The New York Times reports on Nodding Ladies’ Tresses, a native orchid bringing beauty to New York City. With twisting spirals of sparkling white flowers, Nodding Ladies’ Tresses share the graceful beauty of the related Spiranthes which I grow. “Sit among them for a few quiet moments and a bumblebee or a honeybee will land […]
Door County, Wisconsin cares about its native orchids. Starting in the 1930’s, a 40 acre (16 hectare) sanctuary was preserved to save rare wildflowers. Over the decades, the preserve grew to 1500 acres (607 hectares,) and it’s home to 25 of the 40 orchid species native to Wisconsin. Despite the nature sanctuary, orchid populations have […]
These magical gems are Pleurothallids, a large, diverse orchid family from Central and South America. They’re popular with orchid growers who enjoy their brilliant colors, fantastic shapes, and compact sizes. Many have names which seem larger than the plants themselves. Masdevallias are the best known Pleurothallids. The first row of photos below shows just a […]
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 […]
Exciting news from Buckingham Palace! Yes, there’s a new baby prince, and there’s also a rare orchid growing on palace grounds. Orchid lovers are excited about the news of the orchid species, which hasn’t been seen anywhere in London for over a century. The unexpected find is a White Helleborine Orchid, or Cephalanthera damasonium, a terrestrial […]
The New York Times uncovers an orchid weed. Epipactis helleborine, known simply as helleborine, is an old world orchid species which has taken over North America, too. The fact that it’s happy in a wide range of growing conditions and soils, and can even grow in asphalt, helps explain its spread from coast to coast. Even […]
Minnesota’s Bemidji Pioneer reports on efforts to save native Lady’s Slippers from destruction. It’s a lot of work on behalf of a beautiful pink, white, and yellow orchid. Cypripedium reginae, or the Showy Lady’s Slipper, has been Minnesota’s state flower for over a century. Construction on Beltrami County Highway 39 could destroy the rare orchids […]
From the capital of our 49th state, Juneau Empire has a guide to Orchids in Southeast Alaska. With more than two dozen native species, Alaska offers a great reminder that orchids can appear in unexpected places. Many Alaskan varieties are known by their colorful common names, like Frog Orchid, Bog Orchid, Adder’s Tongue, and Rattlesnake […]
This year’s Pacific Orchid Expo highlighted the merging of cultures with an “East Meets West” theme. Golden lion statues fronted the large pavilion, and guarded 150,000 orchid treasures inside. Coinciding with San Francisco’s famous Chinese New Year Parade, and the end of festivities for the Lunar New Year, it felt like these orchids were part […]
Unable to garden over winter? As Valentine’s gifts, or simply to escape the cold, orchids are great winter solutions. Even if you don’t have much room for indoor plants, there’s always space for one of the many cool growing orchid varieties. Examples of cool growers include the small Oncidium in the first picture, the large […]
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