This week’s Orchid Wise Orchid of the Week is… Cym. Julie Hoagland Ford
Parentage: This week’s Orchid of the Week is a cross between Cym. Gateway to Gold x Cym. Purely Dreaming
Registered: 2025
The reason why it’s our Orchid of the Week:
My wife absolutely loves pure yellow flowers, and fortunately, Cym. Julie Hoagland Ford delivers brilliantly on that front! Furthermore, I personally appreciate the flower’s pointed petals — indeed, I prefer this shape over the more rounded shapes that judges currently favour on the show bench.
George Hatfield bred Cym. Julie Hoagland Ford in the U.S., and he used a wonderful yellow from Bryant’s Orchids — namely Cym. Purely Dreaming — on one side of the cross. As a result, the lineage carries real quality. In fact, Cym. Purely Dreaming draws on several plants that I’m quite fond of in the background: Cym. Balkis, Cym. Alnwick Castle, Cym. Melinga, and Cym. Sirius.
A medium standard on upright spikes, this Cymbidium orchid would truly stand out in any collection. That said, I do worry that the pointed shape — currently out of favour with the judges — would make any headway on the show bench. Nevertheless, I firmly believe it’s worth growing, if only for that stunning colour alone.
Ultimately, I would add this plant to my collection simply to bring my wife joy! Beyond that, I’m eager to see what breeders could achieve by crossing Cym. Julie Hoagland Ford with Cym. Portuguese Passion, or alternatively, by crossing it back onto Cym. insigne — one of its species ancestors — just to discover what exciting results might emerge.
The above image was borrowed from Facebook post in the Cymbidium Collector’s Group.
Tracing the plant’s heritage, as registered, using Orchid Roots, its primary species ancestors are Cym. insigne, Cym. lowianum and Cym. hookerianum.