{"id":42087,"date":"2022-12-15T20:32:48","date_gmt":"2022-12-16T04:32:48","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.aboutorchids.com\/blog\/?p=42087"},"modified":"2022-12-21T17:01:23","modified_gmt":"2022-12-22T01:01:23","slug":"big-bold-sobralia-blooms","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.aboutorchids.com\/blog\/2022\/12\/15\/big-bold-sobralia-blooms\/","title":{"rendered":"Big, Bold Sobralia Blooms"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.aboutorchids.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Sobralia_macrantha_4_1000px.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-42093 size-thumbnail\" src=\"http:\/\/www.aboutorchids.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Sobralia_macrantha_4_1000px-128x96.jpg\" alt=\"Sobralia macrantha, orchid species flower, purple flower, big flower, grown outdoors in Pacifica, California\" width=\"128\" height=\"96\" srcset=\"http:\/\/www.aboutorchids.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Sobralia_macrantha_4_1000px-128x96.jpg 128w, http:\/\/www.aboutorchids.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Sobralia_macrantha_4_1000px-300x225.jpg 300w, http:\/\/www.aboutorchids.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Sobralia_macrantha_4_1000px-768x576.jpg 768w, http:\/\/www.aboutorchids.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Sobralia_macrantha_4_1000px.jpg 1000w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 128px) 100vw, 128px\" \/><\/a><a href=\"http:\/\/www.aboutorchids.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Sobralia_macrantha_3_1000px.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-42092 size-thumbnail\" src=\"http:\/\/www.aboutorchids.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Sobralia_macrantha_3_1000px-96x128.jpg\" alt=\"Sobralia macrantha, orchid species flower, purple flower with water drops, big flower, grown outdoors in Pacifica, California\" width=\"96\" height=\"128\" srcset=\"http:\/\/www.aboutorchids.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Sobralia_macrantha_3_1000px-96x128.jpg 96w, http:\/\/www.aboutorchids.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Sobralia_macrantha_3_1000px-225x300.jpg 225w, http:\/\/www.aboutorchids.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Sobralia_macrantha_3_1000px.jpg 750w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 96px) 100vw, 96px\" \/><\/a><a href=\"http:\/\/www.aboutorchids.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Sobralia_macrantha_6_1000px.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-42095 size-thumbnail\" src=\"http:\/\/www.aboutorchids.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Sobralia_macrantha_6_1000px-96x128.jpg\" alt=\"Sobralia macrantha, orchid species flower and leaves, purple flower, big flower, grown outdoors in Pacifica, California\" width=\"96\" height=\"128\" srcset=\"http:\/\/www.aboutorchids.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Sobralia_macrantha_6_1000px-96x128.jpg 96w, http:\/\/www.aboutorchids.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Sobralia_macrantha_6_1000px-225x300.jpg 225w, http:\/\/www.aboutorchids.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Sobralia_macrantha_6_1000px.jpg 750w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 96px) 100vw, 96px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>This Sobralia orchid has been a reliable <a href=\"http:\/\/www.aboutorchids.com\/blog\/category\/cool-growers\/\">cool-grower<\/a> in our garden for over a decade. Its <a href=\"http:\/\/www.aboutorchids.com\/blog\/2012\/10\/20\/latin-orchid-names\/\">scientific name<\/a>, <em>Sobralia macrantha<\/em>, means &#8220;big-flowered Sobralia&#8221; and it&#8217;s no lie. These large, purple blooms with their frilly <a href=\"http:\/\/www.aboutorchids.com\/blog\/2020\/04\/16\/lovely-orchid-lips\/\">lips<\/a> can span 10 inches (25 cm,) but mine are usually a little smaller. A few years ago, <a href=\"http:\/\/www.aboutorchids.com\/blog\/2016\/10\/16\/a-big-purple-sobralia-orchid\/\">I moved this plant indoors for a while<\/a>, thinking it might grow better with more warmth and less wind. Eventually, I moved it back <a href=\"http:\/\/www.aboutorchids.com\/care\/details\/outdoor.html\">outside<\/a>, and it seems happier. Since then, the plant has given me great, extended blooms, with each blossom lasting as long as five days. It flowers repeatedly throughout the year, especially in autumn and winter, despite our challenging coastal climate. In the past couple weeks, we&#8217;ve had storms with winds over 55 mph (89 kph) and occasional <a href=\"http:\/\/www.aboutorchids.com\/blog\/2010\/11\/27\/hail-no\/\">hail<\/a>, so the flowers may be battered, but fresh ones keep coming.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.aboutorchids.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Sobralia_macrantha_1_1000px.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-42090 size-thumbnail\" src=\"http:\/\/www.aboutorchids.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Sobralia_macrantha_1_1000px-96x128.jpg\" alt=\"Sobralia macrantha, orchid species flower bud with water drops, purple flower bud, big flower, grown outdoors in Pacifica, California\" width=\"96\" height=\"128\" srcset=\"http:\/\/www.aboutorchids.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Sobralia_macrantha_1_1000px-96x128.jpg 96w, http:\/\/www.aboutorchids.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Sobralia_macrantha_1_1000px-225x300.jpg 225w, http:\/\/www.aboutorchids.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Sobralia_macrantha_1_1000px.jpg 750w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 96px) 100vw, 96px\" \/><\/a><a href=\"http:\/\/www.aboutorchids.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Sobralia_macrantha_2_1000px.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-42091 size-thumbnail\" src=\"http:\/\/www.aboutorchids.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Sobralia_macrantha_2_1000px-128x96.jpg\" alt=\"Sobralia macrantha, orchid species flower with lip still unfurling, purple flower, big flower, grown outdoors in Pacifica, California\" width=\"128\" height=\"96\" srcset=\"http:\/\/www.aboutorchids.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Sobralia_macrantha_2_1000px-128x96.jpg 128w, http:\/\/www.aboutorchids.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Sobralia_macrantha_2_1000px-300x225.jpg 300w, http:\/\/www.aboutorchids.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Sobralia_macrantha_2_1000px-768x576.jpg 768w, http:\/\/www.aboutorchids.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Sobralia_macrantha_2_1000px.jpg 1000w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 128px) 100vw, 128px\" \/><\/a><a href=\"http:\/\/www.aboutorchids.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Sobralia_macrantha_8_1000px.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-42097 size-thumbnail\" src=\"http:\/\/www.aboutorchids.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Sobralia_macrantha_8_1000px-96x128.jpg\" alt=\"Sobralia macrantha, close-up of orchid species flower lip, purple flower lip with water drops, flower opening, big flower, grown outdoors in Pacifica, California\" width=\"96\" height=\"128\" srcset=\"http:\/\/www.aboutorchids.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Sobralia_macrantha_8_1000px-96x128.jpg 96w, http:\/\/www.aboutorchids.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Sobralia_macrantha_8_1000px-225x300.jpg 225w, http:\/\/www.aboutorchids.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Sobralia_macrantha_8_1000px.jpg 750w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 96px) 100vw, 96px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Sobralias are notorious for short-lived flowers, and my orchid friends are always surprised that these can last five days, instead of the typical one or two. I think cool <a href=\"http:\/\/www.aboutorchids.com\/care\/details\/temperature.html\">temps<\/a> here on the foggy Northern California coast may help them last longer. The species can grow up to 7 feet (2.1 m) tall, but my plant only reaches 1.5 feet (0.46 m,) probably because of our strong winds.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.aboutorchids.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Sobralia_macrantha_9_1000px.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-42098 size-thumbnail\" src=\"http:\/\/www.aboutorchids.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Sobralia_macrantha_9_1000px-96x128.jpg\" alt=\"Sobralia macrantha, close-up of orchid species flower lip and column, purple flower lip with white and yellow in throat, big flower, grown outdoors in Pacifica, California\" width=\"96\" height=\"128\" srcset=\"http:\/\/www.aboutorchids.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Sobralia_macrantha_9_1000px-96x128.jpg 96w, http:\/\/www.aboutorchids.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Sobralia_macrantha_9_1000px-225x300.jpg 225w, http:\/\/www.aboutorchids.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Sobralia_macrantha_9_1000px.jpg 750w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 96px) 100vw, 96px\" \/><\/a><a href=\"http:\/\/www.aboutorchids.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Sobralia_macrantha_5_1000px.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-42094 size-thumbnail\" src=\"http:\/\/www.aboutorchids.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Sobralia_macrantha_5_1000px-128x128.jpg\" alt=\"Sobralia macrantha, close-up of orchid species flower lip and column, purple flower lip with white and yellow in throat, big flower, grown outdoors in Pacifica, California \" width=\"128\" height=\"128\" srcset=\"http:\/\/www.aboutorchids.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Sobralia_macrantha_5_1000px-128x128.jpg 128w, http:\/\/www.aboutorchids.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Sobralia_macrantha_5_1000px-300x300.jpg 300w, http:\/\/www.aboutorchids.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Sobralia_macrantha_5_1000px-768x768.jpg 768w, http:\/\/www.aboutorchids.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Sobralia_macrantha_5_1000px.jpg 1000w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 128px) 100vw, 128px\" \/><\/a><a href=\"http:\/\/www.aboutorchids.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Sobralia_macrantha_7_1000px.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-42096 size-thumbnail\" src=\"http:\/\/www.aboutorchids.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Sobralia_macrantha_7_1000px-96x128.jpg\" alt=\"Sobralia macrantha, orchid species flower and leaves, purple flower, big flower, grown outdoors in Pacifica, California\" width=\"96\" height=\"128\" srcset=\"http:\/\/www.aboutorchids.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Sobralia_macrantha_7_1000px-96x128.jpg 96w, http:\/\/www.aboutorchids.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Sobralia_macrantha_7_1000px-225x300.jpg 225w, http:\/\/www.aboutorchids.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Sobralia_macrantha_7_1000px.jpg 750w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 96px) 100vw, 96px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Native to rainforests from Mexico to Costa Rica, <em>Sobralia macrantha<\/em> grows up to 11,000 feet (3353 m) elevation. Mine receives <a href=\"http:\/\/www.aboutorchids.com\/blog\/2011\/03\/29\/let-the-sunshine-in\/\">morning sun<\/a>, regular <a href=\"http:\/\/www.aboutorchids.com\/care\/details\/water.html\">water<\/a>, <a href=\"http:\/\/www.aboutorchids.com\/care\/details\/fertilizer.html\">fertilizer<\/a>, and <a href=\"http:\/\/www.aboutorchids.com\/care\/details\/humidity.html\">plenty of fresh air<\/a> outdoors. I give it less water in cooler winter weather. This orchid proves that nobody needs warm, tropical conditions to enjoy big, bold blooms.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>This Sobralia orchid has been a reliable cool-grower in our garden for over a decade. Its scientific name, Sobralia macrantha, means &#8220;big-flowered Sobralia&#8221; and it&#8217;s no lie. These large, purple blooms with their frilly lips can span 10 inches (25 cm,) but mine are usually a little smaller. A few years ago, I moved this [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[15,12,3,6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-42087","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-cool-growers","category-fragrant-orchids","category-growing","category-photos"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.aboutorchids.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42087","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.aboutorchids.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.aboutorchids.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.aboutorchids.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.aboutorchids.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=42087"}],"version-history":[{"count":49,"href":"http:\/\/www.aboutorchids.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42087\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":42146,"href":"http:\/\/www.aboutorchids.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42087\/revisions\/42146"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.aboutorchids.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=42087"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.aboutorchids.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=42087"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.aboutorchids.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=42087"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}