Regular readers may notice a penchant for the unusual in my orchid collection. So this Trigonidium egertonianum, with a flower that looks like it could be the face of a crab, should come as no surprise. It’s another example of the incredible diversity within the orchid family. This orchid is native to a wide area […]
Apropos to the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday here in the USA, the back garden has been in abundant bloom, and there’s beauty all around to inspire gratitude. These pictures are from the past couple weeks, when we were having some unusually warm November weather. This female Anna’s Hummingbird stopped long enough at the feeder for a […]
Cymbidiums are popular orchids, and here on the California coast, Cymbidium blooming season has started. This yellow one, possibly Cymbidium Golden Elf ‘Sundust,’ is a hybrid of Cymbidium ensifolium, which has traditionally been grown in China, Korea, and Japan for centuries. To grow these beauties with their sweet, richly scented flowers, you need to provide […]
I’ve heard orchid growers say that if nothing’s dying, then you’re not learning anything. True to form, when I kill an orchid, I try to figure out what went wrong so that I don’t repeat the mistake. With my coroner’s hat on, I’ll show you these pictures from happier times, before this orchid kicked the […]
Look at that name again — it’s not a Dendrobium, but a Dendrochilum. Both kinds come from Southeast Asia, but Dendrochilums are a separate genus, distinguished by their chains of small flowers. This Dendrochilum tenellum is widespread among many islands of the Philippines, where it is native to cloud forests in mountainous areas. Near the […]
More people kill their orchids through overwatering than any other cause. Fall is particularly perilous time for overwatering, as plants start to go dormant, but people unwittingly continue the same watering regimen as they did in the growing season. With too much water, orchid roots will rot, and the leaves will follow. So this is […]
I’m not quite sure what I did right to coax this Ionocidium into bloom, but I’m not complaining. This hybrid is a cross between 2 kinds of closely related orchids, an Ionopsis and an Oncidium. The lip of the flower is light yellow when it starts to open, and then turns white after a couple […]
Say what? You don’t need to be able to pronounce Myoxanthus to enjoy its funky flowers. If you do want to pronounce it, say “MY-oh-zan-this,” rhymes with “try go Kansas.” This orchid is a relative of Masdevallias, and enjoys high humidity, cool temperatures, and constant air circulation. Its native home is Peru and Ecuador on […]
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 […]
If you saw this unusual Stenoglottis orchid growing in its native home in South Africa, and it wasn’t in bloom, you would probably think it was an ugly weed. If you saw it in bloom, though, I’d bet you would be amazed at its masses of dainty purple polka-dotted flowers with fringed lips. Stenoglottis longifolia […]
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