Zygopetalum species

Greenish-yellow form of Zygopetalum

This is an unusual orchid that grows well in frost-free Sydney gardens (ht 45-60 cm). There around 15 species and a number of cultivars of these evergreen epiphytes, which hail from Central and South America. The exotic-looking flowers are fragrant, reminiscent of jasmine. The petals are marked with intriguing spots and stripes of maroon or purple, and they appear in flushes up to six times a year, but most profusely in autumn or early winter. One species is Zygopetalum mackaii, which has brown-spotted, green flowers with purple-veined white lips. Zygopetalum intermedium has waxy greenish-yellow flowers blotched with reddish-brown or crimson.

Potted Zypopetalum in the garden of the late Barbara Walker

Potted Zypopetalum in the garden of the late Barbara Walker

They are best grown in a spot with part or dappled shade, with protection from the afternoon sun in the hotter months. However, they like winter sun. They can be grown in a pot or basket filled with orchid bark, so they can be moved around to give them the optimal exposure to the sun depending on the time of year, or affixed to a deciduous tree, using a stocking filled with orchid bark as a pouch to hold the plant until it affixes itself to the trunk. Water the plants regularly and give occasional sprays of liquid fertiliser. Propagation is by division of the 'pseudobulbs'.