AboutOrchids

I’ve been collecting orchid books for years, but this ranks as one of my favorites. Manuel Aubron’s fantastic photos capture the beauty and strangeness of orchids, and the text provides concise descriptions of how these plants grow in the wild. As a bonus it’s 2 books in 1, combining a large coffee-table book of detailed flower photos, and a mini orchid care book embedded in the back. With a focus on species across different regions of the world, they feature a great variety of uncommon orchids.

Orchids, photos by Manuel Aubron, written by Pascal Descourvieres, DK Publishing, NY, 2007

A gardener friend once told me that if I’m not killing plants, I’m not learning anything. I do try to avoid fatalities in my learning process, but they still happen sometimes.

This beautiful bloom is from last year, when my little Sophronitis cernua was doing well. This Cattleya relative is native to Brazil. I’ve kept it inside during Winter, and moved it outside on the deck when temps warmed in Spring. This year it went out in April, but unexpected chilly nights down to the 40s F (5-10 C) killed most of the plant. The last few leaves that survived the cold damage finally dropped this week, and the dead plant went into the compost bin.

So I’ve learned a couple lessons in my orchid post mortem:
1-Sophronitis cannot handle cold temps
2-San Francisco weather is tough to predict (I shouldn’t need a reminder for that one.)

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! Each flower is just a speck of color, only 1/7 inch (4 mm) tall. The whole plant is just 2.5 inches (6.4 cm) across. Dave took these photos with a macro lens.

Found in coastal rainforests in Venezuela and Colombia, these orchids need daily water and constant high humidity.

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 open this year.

This variety of Iris is a California native, and it’s been blooming for a few weeks now. This latest flower is a bit damaged by the elements, but beautiful nonetheless.

Dave noticed a Valerian plant growing in one of the flower beds a few weeks ago. They’re not natives, but they grow wild all over the SF Bay Area. This one probably volunteered from a seed arriving via wind or bird. The flower buds are just starting to form in this photo.

And here’s 1 more pic of some small yellow flowers on an unidentified plant in the back of the garden.

If you’re missing your orchid fix, don’t worry. I’ll have another orchid post for you soon.

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 light purple color and the ruffly ridges on the flower lip. Variegated forms of this flower are grown as bonsai in Japan.

Whether you’re just starting to learn about orchids or you’re a seasoned pro, orchid shows are a great way to enjoy beautiful flowers and meet others in your area who share your interest. Here are just a few of the many shows happening in North America this month.

These orchids I can’t kill, because they’re part of a coloring book. In lieu of water and fertilizer, I’ll need crayons. And while I appreciate the subject matter, I think I’ll leave the coloring to a visiting niece or nephew. There’s a helpful glossary in the back for all the big botanical words in the orchid descriptions. Since there’s no pronunciation guide, though, we might be in trouble when the kids ask us how to pronounce “Coelogyne pandurata.” Pass the purple crayon, please.

Orchids of the World Coloring Book, by Virginie Fowler Elbert, Dover Publications, Inc., New York, 1983.

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 around a wooden basket show how an orchid attaches to a tree branch in the wild.

Dendrobium nobile is a fragrant orchid native to the Himalayas.

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

This Paphiopedilum has petals 2 ft (0.6 m) long

A statue of the goddess Hebe presides over a spring garden inside Phipps.

It’s a sign of springtime that I have so many orchids starting to bloom. This little red Maxillaria tenuifolia may not look as impressive as larger orchids, but it packs a big scent. This single flower fills our front room with a sweet coconut aroma. It is native to Central American jungles, and enjoys warm temperatures and bright light.