AboutOrchids

The Pacific Orchid Expo arrives next weekend in San Francisco. It’s open at Fort Mason from Friday, February 26th until Sunday, February 28th. Don’t miss the largest orchid show in the USA, boasting tens of thousands of spectacular flowers. These photos from last year’s show are just a small taste of the treasures you’ll find. […]

Don’t hate us because we can garden year-round on the California coast! As a peace offering, please enjoy these pictures of a few orchids blooming outside on our back patio. I snapped these photos during a recent break in the rainy weather. The small Pleurothallis in the first two photos had just opened its strange […]

Following up on my earlier post about easy orchid species, here’s my list of easy cool growers. Unlike most orchid species, those listed below are as easy to grow as hybrids. Once again, this is not any sort of complete list, just a few that I know best. I’ve grown all of these varieties outdoors […]

Enjoy these photos from July’s Orchids in the Park in San Francisco. Brilliant orchid colors and strange flower shapes filled the show. Colorful miniatures competed for my camera with their dinner-plate sized orchid cousins. Flowers with twisted horns like an antelope stole the focus from other blooms with more vivid hues. The diversity always seems […]

Every year, Orchids in the Park puts on an amazing display. This past weekend, the event again filled Golden Gate Park with fantastic orchids. San Francisco’s smaller annual show can’t compare with the Pacific Orchid Expo’s size and spectacle, but it always boasts outstanding and unusual plants. Of course, I especially love the bizarre varieties, which […]

The San Francisco Orchid Society presents Orchids in the Park this coming weekend, July 25th – 26th. Check out the orchids at the County Fair Building in Golden Gate Park, near the park entrance by 9th Avenue & Lincoln Way. Enjoy orchid displays, vendors, talks by orchid experts, book sales, and raffles. To further whet […]

The orchid world focuses on the southern hemisphere this month, with busy show schedules in Australia, Brazil, New Zealand, and South Africa. There are still shows up north, too, in Louisiana, Iowa, Hawaii, Ontario, and more. San Francisco Bay Area residents, don’t miss Orchids in the Park in Golden Gate Park on July 25th-26th! Enjoy […]

It’s easy to spend a whole day enjoying the UC Botanical Garden at Berkeley. Established in 1890, it has one of the largest and most diverse plant collections in the country, spread over 34 acres (13.8 hectares) of gardens and greenhouses. Among the botanical treasures, there are many unusual orchid species, which are rotated through […]

Orchids are full of surprises.With incredibly diverse shapes, colors, and fragrances, it’s hard to believe that these flowers are actually related to one another. No other flowering plant family has such rich palettes and fascinating designs. These examples from the recent Pacific Orchid Expo certainly prove my point. Many of these lesser-known varieties are the […]

As I continue to sort through our pictures from this year’s Pacific Orchid Expo, I’m finding lots of great shots. Here are some of Dave’s photos. They’re wonderful examples of the stunning diversity of the orchid family, which goes far beyond what’s for sale at the supermarket. With their brilliant colors and strange shapes, these […]