AboutOrchids

Canada’s Bruce Peninsula Orchid Festival isn’t a show, but a wildlife tour. On June 1 & 2,, enjoy the chance to see Southern Ontario’s native orchids blooming in the wild. Festival events include hikes, workshops, and tours with orchid experts (many activities require reservations.) Since 44 of Canada’s 77 native orchid species grow in the […]

Sure, orchids are great, but wouldn’t it be nice to just stick one in the ground like a regular plant? Well, you can do just that with the Chinese Ground Orchid, or Bletilla. If you can grow a tulip or a daffodil, you can grow a Bletilla. Resembling Cattleyas, their charming flowers have ruffly ridges […]

I didn’t learn much in my high school biology class, but many years later, I can still remember one thing: King Phillip Came Out For Green Seeds. That sentence, stuck in my head thanks to the power of mnemonics, is a useful memory trick for the levels of scientific classification of all living things: Kingdom, […]

Here’s the second half of the list of orchids that I’ve grown outdoors in San Francisco. There’s no greenhouse, so they live constantly exposed to the elements. Sun lovers like the Epidendrums, Sarcochilus, Sobralia, and Zygo live on the back deck, and receive full afternoon sun when the fog retreats. Shade lovers like the Dracula, […]

Lady slippers, aka slipper orchids, amaze and inspire. Many orchid lovers specialize in growing these fascinating beauties. If you received a lady slipper gift for Mother’s Day, it’s most likely a Paph, or Paphiopedilum. Over 100 Paph species have been crossbred into countless hybrids. Their flowers all have a distinctive pouch which makes the blooms […]

Orchids make it easy to celebrate Mother’s Day. Whether given as potted plants or cut flowers, orchids elicit delight and wonder. With a few orchid care basics, many types can stay in bloom for weeks or months. In addition, they rarely cause allergy problems. To help flowers last their longest, check out these tips on […]

Biologists from William & Mary College in Virginia are looking for Lady Slippers. They’ve found some rare Cypripediums growing wild near campus, and these Lady Slippers are very finicky about where they live. They need precise growing conditions, both for themselves and for a mutualistic fungus which lives in their roots. In addition, natural selection […]

A sunny yellow Mexican orchid is here to celebrate today’s Cinco de Mayo fiesta. This mini Oncidium relative takes its name from its home country, and it’s easy to pronounce: say “Mexico” and add “-ah” to the end. Mexicoas grow on oak trees in mountain forests in the Mexican states of Jalisco, Michoacan, Guerrero, Mexico, […]

May brings lots of flowers as orchid events take place around the globe. Many happen in time to find great Mother’s Day gifts in the USA, Australia, and South Africa. May 3 – 5 North Star Orchid Circle Show, Burpengary Plaza, 177-183 Station Rd., Burpengary, Queensland, Australia May 4 New Mexico Orchid Guild Show, ABQ […]