AboutOrchids

In honor of Charles Darwin’s 200th birthday today (by the way, he was born the exact same day as Abraham Lincoln!) I have some remarkable pictures of “Darwin’s Orchid.” This stunning orchid has a long scientific name, Angraecum sesquipedale. Easier to pronounce is its nickname, Darwin’s Orchid, so named since it played an important role […]

In the town of Volcano on the road to Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, Akatsuka Orchid Garden has one of the aloha state’s largest orchid collections. We couldn’t resist a trip to their store and showroom, and found ourselves there with busloads of tourists who had just visited nearby Kilauea Volcano. Many of these spectacular hybrids […]

I can’t think of any better way to escape the winter doldrums than to head to a warm and beautiful tropical paradise. Dave and I just returned home from such a place, the Big Island of Hawaii. We stayed at Art & Orchids Bed and Breakfast in Kea’au, south of Hilo. True to their word, […]

San Francisco is often covered in chilly fog in the spring and summer, but warms up when the fog disappears in the fall. True to form, we’ve been having warm October days. Today the backyard thermometer reads 86 F (30 C.) The garden is enjoying this latest warm spell, and there are lots of orchids […]

Like all plants, orchids need a healthy root system to survive and thrive. At least once a year, orchids enter a growth cycle when they generate new roots. These new roots are light green at the tips, and turn white with time. As they age over several months, they may turn brown. Since orchids are […]

That always seems like a fun word to say — equinox. Equal day, equal night. On this day, everywhere in the world has about 12 hours of daylight and 12 hours of night. The north of the planet moves into fall, and the south of the planet into spring. No matter which direction you’re headed, […]

It’s pronounced like “epic fight” without the “c,” and it means “air plant.” Rather than growing in soil, epiphytic plants grow with their roots attached to tree branches and tree trunks. Many orchids, ferns, bromeliads, and mosses grow as air plants, taking advantage of brighter light above the shaded forest floor. Firmly attached to a […]

Labellum is the Latin word for “lip,” and the labellum of an orchid flower is a modified petal that is often its most ornate feature. This Paphiopedilum features a prominent labellum shaped like a cup. These Phalaenopsis flowers have a labellum with a yellow center surrounded by 3 lobes. Usually, an orchid labellum is at […]

One of my favorite groups working to conserve orchids is OrchidMania, based right here in San Francisco. Non-profit and all-volunteer, their mission is to support grassroots HIV/AIDS prevention and relief around the world. They accomplish this by using orchids. OrchidMania raises money through regular orchid sales, and donates the proceeds to HIV/AIDS organizations in the […]

To welcome the longest day of the year (in the Northern Hemisphere, that is,) I have some cheery pink Epidendrum flowers. Happy summer! Here in San Francisco, it’s a hot one, 94 F (34 C) in the shade at 1:00 in the afternoon. Where’s that cool SF fog when I need it? This Epidendrum lives […]