AboutOrchids

One of my favorite groups working to conserve orchids is OrchidMania, based right here in San Francisco. Non-profit and all-volunteer, their mission is to support grassroots HIV/AIDS prevention and relief around the world. They accomplish this by using orchids. OrchidMania raises money through regular orchid sales, and donates the proceeds to HIV/AIDS organizations in the […]

To welcome the longest day of the year (in the Northern Hemisphere, that is,) I have some cheery pink Epidendrum flowers. Happy summer! Here in San Francisco, it’s a hot one, 94 F (34 C) in the shade at 1:00 in the afternoon. Where’s that cool SF fog when I need it? This Epidendrum lives […]

There are a few of days of spring left, so it’s still repotting season. It’s best to repot orchids in the spring, and I have lots of orchids, so I always seem to be trying to catch up with this gardening chore. Doing this in spring, just as most are starting a cycle of growth, […]

Well, a little sub-tropical heat wave, anyway. We’ve had almost 3 weeks of fog-less days, unusual weather for this time of year in San Francisco. For the past few days, it’s stayed in the 80’s or 90’s F (27-37C.) That’s warm for us, since the fog bank usually starts to air-condition the coast in spring. […]

OK, I know I did a non-orchid garden post just a few weeks ago, but the backyard garden has really burst into bloom this month. Dave took some more great pictures, so I couldn’t resist. On the left is a Gazania flower after a morning watering. On the right is the extraordinary flower from a […]

Today’s orchid related vocabulary word is lithophyte. Pronounced “LITH-ah-fayht,” it rhymes with “lip-oh-fight.” A lithophythe is a plant that grows attached to rock. Sound like science fiction? Well, just as orchid roots can attach to tree trunks and branches, some can also attach to rocks. Lithophytes may sink their roots into crevices and absorb nutrients […]

Climate change, pollution, habitat destruction, and over-collection threaten the survival of orchid species all over the world. IUCN, the International Union for Conservation of Nature, is one of many worthy organizations working hard to save orchids and the environment. They maintain a list of plants and animals facing extinction, and this list includes many orchids. […]

So many people think of orchids as delicate and fragile, but this little Sarcochilus hartmanii is one tough plant. Related to Phalaenopsis and Vanda, in the wild Sarcochilus grow as lithophytes, or rock plants. Their roots attach to cliff-face rocks in eastern Australia, holding on despite strong ocean winds. They can handle a wide range […]