AboutOrchids

After enjoying the polished perfection of an orchid show, it’s an interesting contrast to see some wild orchids. In the wild, orchids endure damage from wind, rain, animals, and insects. Other plants grow over and around them. Jungle debris accumulates and rots away.

When you’re surviving in the wild, perfection is a luxury. These eaten and beaten orchids aren’t in a beauty pageant. They’re  just trying to bloom and reproduce like any plant, and they don’t worry about appearances. A few dead leaves or dried pseudobulbs won’t kill the deal.

The Law of the Jungle may seem brutal, but orchids have evolved to be tough enough to make it. Take these imperfect specimens as consolation that a beaten-up orchid can still have some life in it. Even if a judge won’t give a ribbon to a munched-up Phal, the orchid doesn’t care. It’s just trying to survive another day in the jungle.

There were so many remarkable orchids at this year’s Pacific Orchid Expo that it would be impossible to fit them into just one post. For example, these first two photos show stunning Phal hybrids. The third photo shows a smaller Phal species that’s native to the Philippines. It may be less showy, but it’s important in the Phal family tree as one of the original parents used to create hybrids.

Have you ever seen a leafless orchid? Like the famous Ghost Orchid, the small Chiloschista orchid in the next two shots has chlorophyll in its roots. In the third photo, an unusual Australian Pterostylis does have leaves, although you can’t see them here. It’s known as the King Greenhood, and it’s related to the smaller greenhood species I keep.

These Masdevallias were also among the show’s spectacular specimens. Also in the Masdevallia family, the frilly and colorful leaves of this tiny Lepanthes compensate for its minuscule flowers.

Finally, strange Gongora flowers give the impression of flying birds. With petals stretched back like wings, they fly around their flower spike. These sweetly scented flowers last less than a week, and like the annual orchid show, require patience for next year after they’re gone.

On cue for spring, orchid shows all over the world invite you to see amazing orchids, and meet local growers and vendors. This month, major shows are taking place in Taiwan, London, Santa Barbara, San Diego, Montreal, Chicago, Sao Paulo, and Sydney.

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If you saw me at Pacific Orchid Expo 2010, it’s likely I looked like a kid in a candy store. Eyes wide, I’m at the mercy of the sights and scents as I jump from one orchid treat to the next. Fortunately, unlike candy, photos have no calories.

Whether it’s new hybrid colors on a Cymbidium or an Epidendrum, or a fascinating Dendrobium species, each one is its own special delight. This year’s ‘Carnaval’ theme also added to the show’s flavor, as seen with an eye-catching Mardi Gras mask made from Cymbidiums.

With remarkable individual orchids and breathtaking mass displays, it’s easy to become engrossed by tens of thousands of orchids at the show. So if I saw you there and didn’t say hello, sorry about that. I was just a kid lost in a candy store.

These 3 pictures from last year’s show should be enough to convince you to come to this year’s Pacific Orchid Expo. If you need more convincing, or just want to see more pictures, check out this link to a local news story about the show. Held at Fort Mason, the San Francisco Orchid Society’s annual event is the largest orchid show in the nation. This year’s theme is “Carnaval” celebrated with vibrant orchids. The show runs from Friday, Feb. 26 through Sunday, Feb. 28, with a special Gala Benefit on Friday night. There will be thousands of orchids on display, and thousands more for sale. Vendors come from all over California and the West, and even Hawaii and South America. See you there…

Besides orchids, few flowers inspire more superlatives than Heliconias. These blooms scream tropical. Sometimes called lobster-claws, wild plantains, or false birds-of-paradise, their bizarre flowers have wild colors and shapes.

These remarkable blooms are actually small flowers encased in large, colorful bracts. Some varieties have flower spikes that grow more than 8 feet (2.4 m) long. Heliconia flowers can hang down, stick up, or have a horizontal direction. Many have zig-zags and twisty-turns that seem to defy the imagination.

Heliconias are banana and ginger relatives, and it’s no surprise that they’re hummingbird favorites. They’re native to jungles of tropical America and some Pacific Islands. These photos show plants growing in a rainforest climate at Hawaii Tropical Botanical Garden. In colder areas, some Heliconias can be grown outdoors as container plants, and moved indoors for winter.

If you’re ever in a tropical rainforest, and you’re wondering where the orchids are, look up! After all, most orchids are epiphytes, or air plants, which live in the forest canopy. In the wild, they attach to tree trunks and branches. Roots grow into cracks and crevices of the bark, but they don’t harm the trees. Often the orchids are high up and tough to see, but Hawaii Tropical Botanical Garden has lots of spectacular specimens in view.

Orchids share the crowded trees with ferns, bromeliads, vines, mosses, lichens, insects, birds, lizards, and a miraculous variety of other living things. Even when out of bloom, it’s possible to spot orchids by looking for webs of white roots attached to trees or hanging in the air. Rain is usually plentiful, but constant high humidity keeps these roots from drying out if rains are scarce.

These exposed roots help demonstrate how orchids differ from other houseplants. You can clearly see why orchid roots need good air flow and water drainage. Regular potting soil is too dense. Loose mixtures of bark or moss simulate jungle conditions by allowing air and water to pass through. That’s how potted orchids allow us to enjoy some of the rainforest canopy without having to strain our necks.

Whether you had a nice valentine’s weekend or not, I’ll think you’ll enjoy this NPR story and remarkable video of a frustrated bee. The objects of the bee’s intentions are orchids that leave him brokenhearted with pollen stuck to his head. C’est l’amour, but it provides a great close-up of orchid pollination. Here’s a direct link to the same video in the story.

If you did have a better valentine’s weekend than that bee, maybe you received a gift orchid, and now you’re terrified that you’re going to kill it. Relax — it’s very likely that your gift is a tough hybrid, and with some basic orchid care info, it’s no harder to grow than other houseplants.

• All orchids need bright light and high humidity. Low humidity will cause the flowers to wilt quickly.
• It helps to identify your orchid so you can learn its specific light, temperature, and water needs. You don’t need to figure out its exact name, just the family of orchids where it belongs.
• Don’t worry about watering your orchid right away. Depending on what kind of orchid you have, and whether it’s in winter dormancy, it may not need water for several weeks.
• You’ll eventually need to remove wrapping paper, ribbons, or decorative containers if they’re blocking the holes in the bottom of the flower pot. Orchids need good air flow and water drainage around their roots, and they’ll quickly rot if left sitting in water.

As cut flowers and live plants, orchids are more popular than ever for Valentine’s Day and Chinese New Year. No matter whether you’re celebrating love, the Year of the Tiger, or both, here are some orchid buying tips:

• Moth Orchids and Lady Slippers are great choices since their blooms can last for months, and they can survive low light levels often found in homes and offices.
• Cattleyas are the classic corsage orchid, with large, elegant flowers. Most have strong fragrances, and their blooms can last for weeks.
• Look for freshly opened flowers, with no shriveled buds. If the blooms are already open, it’s tougher to tell how long they’ll last. If there are a few unopened buds, you’ll be able to enjoy watching the flowers unfurl.
• On live plants, leaves should appear healthy and firm, not floppy or too soft. A few small blemishes may not indicate any problem, so if the plant seems to be in good shape, don’t make that an automatic disqualifier. Avoid plants with yellow or black leaves.
• For care purposes, it will really help to identify your orchid. Look for a plant with a name tag, or ask the vendor. It’s not necessary to know the exact name, just the family of orchids to which it belongs. If you can’t identify it, follow these generic orchid care guidelines.
• Bows, ribbons, and wrapping paper eventually need to be removed when watering so they don’t block essential drainage. Orchid pots must have holes in the bottom for water and air to flow through.

“Buy a hybrid” is good advice when you’re buying a car, and also when you’re buying an orchid. Hybrids are great choices for Valentine’s gifts, especially for people new to orchids. They’re easier to grow and have showier flowers than most species. You can check out orchid buying basics in my previous posts here and here. Below are 3 great examples of the thousands of hybrid varieties available, including a Phal, a Cattleya, and a Wilsonara.

For over a century and a half, orchid lovers have been crossbreeding different orchid species. Many resulting hybrids bloom with larger, more colorful, and longer-lasting flowers than their parent species; often they can survive some degree of abuse or neglect. New hybrids constantly top these remarkable standards.

Most orchids sold are hybrids. If you’re buying at a supermarket or big box store, it’s almost guaranteed that you’re purchasing a hybrid. The same hybrid vigor that allows mass-produced orchids to be shipped across oceans and highways guarantees you a tough plant. Many florists and garden centers carry only hybrids, however you can ask which are hybrids and which are temperamental species. You’ll probably only encounter orchid species at some florists and online vendors like Andy’s Orchids, a species specialist. If you want to tackle the pickier needs of an orchid species, Andy’s is a great place to start. But unless your valentine is an experienced orchid grower, stick with hybrids. Remember that you should never take orchid species from the wild or buy wild orchids (it’s illegal, and the plants probably won’t survive the shock anyway.)

You can tell whether an orchid is a hybrid or a species by its name, but many orchids lack name-tags at all, and complicated hybrid names can be written incorrectly. If you’re ready to dive into understanding orchid names, take a deep breath and start here.

One more orchid buying tip: if it’s below freezing where you live, try not to expose unprotected orchids to the cold air. For some orchids, just a few seconds of freezing temps can kill the flowers or the plant. Cover the plant, heat your hybrid car, pull right up to the exit, and pack in your hybrid orchid.