AboutOrchids

Our late spring garden is full of great sights and smells, and even tastes and sounds. Orange nasturtiums are common sights in California gardens. Their flowers and leaves are edible, with a peppery flavor. However, the snails make a feast of them much more often that we do. The pink roses have a beauty and [...]

The Orchid Conservation Alliance (OCA) is a non-profit organization dedicated to conserving orchids in their native habitats. OCA supports numerous projects to preserve orchids around the world. With the backing of individuals, orchid societies, prominent scientists, and orchid vendors, OCA places emphasis on saving wild rainforest habitats. Some of the strategies of organizations supported by [...]

Jan-Marie took so many amazing picture from her visit to Singapore Botanic Gardens that I couldn’t possibly fit them into one post. I’ll start with more Vandas and Dendrobiums.

These warm growers epitomize the word orchid. With the largest display of tropical orchids in the world, Singapore Botanic Gardens has been a pioneer in orchid breeding [...]

Our good friend and cat-sitter extraordinaire, Jan-Marie, recently enjoyed a trip to Malaysia and Singapore, where she visited Singapore Botanic Gardens. The Republic of Singapore is a small island nation located very close to the equator, so naturally this former British colony is home to many tropical orchids.  Singapore is also one of the world’s [...]

I’m a week late to celebrate the Mexican holiday of Cinco de Mayo, but this Mexican native shows no signs of finishing its fiesta of color. Laelia anceps is a Cattleya relative that’s easy to grow, and one of the toughest orchids around. It holds its large, star-shaped flowers high up on flower spikes that [...]

We recently enjoyed a visit to Mercer, Pennsylvania, where Dave’s parents live. Dave’s Mom (and my Mother-in-Law) Brenda has a beautiful garden, so we’re sending a virtual Mother’s Day card with some pictures we took during our trip. Happy Mother’s Day, Brenda!

Mercer is in an area of western Pennsylvania that has a typical climate for [...]

Did you know that Mother’s Day was not started by a greeting card company, but by Julia Ward Howe in 1870 as an anti-war holiday? And speaking of Mother’s Day, there’s no better gift for mom than an orchid. Whatever the occasion for an orchid purchase, here are some tips on getting the most for [...]