Archive for the 'Cool Growers' Category

Researchers Want to Learn the Secrets of the Western Prairie Fringed Orchid

Saturday, October 26th, 2024

The Western Prairie Fringed Orchid boasts showy white flowers standing on 2-foot (0.6 m) plants, but it’s not easy to find. Growing among tall prairie grasses, it blends in perfectly. Steve Travers, a biologist at North Dakota State University in Fargo, says “I have a hell of a hard time finding it sometimes. And when […]

A Decade Growing Orchids in Pacifica

Saturday, October 12th, 2024

Over ten years ago, Dave and I moved from San Francisco to nearby Pacifica. A decade later, I’ve learned about a lot about growing orchids so close to the ocean. Even though we’re only 10 miles (16 km) from our former home, it’s a very different microclimate. Now at 1/3 mile (0.5 km) from the […]

A Wood Rein Orchid Popped up in Pacifica

Sunday, September 15th, 2024

Until recently, the only wild orchids I’d seen around the SF Bay Area were non-native Weedy Orchids. So it was an exciting moment earlier this month when I spotted two beautiful flower spikes by a Pacifica hiking trail. They had dense clusters of small, unusual blooms. Dave and I could both see that the tiny […]

A Sparkling White Masdevallia Orchid

Monday, May 20th, 2024

These stunning white Masdevallia flowers are remarkable for their beauty, and also for what they show about orchid variability. Masdevallia coccinea is native to Colombia, where it lives high in the Andes from 8000-11,000 feet (approx. 2500-3500 m.) Known in Spanish as la banderita (little flag,) this species comes in a range of distinct colors. […]

Spring Equinox Orchids

Tuesday, March 19th, 2024

As spring begins today, these orchids have been flowering in our garden over the winter. Regular readers of this blog won’t be surprised that this post is heavy on the Cymbidiums, which are in the six photos below. The non-Cymbidiums in the six photos above include a Zygo, a Laelia, an Epidendrum, a Giant Hyacinth […]

Island Orchid Adapts to Find New Pollinator

Wednesday, January 10th, 2024

Like all living organisms, orchids adapt to survive. An orchid arrived on a remote island, without the bumblebee species which pollinates it. Goodyera henryi lives in parts of east Asia, including the Japanese mainland. When it reached Kozu Island, it might have died out without reproducing. However, Goodyera similis, a closely related species, also lives […]

More Blooms from a Legendary Masdevallia Orchid

Tuesday, November 28th, 2023

I’m captivated by this legendary Masdevallia veitchiana with its bold colors. In mid-October, it opened a gorgeous flower. A few weeks later, it was followed by a second, and then a third! The oldest blossom has been damaged by the elements, but it’s still standing tall. Together, all three are putting on a great show […]

A Legendary Masdevallia Orchid

Friday, July 7th, 2023

It only takes one look at this orchid to understand why it’s nicknamed the King of the Masdevallias, and is considered a national treasure of Peru. I bought this plant at last winter’s Pacific Orchid Expo, and was thrilled when it recently opened its first bloom, a brilliant orange flower with tiny purple hairs which […]

These Coral Root Orchids Are Welcoming Summer

Wednesday, June 21st, 2023

The warm and sunny colors of these Coral Roots Orchids are a perfect way to welcome the first day of summer. Coral Roots, or Corallorhizas, are strange, leafless orchids. They live underground except when they flower. With no chlorophyll, they instead take nourishment from fungi in the soil. The wild orchids in these photos are […]

Spring Orchids in Our Garden

Wednesday, May 10th, 2023

After a wet winter, our spring garden is full of orchids, especially Cymbidiums. Some of the flowers were mangled by strong rains, winds, and hail, but there’s still an impressive display. Along with the Cymbidiums in this post, there are also Masdevallias, a Coelogyne, an Epidendrum, and a Dendrobium. Originating from the Himalayas, the Andes, […]