AboutOrchids

There’s still one more day to catch the Pacific Orchid Expo here in San Francisco. This spectacular event runs through Sunday, February 24, and features 150,000 orchids at Fort Mason’s Festival Pavilion. Below, you’ll find just a small taste of the marvels at the country’s largest orchid show. They might make you change your Sunday […]

The Philippines is ready to declare an orchid as its new national flower. Known in the local language as Waling-Waling, Euanthe sanderiana is a member of the Vanda family, and is often called “the Queen of Philippine flowers.” Since this beautiful orchid is endangered, its new status will enable the Philippines to take more conservation measures […]

Prepare to be amazed at the upcoming 61st Pacific Orchid Expo. The country’s largest orchid show debuts Thursday evening with a preview gala, and is open to all from Friday through Sunday. Fitting for San Francisco, with historically strong ties to Asia, this year’s theme is “East meets West.” Below I’ve posted a few photos […]

Unable to garden over winter? As Valentine’s gifts, or simply to escape the cold, orchids are great winter solutions. Even if you don’t have much room for indoor plants, there’s always space for one of the many cool growing orchid varieties. Examples of cool growers include the small Oncidium in the first picture, the large […]

Can’t decide which orchid to choose for your valentine? With tens of thousands of orchid varieties, it can be a monumental task. Fortunately, AboutOrchids is here to help. Below are three common types which will find their mark like cupid’s arrow. Happy orchid shopping! Phals, or Moth Orchids, are the most popular orchids sold. With good […]

At the Richmond Times-Dispatch in Virginia, noted orchid expert Arthur Chadwick pens an informative column about Phals. Phals, a.k.a. Moth Orchids, are the most popular houseplant sold in the USA today, and they’re almost all hybrids. Chadwick details milestones in the past century of Phal hybridization. By combining and recombining Phal varieties, breeders have continued […]

“Alba” is Latin for white or pale. With lighter leaves than its close Jewel Orchid relative, this beautiful variant from Vietnam is known as Ludisia discolor alba, or the Alba Jewel Orchid. Instead of dark green leaves with bright pink stripes, it has light green leaves with white stripes. Ludisias are easy to grow. These […]

Many orchid beginners are afraid of winter dormancy. Withholding water seems like a risky proposition, a surefire way to kill a plant. But don’t worry — dormancy actually mimics normal seasonal changes for orchids in the wild. Humidity and light levels stay high, but rains become infrequent. Many orchids take advantage of these dry spells […]

Here on the California coast, the winter chill helps to create a perfect home for this unusual Arpophyllum. Tall spikes with small purple flowers give this species its nickname, the Hyacinth Orchid. It blooms reliably on our back deck in late autumn, and usually stays in flower for a couple months over winter. This season’s blooms […]

Orchids amaze and inspire, but they also intimidate many gardeners. As flowering houseplants, orchids share basic care needs with other plants, like light, water, and fertilizer. However, as air plants, orchid care differs in a few important ways. Watering – Some other plants can tolerate light waterings, but orchids need thorough soakings. Even dormant orchids […]