AboutOrchids

If you could swing a kangaroo by the tail in Australia this September, I’m pretty sure you’d hit an orchid show. Aussies certainly love their orchids, but for those of us far from Oz, there are plenty of other events around the world. Orchid shows also abound in North America, Europe, South America, South Africa, […]

If our sunny deck weren’t covered with orchids, it might be covered with dahlias instead. These flashy perennials come in many different colors and shapes, and they are San Francisco’s official flower. We’ve made room for a few varieties in the back garden. These are just a drop in the bucket of dahlia shapes and […]

With record-breaking heat waves and droughts the new normal, orchid growers need to adapt. High temperatures can damage or kill plants, and prevent most types from blooming. Adjust orchid care during excessive heat to keep them healthy and growing. Most importantly in high temps, maintain good humidity and air movement. Warm growers, like Phals, Vandas, […]

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As a city dweller with limited growing space, I can always appreciate a mini orchid. I was immediately intrigued by this charmer in a 2-inch (5-cm) flowerpot for sale at last winter’s Pacific Orchid Expo. My reward came a few months later with these tiny, light pink blooms. While this species’ flower spike can reach […]

The Miami Herald has a Ghost Orchid alert! In Florida, the Audubon Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary has a Ghost Orchid blooming within sight of its visitor boardwalk. Earlier in the summer, this plant’s first flower buds became grasshopper snacks, but 5 new buds have survived and opened. Besides the name Ghost Orchid, this species also goes […]

With the ongoing London Olympics and the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee, it would be easy to think that the UK is too busy to notice wildflowers right now. But the Brits have long been avid gardeners, and they certainly have noticed this year’s bumper crop of native orchids. A mild winter followed by a warm spring […]

Every month, as shows happen around the planet, the global appeal of orchids is obvious. Houston, Toronto, Rio de Janeiro, London, Brisbane, and Johannesburg are only a few of the locales with events in August. August 2 – 7 Orquideas, Pajaros y Flores, Orquideorama del Jardin Botanico de Medellin, Medellin, Antioquia, Colombia August 3 – […]