Coelogyne lawrenceana is a beautiful species which has become well known for having large, well displayed, pleasantly scented flowers (some of the largest in the genus). Although well regarded as a species in its own right, it is also present in quite a few of the hybrids, where it contributes towards long-lived, large flowers, as well as (in some cases) more upright flower spikes giving a sequential display. The species hails from Vietnam and grows at a variety of altitudes. At least one hybrid, C. Mem. William Micholitz, appears to be a natural hybrid with C. mooreana, so this gives you some idea of the span of its geographical range.
While it appears to be an easy-to-grow species it is, in some respects, utterly infuriating. The flower spikes are notoriously slow to develop (up to several months for some clones) and the spikes frequently produce only one bloom (although they are, for a Coelogyne at least, quite long-lived). The plants seem determined to climb out of their pots due to the pseudobulbs typically being several centimetres apart on long rhizomes, each pseudobulb growing sequentially higher than the previous. The new growths will only root if they are in direct contact with the potting medium, meaning that it feels like I spend my life dividing and re-potting it, and although it doesn’t appear to mind (or notice), it never reaches specimen size. The relatively wide space between growths also means, of course, that flowering is never as dazzling as it otherwise could be. Add to this it’s frankly alarming habit of having very wrinkled and dehydrated-looking pseudobulbs, despite it being well watered and having a healthy, robust root system (a habit it passes to its progeny), as well as possessing permanently browning leaf tips (another habit it passes on to its progeny), you’d think I was trying to discourage you from growing it.
However, for all its faults, it also grows and flowers easily, and appears to be temperature-tolerant (a friend of mine grows this species several degrees cooler than I do, and does equally well with it, though he also complains of many of the above problems), as well as being able to tolerate uneven watering (the wrinkling of the pseudobulbs doesn’t appear to cause any detriment to the plant).
I have been experimenting with methods of growing some of my more hard-to-accommodate Coelogyne species and hybrids (specifically C. pandurata and C. Green dragon). I have similar problems with length of rhizome and gently climbing habit with both of the above, and my solution is to have them growing in inclined lengths of gutter pipe. It’s early days yet, but it appears to be suiting them. I wonder whether C. lawrenceana may respond to this method, too!