AboutOrchids

Orchid make beautiful, elegant, and fashionable Valentine gifts. Whether for love or friendship, they’re popular holiday flowers. However, picking the best one can be tricky. Orchid buying tips can be helpful for smart shoppers, but many orchid purchases aren’t about logic. Most of us have succumbed to the impulse buy. For me, it usually involves an exotic flower stopping me in my tracks. Before long, I’m mentally rearranging my other plants to find room. That’s not the ideal way to add to my collection, but when buying a gift, it’s fine to let your passion be your guide. Mostly you’ll find human-made hybrids for sale, grown for their vigor and exceptional blooms. There are countless varieties to choose from, but trust that your heart will know which is best.

From February 4 – March 4, the world’s most prestigious botanical gardens is putting on a “Tropical Extravaganza.” On the outskirts of London, Royal Botanic Gardens Kew has set up an exotic show. Among the 6500 tropical plants on display, there are over 2700 orchids. Floral arrangements represent the forces of nature: fire, earth, water, and air.

For those of us who can’t make it to the UK, the BBC has a video tour of the show which highlights lots of Vandas, Phals, Oncidiums, and Miltonias. It’s an explosion of color that provides a great remedy for gloomy winter weather.

Of the dozens of shows around the globe this month, I’m fortunate enough to live in the backyard of one of the largest, the Pacific Orchid Expo opening February 24th. Only Tokyo’s show opening February 18th is bigger. No matter the orchid count, all these shows offer magical blooms for your enjoyment. Many are perfectly timed to shop for Valentine’s Day gifts.

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Fitting enough for February’s “Obsession Issue” of Smithsonian magazine, there’s an engaging article about “The Orchid Olympics.” Last November’s World Orchid Conference in Singapore attracted over 300,000 visitors from 55 countries. Don’t miss the Smithsonian’s superb video tour of the event, highlighting the prize-winning Orchid Society of Papua New Guinea.

Then check out the astonishing photographs of JG Bryce. He captured thousands of pictures at the conference, and then digitally processed them to bring out depth and focus. Individual flowers stand against white backgrounds, and appear almost in 3D. Bryce’s work requires an obsessive attention to detail which fits in nicely with the Orchid Olympics.

Along with these previously mentioned orchid exhibits, many gardens are offering special winter displays.

January 12 – February 20
The Orchid Showcase at the Denver Botanic Gardens presents hundreds of orchids in their Orangery. In other areas of the garden, orchids bloom alongside indoor waterfalls.

January 14 – April 8
Orchids! Vibrant Victoriana offers a winter escape at Franklin Park Conservatory in Columbus, Ohio. Hundreds of orchids are on display, and there are talks, tours, and classes. Don’t miss the exhibit of dazzling glass orchids by acclaimed artist Debora Moore.

January 23 – February 10
Enchanting Orchids warms up the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society’s McLean Library in Philadelphia. Delight in free lectures, workshops, and a wide variety of orchids on exhibit.

January 28 – March 25
In St. Louis, Missouri Botanical Garden’s Annual Orchid Show provides a chance to see prize specimens from one of the country’s largest orchid collections. Enjoy fascinating orchid colors and scents in a Chinese themed garden.

February 4-April 15
Orchid Daze: Hanging Gardens at the Atlanta Botanical Garden mixes Babylon with Midtown Atlanta. Suspended displays of potted orchids appear to float in the air. Orchid Daze includes guided tours, care clinics, and orchid markets.

Thanks to Patti R., who recently sent me a question about a confusing orchid care article. Patti was understandably stumped by a gardening column in a normally reliable California newspaper. The column has repeatedly advised Phal growers to water their plants only once every 3 weeks. Patti asked:

I know this can’t be right. I grow orchids at my home 20 minutes from Sacramento. I also have a few more at my office. I’ve accidentally killed phals by allowing them only two weeks without water. How can anyone water once in three weeks?

Well, Patti, some people can water once in 3 weeks, but this really illustrates the problem with one-size-fits-all orchid care instructions. Soundbites may be dangerous to your orchid’s health. I would guess that the author of the advice grows Phals potted in moss in perfect greenhouse conditions. Many orchid pros water once every 3 weeks. They pot the Phals in tightly packed moss, which acts like a sponge. It can hold a lot of water, especially in high humidity. With a goal of minimizing water use, they’ve set up their growing environments accordingly. So it is possible.

Of course, most home or office growers don’t have optimal conditions. Even if your orchids grow in moss, your light levels, humidity, air movement, and temps vary. Each of these affects watering frequency. If your orchids are potted in bark, then you need to consider that it can dry quicker than moss. That’s why an orchid care regimen needs to be flexible, and soundbites do not account for fluctuating conditions. If a formula says “once every 3 weeks,” or “3 ice cubes per week,” take that as a starting point. Then, you need to pay attention to your plants. Check these helpful watering tips, and create your own schedule.

Coelia bella has a graceful beauty, a rich fragrance, and a musical name. Its delightful purple, white, and yellow flowers emerge like little trumpets, and have the sweet scent of marzipan or almond oil. This species is native to Mexico, Belize, Guatemala, Costa Rica, and Honduras.

Coelia is easy to pronounce; just ignore the “o” and say “Celia” like the woman’s name. In the wild, it grows as an epiphyte or a terrestrial in rainforests up to 5000 feet (1500 m) in elevation. In cultivation, it needs frequent watering, shady conditions, and winter dormancy. This species tolerates a wide range of temps. However, it doesn’t like repotting, and extra care is needed to avoid damage to roots.

The blooms can be as large as 2 inches (5 cm,) but this plant enjoying life on my back deck has slightly smaller 1.5 inch (3.8 cm) flowers. Besides this variety, another member of the Coelia genus in the final photo has tiny white flowers. This species, Coelia triptera, was on display at a local orchid show. Like Coelia bella, it’s also fragrant.

Botanical gardens offer great escapes from winter’s doldrums. Visit these special orchid displays and transport yourself to the tropics.

January 14 – March 4
Phipps Conservatory Orchid and Tropical Bonsai Show welcomes guests to stroll through their spectacular gardens in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The show highlights orchids like Phals and Paphs along with the Japanese art of miniature trees. The conservatory also presents practical growing tips for orchids and bonsais.

January 20 – March 18
Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden near Charlotte, North Carolina invites visitors to “Join the Expedition” for its Orchid Spectacular. The event focuses on 19th century explorers who risked life and limb searching for unknown orchids. The garden features 5000 orchids and orchid classes.

January 20 – March 25
Near Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Longwood Gardens Orchid Extravaganza provides a refuge from winter with thousands of flowers. This year’s event fills their conservatory with a variety of orchid displays, including an arch covered with 350 white Phals.

Orchids are popular presents to welcome the Year of the Dragon, which begins on January 23rd. For those celebrating the Chinese New Year or Tet, the Vietnamese New Year, orchids make elegant gifts for family and friends. They’re most favored in red or yellow, the traditional colors for the occasion. At the Asian Garden Mall in Southern California, orchids are in abundance for the Flower Festival which kicks off the season. Over a dozen photos in the article include Phals, Oncidiums, Cattleyas, and Dendrobiums. These exotic flowers are new additions to old traditions. “In [Vietnam], orchids are expensive, so it’s not a typical gift for most people,” according to a festival visitor. “But here, it’s a lovely and reasonably-priced present.”

I’ve already blogged about my objections to watering orchids with ice cubes. It doesn’t take a degree in botany to see that tropical plants, especially warm growers like the Phal in the first photo below, don’t like cold temps. But there’s another, less obvious reason why ice isn’t right for orchids — ice cubes don’t provide enough water. When watering an orchid, you should pour in enough so that it flows out the holes at the bottom of the pot. This flushes out the pot, washing away any stale water or excess fertilizer. Even when orchids rest during winter dormancy, and only need occasional drenching, they still need enough water to run through the pot. Each ice cube only contains a couple spoons of liquid (remember that part of an ice cube is air.) That’s insufficient, even for the Zygo in the middle photo or the Masdevallia in the final picture. They’re cool growers, but they need a good soaking, and even they don’t like being frozen. Keep your orchids out of the deep freeze, and save the ice cubes for your drink.