AboutOrchids

As the largest and most diverse flower family, orchids abound with strange shapes, exotic designs, and brilliant colors. This month’s Orchids in the Park offered plenty of floral magic. The photos start with a large Lycaste bloom, a captivating Odont species, and an elegant fan of Cirrhopetalum flowers. Next, the twisted petals of this Maxillaria […]

The Winston-Salem Journal posts a thorough response to an orchid virus question. The column covers a lot of details, including how to kill orchid viruses by sanitizing pots and clippers with a 10% bleach / 90% water solution. Streaked colors on flowers and deformed growth might mean an orchid virus has infected a plant, and […]

Celebrate today’s change of season with these gems from last weekend’s Orchids in the Park. The annual event put on by the San Francisco Orchid Society featured a multitude of treasures. Here’s a small sample — The colors, scents, and shapes of orchids are certainly spectacular. Unexpected patterns emerge, like those of the Phal species […]

As summer winds down, floral delights abound in our back garden. A quick tour starts with a magnificent Masdevallia, which has been in constant bloom since April. This speckled purple species seems to have the resilience of a hybrid, at least in our mild coastal climate. Next is a brilliant yellow, purple, and white Cyrtochilum, […]

The Orchid Society of San Francisco hosts its annual Orchids in the Park show and sale this weekend, September 15 – 16. Held in the County Fair Building in Golden Gate Park, the event also includes orchid care demos, lectures, and raffles. In case you need any more enticement, check out a few photos from […]

At MNN.com, the Mother Nature Network takes a tour of the world’s best botanical gardens, and finds plenty of orchids among them. To compile their list, MNN asked plant experts to consider their favorites, and also included gardens with rarities and historical importance. Not all of the listed gardens have orchids, but some house the […]

Cattleyas are orchid royalty. For generations, their brilliant colors, exotic shapes, and rich perfumes have made them prime choices as elegant corsages. These photos of Cattleya species and hybrids illustrate only a few from thousands of varieties. Orchid growers often refer to them as “Catts,” and say “Cattleya care” to encapsulate their growing needs:  bright […]