AboutOrchids

The Streaked Rock Orchid is a wonderful Australian native. Its strange flowers resemble elaborate birds in flight. Its little, pencil-like leaves turn purplish-red in the sun, making it look like a pointy, colorful hedgehog. In the wild, Dendrobium striolatum lives attached to rocky cliffs in the states of New South Wales, Victoria, and Tasmania. Our […]

This year’s winter solstice arrives with darkness, cold, and a raging pandemic. I’m certainly ready to be rid of all three. The days will start lengthening tomorrow; if only there were such definite dates for the pandemic. Fortunately, vaccinations are starting. However many months we need to wait for ours, we will gladly get them […]

I love this gorgeous Mexican species, Laelia gouldiana, but our garden pests annoyingly love it, too. The first row of photos above shows happy, uneaten flowers from recent years. In contrast, the three rows of photos below show damaged flowers, the worst from this year, and some milder damage in 2016 and 2018. Whatever chomped […]

Bromeliads don’t have the fame and glamour of orchids, but they’re fascinating, beautiful, and easy to grow. Some have otherworldly flower spikes, with remarkable shapes reminiscent of exploding fireworks or fantastic creatures. Others have foliage with spectacular variegation that provides year-round color. Bromeliad flowers are often tiny and fleeting, but their stunningly colorful bracts can […]

These brilliant magenta flowers belong to an unusual orchid subspecies. It’s a little orchid with a big name, Arpophyllum giganteum subspecies alpinum. It bears many similarities to its close relation, Arpophyllum giganteum, whose purple flowers are shown in the final photo below. Both are cool growers. They’ve been reliable bloomers for years, putting up clusters […]

I’ve got garden pictures to share, but mostly this post is a chance to brag about my Epidendrum, which has been in constant bloom for over 17 years. It began flowering in early 2003, and has never stopped. Through heat waves, driving rains, light frosts, strong winds, pounding hailstorms, pest attacks, and smoky conditions, it […]

We’ve got the equinox blues. No, no, there aren’t any blue flowers here. These blues are the sadness kind, arising from a pandemic, climate change catastrophes, and a fascist government in this country that’s already cheating in the next election. Fortunately, pretty flowers are a great distraction. Celebrate today’s equinox, and enjoy these stunning blooms […]

Fuchsias have lots of flower power, and are perennial garden favorites for humans and hummingbirds. They feature charming blooms which dangle like bells in soft pastel colors, or bright reds, pinks, or purples. They’re great companion plants for orchids, too. Our fuchsias, shown in the first two photos above, grow happily in the sun alongside […]

Six months ago, I did a regular post about March’s upcoming orchid events. It included a note about a few cancellations because of COVID19. I certainly had no idea how much the world would change since then. By April, almost everything was cancelled, and it would have been irresponsible for me to publicize any remaining […]

I’m glad I splurged on this Prosthechea vitellina at the Pacific Orchid Expo in February. It was on my shopping list as a cool grower that I figured would do well here on the Northern California coast. Happily, it’s proven to be a great addition to our garden, and has settled into its new home […]