We’re preempting your regular orchid programming to bring you some non-orchid photos to enjoy. After a few notable heat waves in the spring, it’s been a cool and foggy summer here on the California coast. It’s perfect weather for this unusual Fuchsia procumbens, native to New Zealand. The small, colorful flowers trail down a raised […]
Say “sah-LODGE-en-ee.” Kind of rhymes with “progeny.” It may have a tough name, but these fragrant white and yellow flowers make up for it. This Coelogyne mooreana originates in the cloud forests of the mountains of Vietnam, and can handle a wide range of temperatures. Mine lives outside all year long here in San Francisco, […]
Living in a city where space is at a premium, I can always appreciate the virtues of a small orchid. If it doesn’t need much room, it’s so much easier to rationalize why I should buy it. Many an orchid purchase has been preceded by the statement “I can squeeze it in somewhere since it’s […]
One of the most common questions I receive about orchids is how to force them to re-bloom ahead of their natural schedules. There is only one method I know to accomplish this, and it only works with Phalaenopsis. As soon as the last flower fades, cut the flower spike (the stem that holds the flowers) […]
Well, not dragons really, but dragonflies. This one landed on a branch and stayed long enough to pose for Dave’s camera. With a little research, we identified it as a Blue-eyed Darner Dragonfly (scientific name Aeshna multicolor,) native to North America west of the Mississippi River. So what does this beautiful blue creature have to […]
Labellum is the Latin word for “lip,” and the labellum of an orchid flower is a modified petal that is often its most ornate feature. This Paphiopedilum features a prominent labellum shaped like a cup. These Phalaenopsis flowers have a labellum with a yellow center surrounded by 3 lobes. Usually, an orchid labellum is at […]
In the early 90’s I received this Phalaenopsis orchid as a gift from a friend, and it’s been a reliable bloomer ever since. It usually starts to bloom in the spring, and continues through the fall. The large flowers can last for months. Each flower is about 5 inches (12.7 cm) wide. The photo below […]
To welcome the longest day of the year (in the Northern Hemisphere, that is,) I have some cheery pink Epidendrum flowers. Happy summer! Here in San Francisco, it’s a hot one, 94 F (34 C) in the shade at 1:00 in the afternoon. Where’s that cool SF fog when I need it? This Epidendrum lives […]
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 […]
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