AboutOrchids

We’re celebrating a milestone in our garden: orchids which have been in continuous bloom for over a decade! These brilliant red Epidendrums have thrived outdoors here in San Francisco, surviving 10 years of strong winds, heat waves, grey winters, heavy rains, close to freezing temps, occasional hailstorms, and battles with raccoons. Through it all, they’ve kept their blooms. Typically, each plant boasts more than a dozen flower clusters rising above it.

Reed-stem Epidendrums come in a wide palette of brilliant colors, and are well suited for outdoors in tropical and sub-tropical areas. Individual flowers can last for many weeks, and new ones are constantly opening. And I must admit that they’ve bloomed for so long that I take them for granted in the garden scenery. They were originally a gift from an acquaintance living in San Francisco’s Forest Hill neighborhood. She had found them growing wild in her garden many years earlier, when she first moved into her home.

These vigorous plants frequently form seed capsules after pollination by Anna’s Hummingbirds. The capsules take several months to swell up, and then burst open, releasing clouds of minuscule seeds to float in the wind. Seedlings can grow to flower in three years. The mature plants also continually make keikis, so they’re easy to share, and I’ve given many to friends and neighbors over the years. It’s a guarantee that these tough orchids will be around for decades to come.

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This entry was posted on Thursday, August 29th, 2013 at 5:00 am and is filed under Cool Growers, Photos.

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