AboutOrchids

With Hurricane Dorian barrelling towards landfall, Motes Orchids in Florida offers helpful info about how to prepare orchids for a big storm. Their tips include: Keep orchids dry, then saturate them several hours before the storm. The water adds weight to the pots, which may keep them from blowing away. It also prepares plants in […]

I’ve sorted through more photos from last month’s Orchids in the Park event in San Francisco, and it’s easy to see why I always rave about it. With thousands of flowers, it’s a veritable feast for the eyes, nose, and mind. The vast orchid family provides a constant new supply of wonders, even for those […]

The International Odontoglossum Alliance (IOA) is a great resource for everyone who loves this family of cool growing orchids. Odontoglossums, called Odonts for short, are native to high elevations in the Andes. There are many popular varieties like the species and hybrid in the photos above. Foggy climates, like the San Francisco Bay Area, suit […]

Orchids are not just denizens of the tropics; they live almost everywhere in the world. Even the high elevations of Colorado’s Four Corners region host many native species. Two of them are shown here: the Fairy Slipper, or Calypso bulbosa, and the Bog Orchid, or Platanthera. My mother-in-law took these photos in early July while […]

Head to the Royal Botanic Garden Sydney this week to see a native Australian orchid in its full splendor. Dendrobium teretifolium is sometimes called the Rat’s Tail Orchid because of its long, skinny leaves. However, when it bursts into bloom, it earns another nickname, the Bridal Veil Orchid, with cascades of creamy white flowers. The […]

Orchids in the Park is San Francisco’s summer orchid show, and it’s always full of delights. At last month’s event, I heard many visitors gasping in wonder as they walked though the front door. Everyone from novices to experts could find something to marvel at. The weird and wonderful flowers in this post were only […]