AboutOrchids

After a sunny spring, the summer fog has arrived, and it’s keeping our plants happy. Start the garden tour with the orchids in the first row of photos: a brilliant yellow and orange Prosthechea, a white and orange Coelogyne, and a hot pink Masdevallia. There’s one more orchid, the white blooms in the first photo […]

Celebrate today’s summer solstice with more photos from our recent visit to San Francisco Botanical Garden. I already blogged about three of the most amazing plants we saw, but of course, the rest of the gardens are stunning, too. There were California natives, like a gorgeous California Azalea, and giant Coast Redwood Trees. South African […]

San Francisco Botanical Garden, also known as Strybing Arboretum, is full of wonders. Whenever we go, Dave and I always expect to enjoy lush growth and plentiful blooms. But on a recent visit, it seems the gardens went above and beyond their usual magic. There weren’t any orchids, but we were astounded by some stunning […]

The recent Peninsula Orchid Society Show had plenty of great flowers. In addition to my earlier post, here are more photos to enjoy. This small event featured displays of extraordinary species and the latest hybrids. The species included the always-impressive, brilliant orange Masdevallia veitchiana, two tables full of purple and white Cattleya intermedia, and sunny […]

Last Sunday, the Peninsula Orchid Society Show returned to San Mateo, California, south of San Francisco. After being cancelled for two years because of the pandemic, this year’s original January date was also postponed. The show’s successful return featured plenty of gorgeous orchids, good vendors, and friendly faces. The impressive displays spotlighted Bay Area cool-growing […]

Thanks to AboutOrchids reader Margaret Barnett for these fascinating photos of a wild, native orchid growing in Austin, Texas. This may look like bright yellow asparagus, but it’s an orchid. Corallorhiza orchids are commonly called Coralroots due their thick, coral-shaped rhizomes. This specimen lives beneath an oak tree, hidden underground, until its strange flowers spring […]

As the days lengthen and warm on the Northern California coast, our spring garden has burst into bloom. Starting with the orchids, there are Cymbidiums, Masdevallias, Dendrobiums, and more. Usually our rainy season has wound down by April, but we had light showers for the past couple weeks, which put plant growth into overdrive. We’ll […]

It takes me a while to sort through and tag show photos from two cell phones and a camera, but the task is now complete. Pacific Orchid Expo 2022 presented a total orchid overload, which is my idea of paradise. There were orchids you could find in a supermarket, but there was so much more. […]

It’s great to celebrate the first day of spring with some greenery, and this striking Lady Slipper certainly fits the bill. Its green stripes and squiggles are distinctive and dramatic. This is the Charming Lady Slipper, or Paphiopedilum venustum. I’ve had this plant for many years, but this past winter was the first time it […]

Here are few more photos from last weekend’s big orchid show. The exhibit area and the sales area both featured wide varieties of species and hybrids. There was so much more than standard supermarket orchids. The flower colors, shapes, and fragrances inspired lots of superlatives. A few types, like the purple and white Dendrobium in […]