AboutOrchids

There are a few of days of spring left, so it’s still repotting season. It’s best to repot orchids in the spring, and I have lots of orchids, so I always seem to be trying to catch up with this gardening chore. Doing this in spring, just as most are starting a cycle of growth, […]

OK, I know I did a non-orchid garden post just a few weeks ago, but the backyard garden has really burst into bloom this month. Dave took some more great pictures, so I couldn’t resist. On the left is a Gazania flower after a morning watering. On the right is the extraordinary flower from a […]

Today’s orchid related vocabulary word is lithophyte. Pronounced “LITH-ah-fayht,” it rhymes with “lip-oh-fight.” A lithophythe is a plant that grows attached to rock. Sound like science fiction? Well, just as orchid roots can attach to tree trunks and branches, some can also attach to rocks. Lithophytes may sink their roots into crevices and absorb nutrients […]

So many people think of orchids as delicate and fragile, but this little Sarcochilus hartmanii is one tough plant. Related to Phalaenopsis and Vanda, in the wild Sarcochilus grow as lithophytes, or rock plants. Their roots attach to cliff-face rocks in eastern Australia, holding on despite strong ocean winds. They can handle a wide range […]

It may look like just another orchid, but this blooming Epipactis gigantea is special for a few reasons. Unlike most commonly cultivated orchids, which come from tropical regions, this orchid is a San Francisco native. In fact, it’s native to a wide part of western North America, spanning from SW Canada to NW Mexico, and […]

Tiny Lepanthopsis astrophora has a name that’s bigger than the plant itself. I bought this Masdevallia relative at a sale at OrchidMania last year, and it’s been in constant bloom for a year. The flowers only last a few days each, but there’s a constant resupply. If they look small in the pictures, they are! […]

With lots of cool days this Spring, our backyard garden has been slow to start. But with mild temperatures and longer days, it’s finally filling in. Enjoy these (non-orchid) photos. Our yard is partially shaded by our neighbors’ trees, so the poppies don’t receive enough sun until mid-Spring. This was one of the first to […]

Nicknamed the Hardy Chinese Orchid, Bletilla striata is a terrestrial that grows in soil. Originally from China, Japan, and Korea, Bletillas go dormant over the winter, and can handle light freezes. These flowers have been slowly opening over the past few days. They’re still not completely open in these photos, but you can see their […]

Here are some more pictures from our recent visit to Phipps Conservatory in Pittsburgh, PA. Cymbidium flowers Originally I mis-identified this orchid. Its correct name is Bifrenaria harrisoniae. The center looks like a smiley face with a fuzzy beard. In high humidity at Phipps, orchid roots grow exposed to the open air. The roots growing […]

We took a trip with Dave’s parents to beautiful Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens in Pittsburgh, PA. Among the wonderful gardens in their enormous Victorian greenhouses, Phipps has an orchid room and a Thai rainforest exhibit. Lots were in bloom in the orchid room, but none were in bloom in the Thai exhibit. Yellow Phals […]