AboutOrchids

As the largest and most diverse flower family, orchids can be overwhelming. To make them more manageable, many growers specialize. With 30,000 species, and over 150,000 hybrids, there are countless ways to find a niche in the orchid world. Here are a few: Collect mini’s – Miniature orchids are short on stature, but full of [...]

As a large, diverse orchid family, Dendrobiums are popular choices for hybridizers. While larger Dendrobium varieties are more common, there are also many miniatures. I couldn’t resist the charms of this mini when I found it for sale at this year’s Orchids in the Park. Named Dendrobium Aussie’s Hi Lo, this hybrid combines traits from [...]

Since August, these charming Samurai Orchid blooms have been brightening our home. Their enchanting flowers don’t have any fragrance during the day, but when evening arrives, they produce a strong, sweet perfume which belies their small size. Native to mountainside forests in Japan, Korea, and China, these prized orchids have been cultivated for centuries in [...]

Celebrate today’s change of season with these gems from last weekend’s Orchids in the Park. The annual event put on by the San Francisco Orchid Society featured a multitude of treasures. Here’s a small sample – The colors, scents, and shapes of orchids are certainly spectacular. Unexpected patterns emerge, like those of the Phal species [...]

As a city dweller with limited growing space, I can always appreciate a mini orchid. I was immediately intrigued by this charmer in a 2-inch (5-cm) flowerpot for sale at last winter’s Pacific Orchid Expo. My reward came a few months later with these tiny, light pink blooms. While this species’ flower spike can reach [...]

Mysta-what? With a name bigger than its tiny white flowers, this mini orchid doesn’t look tough. However, looks can be deceiving. Despite its delicate facade, this species survives attached to thorny Acacia trees in the heat of South Africa’s savannas, where few other orchids can live. It can also handle light winter frosts. This toughness [...]

A sunny yellow Mexican orchid is here to celebrate today’s Cinco de Mayo fiesta. This mini Oncidium relative takes its name from its home country, and it’s easy to pronounce: say “Mexico” and add “-ah” to the end. Mexicoas grow on oak trees in mountain forests in the Mexican states of Jalisco, Michoacan, Guerrero, Mexico, [...]

When I first bought this unusual Japanese species at Pacific Orchid Expo 2009, I didn’t know if I could grow it. My purchase consisted of 3 tiny Orchis tubers, each smaller than a pea. Along with planting instructions for this mini terrestrial, the vendor included its Japanese name, uchouran, meaning “butterfly wing orchid.” I planted [...]

Here on the California coast, the Cymbidiums spoil us. I’ve seen luxuriant blooms on neglected orchids stuffed into sidewalk planters. Gardeners inherit abandoned plants from earlier tenants, sometimes without even realizing that the strap-like leaves belong to orchids. It turns out that our mild climate mimics the slopes of the Himalayas where these orchids grow [...]

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 [...]