Archive for the 'Books' Category
Thursday, October 27th, 2011
As Halloween quickly approaches, it’s the perfect time for a few creepy carnivorous plants. They’re helpful orchid allies, providing superb natural pest control, and they make great green alternatives to toxic pesticides. Bug-eaters come in many forms. Most famous are Venus Fly Traps, but there are also hundreds of varieties of pitcher plants, and many […]
Categories: Books, General Gardening, Photos, Problems
Comments: 7 Comments
Tuesday, October 11th, 2011
Miniature orchids have all the beauty of their larger cousins, but only take a fraction of the space. These tiny treasures enable orchid lovers to assemble a tropical collection in a single room, on a windowsill, or under lights. Mini forms exist in the Phal, Catt, Cymbidium, Dendrobium, Masdevallia, and Oncidium families, to name a […]
Categories: Books, Mini Orchids, Photos
Comments: 6 Comments
Tuesday, December 14th, 2010
I’ve always known that orchids are good for me, and now I have proof in How to Grow Fresh Air: 50 House Plants that Purify Your Home or Office by Dr. B.C. Wolverton. Common orchid varieties like Phals and Dendrobiums are among the top houseplants to filter airborne toxins. Wolverton details the best plants to […]
Categories: Books
Comments: 5 Comments
Friday, October 29th, 2010
Some orchid growers rely entirely on artificial light, while others, like me, use it to supplement lower sunlight levels in autumn and winter. No matter which category you’re in, you’ll find essential lighting info in Growing Orchids Under Lights. This American Orchid Society book focuses on practical light solutions for your home, office, or greenhouse. […]
Categories: Books, Growing
Comments: 5 Comments
Wednesday, May 12th, 2010
A blooming Ghost Orchid is a very rare sight, so imagine my surprise when I spotted this beautiful specimen in an ice rink. Made famous with the bestselling book The Orchid Thief and the movie Adaptation, Ghost Orchids are rare in the wild, tough to grow, and uncommon in cultivation. It’s the holy grail for […]
Categories: Books, Events, Fragrant Orchids, Photos, Warm Growers
Comments: 10 Comments
Thursday, May 6th, 2010
With a bewildering variety of orchid choices for Mother’s Day, it helps to know some basics. Commonly sold orchids have varying charms and care needs, and you wanna pick what mama’s gonna like. For example, if mom likes bright colors, you might try Phals, or Moth Orchids. They can delight with weeks or even months […]
Categories: Books, Buying Tips, Fragrant Orchids, Photos
Comments: 7 Comments
Saturday, March 20th, 2010
I’ll start today’s celebration of spring with a few nice photos. The first is a sweetly scented Iwanagara, a Cattleya hybrid. Next is a Paph species native to China, and then a Jasmine that’s bursting into bloom in our back garden. Here in San Francisco, we set a record high of 80F (27C) yesterday, and […]
Categories: Books, Conservation, Fragrant Orchids, In the News, Misc, Photos
Comments: 6 Comments
Friday, December 11th, 2009
If you’re looking for the perfect holiday gift, check out Moth Orchids: The Complete Guide to Phalaenopsis by Steven Frowine. This beautiful book is the definitive text on the most popular orchids in the world. With hundreds of gorgeous photos and excellent illustrations, Frowine provides a thorough and enjoyable text on the entire Phal family. […]
Categories: Books, Fragrant Orchids, Warm Growers
Comments: 5 Comments
Tuesday, September 29th, 2009
For orchid lovers who live in tropical areas like Hawaii, and subtropical areas like Florida or the California Coast, attaching orchids to a tree can be a fascinating way to see how they really grow. While it’s true that “Mother Nature intended for orchids to grow in trees,” there are some pitfalls to tying a […]
Categories: Books, In the News
Comments: 4 Comments
Tuesday, August 4th, 2009
Good news is always welcome in the battle for orchid conservation. I was happy to see a story in a Virginia newspaper about changes made in a hospital’s construction to save a native orchid found on the grounds. The Small Whorled Pogonia is one of the rarest orchids in North America, ranging from Ontario and […]
Categories: Books, Conservation, In the News, Orchids in the Wild
Comments: 5 Comments