Life is great on the Northern California coast, but it can be tough for plants. Strong winds and chilly fog can be big challenges for our garden. Fortunately, the vast and diverse orchid family provides lots of choices. Here are three tenacious orchids that are happily living just 1/3 mile (0.5 km) from the ocean. […]
National Geographic Wild has captured extraordinary footage of Bucket Orchids and bees. Coryanthes, or Bucket Orchids, have evolved intricate traps, complete with scented lures and dripping faucets, to detain their pollinators. While trying to gather the flower’s fragrant oils, the bees slip into a bucket of liquid, and can only escape by squeezing past the […]
Bulbophyllums are one of the largest and strangest orchid families in the world. With over 2000 species and a growing number of hybrids, they have ridiculously diverse flower forms. Some of their blooms are large, some are tiny, and some don’t look like flowers at all. They all have fascinating, hinged floral lips which jiggle […]
A new species of vanilla orchid has been discovered in the Amazon. Vanilla denshikoira appears to be closely related to the Vanilla planifolia we all love to eat. The new species was recently found in the northwest Amazon in Colombia, within the Guyana Shield, one of the most biodiverse regions of the world. Only two […]
Brassavola orchids feature showy, durable, fragrant flowers. These Cattleya relatives have white or greenish-yellow blooms which emit a strong, sweet fragrance at night. The most popular in cultivation is Brassavola nodosa, shown in the first row of photos above. It’s an easy species to grow. Native to Mexico, Central America, the Caribbean, and northern South […]
I don’t mind having a big spider in our home, as long as it’s a Spider Orchid. Also known as a Brassia, this Spider Orchid has very large flowers, over 14 inches (36 cm) tall! Its long petals certainly create a spidery impression. This plant was a great buy at a local grocery store a couple […]
In a chilly, windy July rain, near a trail with a long name, in between glaciers with longer names, orchids bloom in southern Iceland. Orchids near the Arctic Circle? In fact, orchids live just about everywhere on earth, including Iceland, which is home to seven native species. Two of them are shown here. The Heath […]
Fortunately, Coelogyne orchids are easier to grow than they are to pronounce. This glorious genus of orchids originates in Southeast Asia, in a large area stretching from India and China to Indonesia, New Guinea, the Philippines, and Fiji. Many varieties have tumbling cascades of fragrant blooms. Their brilliantly-colored flower lips often feature weird ridges and […]
Check out the video below to immerse yourself in tropical orchid splendor. Foxtail Orchids earn their name from their bushy clusters of flowers. They’re also known for their sweet scents. Having savored the strong perfume of a single plant in bloom, I can’t imagine how powerful the fragrance must be in the Vietnamese garden in […]
Botanists in Western Australia discovered two new orchid species while out for a walk. At first, they thought that they were seeing color variations of known orchids. But Caladenia lateritica and Caladenia rosea are new to science. Both are fragrant, and both were found south of Perth near Dwellingup. The area is known as a […]
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