One trick to help Cymbidiums bloom is to give them nightly temperature drops of 15-20°F (8-11°C,) especially in autumn. Without this day/night temperature difference, they won’t form flower spikes. Here on the coast, they can grow in full sun. However, growers in warmer areas should provide morning sun and afternoon shade. Plants need enough light so that leaves are light green, not dark green. Cymbidiums enjoy regular fertilizer, and they love compost. They can survive a light frost, although temps below freezing usually damage flowers.

For orchid growers in warmer climates, miniature Cymbidiums like warmer temps. These small varieties are best for growers where summertime temps stay above 70°F (21°C) at night.

There’s no formal height rule, but generally mini orchids are plants sized half an inch (1 cm) to half a foot (15 cm.) Some types have taller flower stems, but they’re still considered minis. Many of these compact plants have relatively large blooms, especially compared to their small leaves. There are also varieties with tiny flowers which can be tough to appreciate without a good camera or magnifying lens, like this Lepanthopsis. When growing minis, it’s extra important to water thoroughly and maintain high humidity, since they can quickly dry out on hot or windy days.

Whether you grow minis or not, you can enjoy great books about them. Miniature Orchids details hundreds of petite hybrids and species. Author Steven Frowine includes useful care info, beautiful pictures, and helpful lists of minis by light requirements, ease of culture, fragrance, and more.

Miniature Orchids and How to Grow Them is a classic book by famed orchid author Rebecca Tyson Northen. As a biologist, she was one of the first to simply explain orchid care for amateurs when orchids became mass-marketed plants in the 1960’s and 1970’s. She wrote several care books, and this one helped to popularize these tiny orchid treasures.

Inside at Orchids in the Park, the colors began with a blue Dendrobium hybrid, lighter in color than its parent species. Bright colors continued with a pair of Cattleya hybrids which seemed to be inverses of one another. Both had wonderful scents.

A tiny Stelis featured mini flowers, each smaller than the letter “o” on my keyboard, and an elegant Phrag sported petals that drooped down longer than my arms. Rich red Vanda blooms fell into the large flower category, too. A big white Paph captured my attention, but so did the brilliant purple of a mini Phal. Finally, a multicolored hybrid Howeara displayed an abundance of small charms.

Whether you’re in the northern half of the planet entering autumn, or the southern half starting spring, orchids offer lots of reasons to celebrate the change of season.

This species is native to elevations of 8000 – 9000 ft. (2438 – 2743 m.) from only a single valley near Cochabamba, Bolivia. That’s the largest city in Chapare Province, which provides the species name Masdevallia chaparensis. Its cloud forest home in that narrow band of the Andes is similar to this mild climate about 5 miles from the Golden Gate. Since there’s no rain here during summer, I water daily until winter rains resume. It loves a good shot of compost, but growers who use artificial fertilizers should only use weak doses.

I’ve had this plant for 6 years, and it’s been a reliable annual bloomer. A nasty hailstorm damaged it last winter, but it flowered on schedule anyway. The arching sprays of sparkling white blooms can last 2 or 3 months. They may show wear-and-tear from rain, wind, heat waves, or pests, but the flowers persist. This one grows outdoors on my back deck all year, where it receives bright light with some direct sun.

Even though they’re lithophytes, they grow well potted in bark. Sarcochilus like regular water and fertilizer. Their leaves and roots are susceptible to damage from the slug and snail killer metaldehyde. However, snail baits with iron phosphate are safe for them.

It’s frustrating enough to kill an orchid, but it’s more frustrating when I can’t figure out what went wrong. Mine started going downhill a couple years ago, when its annual cycle of new leaves pooped out. The old leaves and pseudobulbs stayed green until recently, but then gave out without producing any healthy new growth. Photos show the interesting yellow flowers which face downward.

Since I’d been able to provide adequate conditions for blooming in the past, I’m left to wonder what changed. It’s possible that it acquired a plant virus during a pest invasion, and declined over time. It may have been that our foggy summers, which have been extra cool for the past couple years, didn’t offer it enough warmth to continue. In its native range from South Africa to Tanzania, it’s undoubtedly used to warm conditions. Maybe some unidentified problem popped up, and some future orchid trivia will jar loose an explanation. Its cause of death may elude me, but at least its photos live on.

Remarkable colors are only part of the show. Large Cirrhopetalum buds arranged in a circle haven’t opened yet, but their unusual shapes and patterns create an impressive display. Tiny blue and orange flowers light up a mini Dendrobium species. Sunny yellow splashes brighten a mini Doritis, a Phal relative.

Finally, some orchids don’t even look real, as if they were Dr. Seuss creations. However, it’s Mother Nature who deserves credit for these pastel colors and unusual textures. The next 2 photos show members of the Epidendrum family, and the last one shows a furry Masdevallia.

This Comparettia species is native to Colombia, where it usually grows as an air plant on the branches of guava trees. They’re tough to keep in cultivation, demanding constant high humidity and good air movement. When I first bought this plant, it started to shrink rather than grow. I experimented by varying light and temperature conditions, but its new leaves and roots kept dying.

Finally, I placed the plant in very high humidity, up to 90%. Many orchid varieties would rot from the excessive moisture, but this Comparettia began to grow and thrive. With some patience, I was rewarded with these colorful blooms. As an interesting contrast to the purple polka dots on front, the flowers are white on back. They’re a reward that’s worth the effort.

The Samurai Orchid has charming, bird-like flowers, and a rich, sweet vanilla scent in the evening. Its small size, tolerance for cold, and close relation to the Phal and Vanda families make it a popular choice as an orchid hybrid parent. Ascofinetia, Neostylis, and Darwinara are just a few of the hybrids with Neofinetia roots.

Japanese growers have been especially fascinated by the Samurai Orchid’s natural variations in flower colors, leaf colors, and leaf shapes. Typically, the flowers are pure white, but rare color mutations have been discovered and cultivated. Flower forms now come in yellow, green, pink, and magenta. Diminutive green leaves in a fan pattern are most common, but some varieties have leaves with stripes or splotches of color. Others have twisted leaves and even misshapen flowers. The rarest forms can sell for thousands of dollars.

Nowadays in Japan, Samurai Orchids are beloved as cultural treasures, and often grown in moss in traditional bonsai pots. They require shade, frequent water, and warm temps in the summer. During winter dormancy, they need full sun, less water, and cool temps.

Many people are surprised that samurai cared so much for these tiny plants. Best known, of course, for their warrior skills, they also cultivated artistic talents, such as calligraphy, painting, music, or raising wind orchids. My friends and family know that orchids aren’t my only obsession — I’ve been studying Aikido, a Japanese martial art, for over 2 decades. I’m not a samurai, but I am happy to honor this artistic tradition in my training.  I’m especially proud when my Neofinetia blooms, and I can enjoy an emblem of samurai history.