AboutOrchids

Orchids make wonderful green holiday gifts, since they cost about the same as cut flowers, but can last much longer. Phalaenopsis, Paphiopedilum, and Dendrobium orchids can often hold their flowers for weeks or even months. Take advantage of these orchid shows to add some tropical flowers to your December holidays. December 6 Acadian Orchid Society […]

Apropos to the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday here in the USA, the back garden has been in abundant bloom, and there’s beauty all around to inspire gratitude. These pictures are from the past couple weeks, when we were having some unusually warm November weather. This female Anna’s Hummingbird stopped long enough at the feeder for a […]

Cymbidiums are popular orchids, and here on the California coast, Cymbidium blooming season has started. This yellow one, possibly Cymbidium Golden Elf ‘Sundust,’ is a hybrid of Cymbidium ensifolium, which has traditionally been grown in China, Korea, and Japan for centuries. To grow these beauties with their sweet, richly scented flowers, you need to provide […]

What would you say if I told you it’s possible to take a trip through the rainforests of the world without a single can of bug spray? You can with Rainforestby Ben Morgan and photographer Thomas Marent. Marent spent 16 years traveling the world, taking pictures in rainforests on 5 continents. This gorgeous coffee-table book […]

I’ve heard orchid growers say that if nothing’s dying, then you’re not learning anything. True to form, when I kill an orchid, I try to figure out what went wrong so that I don’t repeat the mistake. With my coroner’s hat on, I’ll show you these pictures from happier times, before this orchid kicked the […]

Besides saving whales and fighting corporate polluters, Greenpeace has successfully saved orchids and their habitats for decades. By working to preserve rainforests and wetlands, Greenpeace ensures essential wild spaces that orchids need. Over the years, their work has protected ancient forests all over the world, including orchid habitats in Brazil, Central Africa, and Indonesia. Greenpeace […]

Look at that name again — it’s not a Dendrobium, but a Dendrochilum. Both kinds come from Southeast Asia, but Dendrochilums are a separate genus, distinguished by their chains of small flowers. This Dendrochilum tenellum is widespread among many islands of the Philippines, where it is native to cloud forests in mountainous areas. Near the […]

More people kill their orchids through overwatering than any other cause. Fall is particularly perilous time for overwatering, as plants start to go dormant, but people unwittingly continue the same watering regimen as they did in the growing season. With too much water, orchid roots will rot, and the leaves will follow. So this is […]