Thanks to my friend Blake for taking these great photos at last weekend’s New Orleans Orchid Society Show. The society’s 60th annual show was themed “The Mystery of Orchids.” It featured over 20 exhibits, more than a dozen vendors, a raffle, and lots of gorgeous blooms. These samples from the show obviously enjoy the Big […]
Sure, orchids are great, but wouldn’t it be nice to just stick one in the ground like a regular plant? Well, you can do just that with the Chinese Ground Orchid, or Bletilla. If you can grow a tulip or a daffodil, you can grow a Bletilla. Resembling Cattleyas, their charming flowers have ruffly ridges […]
Lady slippers, aka slipper orchids, amaze and inspire. Many orchid lovers specialize in growing these fascinating beauties. If you received a lady slipper gift for Mother’s Day, it’s most likely a Paph, or Paphiopedilum. Over 100 Paph species have been crossbred into countless hybrids. Their flowers all have a distinctive pouch which makes the blooms […]
Orchids make it easy to celebrate Mother’s Day. Whether given as potted plants or cut flowers, orchids elicit delight and wonder. With a few orchid care basics, many types can stay in bloom for weeks or months. In addition, they rarely cause allergy problems. To help flowers last their longest, check out these tips on […]
A sunny yellow Mexican orchid is here to celebrate today’s Cinco de Mayo fiesta. This mini Oncidium relative takes its name from its home country, and it’s easy to pronounce: say “Mexico” and add “-ah” to the end. Mexicoas grow on oak trees in mountain forests in the Mexican states of Jalisco, Michoacan, Guerrero, Mexico, […]
It’s easy to think that a tropical place like Hawaii is full of orchids. That’s certainly true in some parts of the islands, like Hawaii Tropical Botanical Garden near Hilo. However, in other parts of Hawaii, orchids aren’t as common. Kona lies on the other side of the Big Island where rains are rare, and […]
When I think of Santa Barbara, I think of Cymbidiums. Recently Dave traveled there for work, and he found plenty to photograph at the Santa Barbara Orchid Estate (SBOE). With 5 acres (2 hectares) of gardens in a mild coastal climate, it’s no surprise that Cymbidiums thrive there. But Cymbidiums are only part of the […]
It would be nice if you never had to repot your orchid, but you do. To understand why, consider how these orchids grow high in the trees at Hawaii Tropical Botanical Garden. This is how many orchids live in the wild. Their roots may grow in moss or rainforest debris, but mostly they’re exposed to […]
When I first bought this unusual Japanese species at Pacific Orchid Expo 2009, I didn’t know if I could grow it. My purchase consisted of 3 tiny Orchis tubers, each smaller than a pea. Along with planting instructions for this mini terrestrial, the vendor included its Japanese name, uchouran, meaning “butterfly wing orchid.” I planted […]
To celebrate spring’s arrival, here are some flora and fauna pictures from our recent visit to Strybing Arboretum in Golden Gate Park. We didn’t see any orchids, but we did find a few of the garden’s other natural wonders. For much of the country, winter has hardly made an appearance. San Francisco’s weather has been […]
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