavender, each with a bold lip of magenta and creamy yellow. The blossoms are held well above the large foliage on strong tall stems, overall, mature plants can stand up to 3 feet tall when in bloom.
This is a light-loving plant that produces its best flower color when grown and bloomed in bright conditions. Established, base blooming-size divisions from the original plant.
Temperature Tolerant. January - February blooming.
Orchid of the Day: January 27, 2021

Laelia Splendid Spire 'Rose Queen'
Blooming in clusters on tall, slender stems the beautiful, rosy-tinted beige color and outstanding shape of these flowers sets them apart. The lip is a rich satin-pink, and the bright yellow and white throat has red stripes. A primary hybrid between Laelia splendida and Laelia anceps.

Established blooming-size divisions from our mother-plant.

Temperature Tolerant. January - February blooming.
Orchid of the Day: September 28, 2021

Laeliocattleya Bryan Wheeler 'Grandson', AM/AOS
Large, rosy-lavender flowers - up to six inches across! - with a dark burgundy-red lip and golden veins in the throat. The wide, ruffled petals each have a broad, slightly darker, magenta accent at the tip. Mature plants can have four flowers per spike. . Temperature Tolerant. April blooming.
Orchid of the Day: April 27, 2016

Laeliocattleya Caitlin Joan
A fantastic show! Despite the miniature foliage these lavender-pink flowers are up to four inches across, each with a deep pink lip and a yellow throat. From our cross Laelia pumila x LC Rosemary Upton. A great outdoor, Cymbidium companion that should also do well indoors in high light conditions. . Temperature Tolerant.
Orchid of the Day: September 6, 2015

Laeliocattleya Caligula
A primary hybrid between the Mexican species Laelia anceps and the Venezuelan species Cattleya perciviliana. As expected the form of both the plant and flower reflects a balance between the parents' traits: the flowers shape and substance resemble Laelia anceps while Cattleya perciviliana imparts fuller flowers and a shorter spike habit. . Temperature Tolerant. December blooming.
Orchid of the Day: October 16, 2019

Laeliocattleya Lanai Nani
This spectacular hybrid gets bold color and pattern from both parents: Lc. Mari Song, with its' show-stopping splash-petal pattern, and the brilliantly colorful Lc. Dorothy Fiene. The main photo above gives an idea of the gorgeous range of floral displays, and all seem to share that colorful lip! A great feature of this beautiful hybrid is how well its' compact growth and shorter foliage showcase the large blossoms. So far, these first-bloom seedlings stand about 10 inches tall, although mature plants will likely stand a few inches taller.

Established blooming-size seedlings. 'Seedlings' are the offspring of pollination; as siblings they may have similarities, yet each seedling is unique and no two are identical in exact color or shape. There is no way to tell ahead of time exactly which display each seedling will favor. Enjoy the surprise!

Temperature Tolerant. October-November blooming.
Orchid of the Day: October 1, 2022

Laeliocattleya Linda Bregante
These bold seedlings deliver large, luscious, colorful flowers, clearly the best of both parents: the huge and richly colorful Cattleya Okarchee 'Dark Thunder', and the robust and spectacularly splash-petaled Laeliocattleya Miss Wonderful 'Empire'.

These vibrant seedlings have flowers rich mauve to fuchsia hues, and most display that "splash" petal pattern that comes through so readily in the offspring of Miss Wonderful. Each blossom is about four to five inches across and are held either singly or in loose clusters well above the foliage. The resilience and robust growth of these plants make them excellent Cymbidium companions, reaching a height of about 20 inches tall when mature.

Established blooming-size seedlings. Seedlings are the offspring of pollination, and some may be similar, yet each seedling is unique and no two seedlings are identical. Enjoy the surprise!

Temperature Tolerant. April blooming.
Orchid of the Day: March 26, 2021

Laeliocattleya Miss Wonderful 'Sublime'
This eye-catching flower has magenta petal-splash with delicate white stripes along the mid-line, and blush sepals with lavender suffusion. From the cross between Laeliocattleya Mari's Song and Laelia anceps 'Mendenhal'. . Temperature Tolerant. September blooming.
Orchid of the Day: September 9, 2014

Laeliocattleya Orange Embers 'Santa Barbara'
This hybrid captures the best of both parents (Laelia Santa Barbara Sunset 'Showtime' x Cattleya aurantiaca). The sprays of bright orange are so exquisitely vibrant that they almost seem to glow from across the lath house! A wonderful companion plant to Laelia Santa Barbara Sunset because it extends your bloom season a little later.
Temperature Tolerant. February - March blooming.
Orchid of the Day: November 24, 2020

Laeliocattleya Sylvan Sprite 'Blythe Spirit', HCC/AOS
Full flowers of a pink-lavender blush suffused over bright white grace this winter blooming hybrid. From the cross between Laeliocattleya Puppy Love and Laelia rubescens. A great plant for outdoors with the Cymbidiums, or indoors in high light conditions. . Temperature Tolerant. November - December blooming.
Orchid of the Day: October 8, 2019

Lyonara Over Easy 'Sun Kissed'
A vibrant, deep yellow lip accents the white, star-shaped flowers. The flowers bloom in clusters of two or three, and are held above the foliage on slender stems that can reach up to one foot long. From the cross between Schombocattleya Jamaica Plenty and Laelia anceps fma. alba. We find to be this an irregular bloomer, especially on small plants, but its unusual color combination and distinctive bulb shape makes it very popular at SBOE. . Temperature Tolerant. September-October blooming.
Orchid of the Day: June 30, 2020