No, they were not functional during the show. These hand-made porcelain urinals are the work of California artist Clark Sorensen, and were featured at last week’s Pacific Orchid Expo here in San Francisco. If anyone is in doubt about your love of orchids, these would certainly prove your devotion, and then some.
I’m also including a few more pictures of real, non-porcelain orchids from last week’s show.
Since we don’t own a car (a big hassle here in San Francisco,) Dave and I usually head to the SF orchid show with our friend Kim. She’s kind enough to give us a ride and help us transport our new orchid purchases home. But this year Kim couldn’t make it, so Dave brought me on the motorcycle. Getting there was no problem, but getting half a dozen orchids home on the motorcycle takes some planning. So, armed with an array of knapsacks and tank bags, after the show we carefully packed the orchids we’d bought, and hoped for the best. I’m happy to report complete success this year — Dave safely drove us home, half way across San Francisco, and the orchids survived just fine. We also packed our cameras, and took lots of pictures. Enjoy some of Dave’s amazing photos. I’ll save some others for another post.
Unconventional orchid transport
There’s a great article in the New York Sun about the NY Botanical Garden’s annual orchid show. It lasts for 6 weeks, Feb. 23rd to April 6, so those of you lucky enough to be in NYC, you have no excuse to miss it.
You’ll definitely find me at the San Francisco Orchid Society’s annual show, the Pacific Orchid Exposition, held at Fort Mason’s Festival Pavilion. This year’s theme is “Orchids Gone Wild,” and the show runs February 28 – March 2. There will be thousands of stunning orchids on display and for sale. You’ll also find lots of great orchid books, artwork, potting demos, and docent tours. Here are some pics from last year’s show. Advance tickets and more info at www.orchidsanfrancisco.org.
Did I mention that my time away involved laying on a beach in Mexico? ‘Cause that’s what we did. We did do lots of exploring, too, including orchid hunting. We were disappointed not to find orchids within Cancun, but our visit to the ancient Mayan ruins of Chichen Itza made up for it. We were listening to our tour guide when we both looked up into a tree and saw 3 orchids tightly attached to branches about 15 ft (4.5 m) up in the air. They weren’t in flower, but 2 of them had big fat seedpods hanging underneath. I could tell they were Stanhopea orchids because of the distinctive way their roots pointed up. As we looked around the rest of the Chichen Itza complex, we found dozens more in the trees, a lot with seedpods. Here, in the tropical, dry season heat that was making us wither, these orchids go for weeks without rain. No wonder they’ve been around for millions of years.
Dave and I both took plenty of pictures of the ruins, but we were also pointing our cameras up into the trees and taking pictures of the orchids. It’s a good way to elicit strange stares from people. Of course if the orchids had been in bloom, it might have made a bit more sense to them. But I was just as happy seeing a healthy population of native orchids.
Since the orchids at Chichen Itza weren’t in bloom, I thought I’d add a picture of Stanhopea flowers from a different locale. The flowers hang down below the plant, and have some strange shapes.
One of my most frustrating experiences as a beginning orchid grower was understanding this thing called “the dormant season.” My orchids all seem to be growing or flowering in the winter. Even some Dendrobiums and Cattleyas which didn’t seem to do anything all year long suddenly started growing and blooming in December. How could they be called dormant? But then I discovered that “dormant season” is more about environmental conditions (cooler temperatures, lower light, and less water.) Consider the fact that some orchids may grow during their dormant season just part of their charm, and resist the temptation to water a lot during winter.
I’ll be away for a couple weeks, but I hope to have some good orchid pics for you when we get home.
This Diplocaulobium is a great little Dendrobium relative that flowered today, and went a long way to pick me up from my winter doldrums. Its spider-like flowers last less than a day, opening in the morning and closing the same evening. But it more than makes up for its short-lived flowers by blooming frequently. I’ve had this plant about 3 years, and it reliably blooms at least once a month. The flowers have a strong sweet melon scent during the day.
A friend of mine asked me about her Phal. She’s had it blooming in her living room for months, and suddenly this week the flowers all drooped and fell off. Then the bottom leaves turned to mush. I didn’t even need to see the plant to make a diagnosis — poor drainage. It turned out she’d had it in her living room on the floor by a really large picture window. It got plenty of light and heat for most of the year, so it didn’t mind that she never emptied the water tray underneath. She watered it before she left for work in the morning, and the water in the tray would just evaporate in the heat of the day. We had a big series of cold storms last week, and it was gray and damp. The water tray must have filled up, so the orchid just sat too cool and wet for a few nights. Only a couple bottom leaves turned to mush, so I just told her to clean it off, let it dry out for at least 4-5 days, and keep it on the drier side during winter. If it survives, with patience it should bloom again.
Since I tend to be an over-waterer, going into the dormant season is tough for me. In the fall, I can’t resist continuing to do my daily plant check without a watering can in hand. Eventually, a few weeks before winter’s start, I remember to substitute my spray mister for my watering can. That satisfies my urge to tend to my plants, and keeps me from overwatering. Dormant orchids (like Cattleyas, Dendrobiums, Oncidiums) can quickly rot with too much water in the winter. Some orchids that don’t truly go dormant (like Phals, Paphs, & Masdevallias) still need regular water, but with shorter and cooler days, they don’t mind being a little on the dry side.
If you’re in Florida, don’t miss the 11th World Orchid Conference held in Miami, Jan. 23-27, 2008. The WOC is held every 3 years, and this year looks like one of the best orchid shows around. Orchids will be on display, for sale, and discussed in lectures. For more info go to the official conference website.
If you can’t make it to Miami, like me, you’ll need to find some orchid inspiration elsewhere. This beautiful Epidendrum is a great start.
