AboutOrchids

Dave’s work schedule only permitted him a couple days to play tourist in Singapore, but he really saw a lot. He was able to enjoy the stunning Singapore Botanic Gardens, including the National Orchid Garden. He also toured the Cloud Forest Conservatory. In addition to all that, he took lots of photos in the Flower Dome, an enormous greenhouse next to the Cloud Forest Conservatory. One of the pictures above shows a nighttime view of the Flower Dome on the left and Cloud Forest on the right, with the Supertrees lit in blue. They all help make Singapore a “City in a Garden.”

The Flower Dome is all about blooms. It features nine different gardens which showcase plants from around the globe, emphasizing cool, arid climates. The Flower Field display in the middle includes lots of great tropical orchids. There are also cacti, succulents, trees, and much more.  The Flower Dome is the largest columnless glasshouse in the world. The building is designed to be energy efficient and collect rainwater. Water recirculates to keep the temperature cool, and create an oasis of perpetual springtime.

The modern vanilla industry owes its existence to a young enslaved African, Edmond Albius. Vanilla vines had been imported from Mexican jungles to the tiny French colony of Réunion, in the Indian Ocean near Madagascar. But without their Mexican bee pollinators, nobody could figure out how to produce vanilla beans. In 1841, Edmond Albius, then an enslaved 12 year old, figured it out. He adapted a method for hand-pollinating watermelon plants to work for vanilla orchid flowers. The plantation where he was enslaved sent him around the island to teach others. By the late 1800’s, Réunion was producing more vanilla beans than all of Mexico. Sadly, Albius never shared in the wealth he brought to this little island.

In 1848, France finally freed its enslaved population. The 19 year old Albius did menial work, and found a job in a kitchen, but was jailed after a crime. Fortunately, some prominent officials intervened on his behalf, citing his important discovery, and he was released early. He continued his life in poverty, dying at 51 in 1880. Over the years, several have tried to discredit him, but there’s much evidence to prove that it was young Albius who found the solution. The French established successful vanilla plantations in their tropical colonies. Madagascar, a former French colony, now produces most of the world’s vanilla beans. Albius’ ingenuity helped make vanilla an essential ingredient in modern foods and fragrances.

Singapore’s Cloud Forest Conservatory is a great place for orchids. It houses large displays of orchid species and hybrids, along with ferns, carnivorous plants, and other tropical greenery. The enormous glasshouse replicates a cloud forest, which is a high mountain forest bathed in constant mist and cool temperatures. Some of these varieties, like Masdevallias, Odonts, and Zygos, are the same ones that we can grow outdoors on the foggy Northern California coast.

Conservatory visitors can marvel at lots of exotic blooms, lush growth, green walls, and a towering indoor waterfall. Elevated walkways feature this indoor jungle from higher vantage points. The conservatory is part of Singapore’s enormous Gardens by the Bay nature park. I’ll have photos from the adjacent glasshouse, the Flower Dome, in a future post. I’ll have more of Dave’s pictures from the Cloud Forest Conservatory, too, so check back again soon. Enjoy orchids from the Singapore Botanic Gardens and National Orchid Garden in my earlier posts.

Marie Selby Botanical Gardens in Sarasota, Florida begins its exhibit “The Orchid Show 2019: Blossoms of Asia” tomorrow. The event runs from Saturday, October 12th to Sunday, December 1st, and features Asian orchids. It also includes information about orchids’ roles in Asian cultures, arts, and philosophies. Numerous lectures and classes will take place through the end of December.

The Singapore Botanic Gardens (SBG) is one of the most popular gardens in the world. Founded in 1859, it’s played a pivotal role in Singapore’s orchid industry, but there’s more than orchids in its 203 acres (82 hectares.) This tropical paradise is home to the National Orchid Garden, and also a Ginger Garden, Children’s Garden, Fragrant Garden, Evolution Garden, Ethnobotany Garden, a real tropical rainforest, several restaurants, and much more.

Dave’s pictures from last month’s visit reveal just a tiny fraction of the garden’s lush grandeur. The SBG is also a major center for plant science, conservation, and education. In 2015, Singapore was proud to have the gardens declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site, one of only three botanical gardens to receive the honor. With over 10,000 plant species on display, and millions of visitors annually, the SBG is certainly a world-class institution. Check back here soon for more photos from Dave’s Singapore trip.

From Honolulu to Helsinki, from Buenos Aires to Bologna, orchid lovers gather for shows, auctions, and conferences this month. The USA, New Zealand, and Australia have busy schedules. Check the list below to make sure you don’t miss any of these great events near you.

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Earlier this month, Dave traveled to Singapore for work, and had some time to play tourist, too. It was his first trip to Asia, his first time across the international dateline, and his first visit to the tiny, tropical island nation.  He returned with lots of photos, including many, many orchids. This first post shows pictures from the National Orchid Garden, which is part of Singapore Botanic Gardens.

The National Orchid Garden boasts thousands of brilliant, tropical orchid varieties, like the warm-growing Vandas, Dendrobiums, Epidendrums, and Bamboo Orchids in these photos. Many are award-winning hybrids from Singapore’s large, commercial orchid industry. The National Orchid Garden is open from 8:30 am to 7:00 pm daily. Check back soon to see more pictures of Singapore’s greenery.

The earth has seasons because it’s tilted. If the planet’s axis weren’t tipped over by 23.5°, we wouldn’t have long daylight hours over summer, or long hours of darkness over winter. If we were perfectly upright, we might have slight seasonal weather changes, but the climate probably wouldn’t vary much. Every day might be like today, with 12 hours of light and 12 hours of night. So that tilt matters a lot. It gives us our seasonal cycles, which drive so much natural beauty and variety. Celebrate today’s equinox, and our tilt, with these great orchid examples.

Vanilla prices have been so high that some Madagascan farmers are getting rich. Madagascar is one of the poorest countries. It’s also the world’s leading vanilla grower, producing about 80% of all vanilla beans. With the influx of cash from this valuable orchid crop, farmers are buying nicer homes, better farming equipment, and solar panels. They’re also funding schools and community organizations, and diversifying local economies to prepare for a day when vanilla prices go down. The money has brought problems, too, like increased crime. Thieves steal beans from the vines, and a lack of banks in the area leads to people hiding cash in mattresses. But the benefits are outweighing the problems, as vanilla farmers are able to leave poverty and hunger behind, and have hope for the future.

It’s always a pleasure to see orchids growing happily in the wild. During a recent family hike in Colorado’s San Juan National Forest, we spotted a couple of native orchid varieties. The first three rows of photos show the charming Goodyera oblongifolia, or Western Rattlesnake Plaintain. It’s named for its reticulated leaves which resemble snakeskin. Among these small patches of plants, the patterns were most noticeable on the newest leaves. A prominent white stripe remained in the middle of the older leaves. These orchids were finishing up their blooms, with a few small, white flowers at the tops of their spikes. Lots of seedpods were forming below.

The final row of photos shows seedpods from what was probably a Coralroot, or Corallorhiza orchid. Coralroots are strange plants which have no leaves, but instead feed off fungi in the ground. They only appear above ground when they flower and fruit. My guess is that these plants are one of two species that are native to the area, either the Striped Coral Root, Corallorhiza striata, or the Spotted Coral Root, Corallorhiza maculata. Since the flowers were gone by late summer, it’s tough to distinguish them from only their red seedpods. To see more native Colorado species, check out my earlier post with photos of the Fairy Slipper Orchid and Bog Orchid.