Orchids: Growing oncidiums

Q: I'm intrigued by oncidium orchids. Are they as easy to grow as phals? — Trish

A: The look of a Dancing Lady orchid is exotic. Each flower is a masterpiece and the best the industry has to offer.

The oncidium family of orchids is broad and contains many close relatives with similar growth habits. Examples include miltonia (Pansy), brassia (Spider) and odontoglossom.

Here are three hybrids worth investing in. All are considered easy to grow and have been around for many years. Expect tall spikes (up to 30 inches) that last for six weeks or more. These plants have been cloned and widely distributed, so their blossoms are easily recognizable.

• Winter Wonderland: A stunning hybrid featuring large, snowy star-shaped blossoms that rival the size of standard phalaenopsis. Often there are two and occasionally three flower spikes, each with six to 10 puffy buds that open in succession over several weeks. Subtle burgundy speckles surround the center of the throat.

Technically, this hybrid is a combination of three genera. The reason the flowers are so large is that the breeding includes odontoglossum, a large-flowered, cool-growing orchid. Fortunately, Winter Wonderland can take our hot summers, thanks to another parent plant, brassia. Despite the seasonally suggestive name, don't be surprised if this plant blooms in the summer. The oncidium family is free-spirited when it comes to blooming season.

• C.M. Fitch: This lovely creation has large, star-shaped flowers with beige polka-dotted petals and a pastel-pink throat. The flower spikes arch gracefully over the floppy leaves, each boasting up to a dozen buds. Technically, a miltassia is a combination of miltonia (Pansy) and brassia (Spider). The flowers have the creepy look and subtle fragrance of a brassia, but with the much wider throat and longevity of a miltonia.

• Wildcat: Tigerlike varieties such as Leopard, Jaguar and Ocelot give away the coloring — yellow or white striping against a dark background. There is even a solid burgundy variety, Chadwick, which in the 1990s was awarded the Award of Merit from the American Orchid Society.

Wildcat is a tried-and-true hybrid that blooms year after year and sports rich dark-green foliage. The flowers are relatively small at 1.5 inches wide, but there are dozens on many branches. The tag says odontocidium, which is a combination of odontoglossom and oncidium. The diminutive blossoms and warm tolerance can be attributed to the oncidium parent.

Few orchids are as easy to grow as phalaenopsis, which require only low light in order to bloom for months. However, every moth blossom looks just like the next in shape and style. Sometimes the public craves something a little different.

From a growing standpoint, oncidiums require a little more light than phals and prefer to be outside for the summer. Expect many repeat performances from oncidiums.