AboutOrchids

In Japan, BotanyBoy describes the plight of the Samurai Orchid. Cultivated for centuries, they’re now endangered in the wild. Populations have shrunk as native habitats have been destroyed or altered by humans. Old growth forests only remain in small, disjointed pockets. They include areas around temples, shrines, rivers, and the very tops of mountain ridges. Near a shrine in Kyushu’s Fukuoka Prefecture, he and his wife found a large colony thriving on a Ginkgo Tree.

The Samurai Orchid is still popular in cultivation, demonstrated by the photo examples above. Long known as Neofinetia falcata, the species has been moved into the Vanda genus. It’s now Vanda falcata, but the previous name persists. Whatever perils it faces in the wild, many orchid lovers are keeping it safe from extinction. Read more about the Samurai Orchid’s history at Atlas Obscura. The American Orchid Society has a detailed article about them with care info.

It’s well-established that gardening is good for our health, and a new British study augments the evidence. Researchers from the University of Exeter and the Royal Horticultural Society analyzed data from almost 8,000 people.

The study found the benefits of gardening to health and wellbeing were similar to the difference in health between people living in the wealthiest parts of the country, compared to the poorest. The benefits applied whether people spent their time gardening or simply relaxing. People who regularly spend time in their garden were also more likely to visit nature elsewhere once a week.

Spending time in my indoor and outdoor gardens has always helped my own mental and physical health. As we continue to shelter at home during the COVID19 pandemic, occasional immersions in nature feel essential. Of course, flowers can’t solve the world’s problems, but they can restore our strength and sanity. Even for those who don’t have ready access to gardens or green spaces, it’s easy to keep an orchid, or two or three, on a windowsill to enjoy the same advantages. For more, read how Gardening Could Be the Hobby That Helps You Live to 100.

As we continue to shelter in place and stay close to home, Dave and I have been taking walks around nearby neighborhoods, and enjoying great Pacifica gardens. Of course, we follow public health guidelines, keeping a safe distance, and wearing masks when we’re near other people, but these areas aren’t crowded, so it’s easy.

While walking, my eyes are always peeled for orchids. Many of our neighbors grow Cymbidiums outdoors, like those in the first photo. They usually bloom over winter and spring, and a few still sported fresh blossoms. Occasionally, we passed houses with more Cymbidiums than me.

Northern California coastal gardeners are spoiled with great plants. Our mild climate is subtropical. Exotic beauties from South Africa, Australia, the Andes, and the Mediterranean thrive here. Old standards like roses are popular, too.

South of San Francisco, Pacifica spreads over 6 miles (9.7 km) of the coast, with communities separated by hills and lots of green spaces. It’s a land of microclimates. Amazingly, these gardens about 1 mile (1.6 km) away are growing some plants that we can’t. They’re in valleys which offer a little protection from ocean winds. These neighborhoods have more tall trees and lush growth. Our part of town has shorter coastal scrub, but we’ve managed to create a vibrant garden of our own.

From London, RBG Kew explains how sneaky orchids can be. Many orchid varieties offer nectar or fragrant oils for their pollinators, but others are tricksters. Their colors, shapes, or scents deceptively advertise rewards, but they have none. Some temporarily trap their pollinators, like the remarkable Bucket Orchid, which makes bees squeeze past its pollen to escape. The insects are duped, but may fertilize the flower during the affair. Since many orchids are pollinated by only a single insect species, they’ve evolved to become perfect lures for that bug. It’s an efficient strategy, increasing the odds that pollen will be picked up and dropped off in the right place. However, it also means that the process is more vulnerable to extinctions and climate change. By studying these sneaky orchids and their complex relationships, scientists hope to protect them for the future.

The Pink Lady Slipper, or Cypripedium acaule, used to grow wild in the Philadelphia area, but now is uncommon. It’s one of the most enchanting and elegant orchids native to the Eastern USA and Canada. When local plants were discovered last June, experts from nearby Longwood Gardens jumped into action. They hand-pollinated the flowers, and collected the seed capsules. Now, Longwood has dozens of seedlings growing in their lab. They hope to return the young plants to the wild next year to bolster the population.

The Pink Lady Slipper isn’t considered endangered in other regions, but it is rarely grown, even in botanical gardens where it could be protected. Longwood is testing methods to learn more about cultivating these unusual plants. This will help with related Lady Slipper species, most of which are rare and highly endangered. In addition, this project has brought together several different groups. Longwood is cooperating with the University of Pennsylvania’s Morris Arboretum, Garden Clubs of America, and the Springside Chestnut Hill Academy. They’re all working towards a common goal, and laying a path for future conservation work.

Are you staring with amazement at your gorgeous Mother’s Day orchid, and also wondering how to care for it? Don’t worry! Orchids don’t deserve their difficult reputations. It’s pretty likely that your new plant is a Moth Orchid, like those in the row of photos above. With a few basic care tips, it can continue to bloom for months.

Dancing Lady Orchids, or Oncidiums, are popular, too. Pictured in the row of photos above, their clusters of small yellow, brown, or red flowers make great displays. Oncidium Sharry Baby is one popular hybrid, shown in the first photo, which smells like chocolate.

Lady Slipper orchids boast some of the most incredible flowers in the plant world. The third row of photos presents a few examples, but there are many more varieties. They can also keep their blossoms for months. If you’re enjoying one of these orchids for Mother’s Day, basic care info will help your gift stay happy and bloom again.

When Dave visited Singapore last year, he found lots of green spaces filled with lush, tropical beauty. The nature park at Gardens by the Bay was one extraordinary example, with plants on the ground, and also up in the air on Supertrees. As epiphytes, or air plants, orchids are well-suited for living up high. Many hang in these vertical gardens.

Located within Gardens by the Bay, the Supertrees are human-made tree replicas, and they exemplify how dazzling orchids can be in vertical gardens. Of course, it helps to have a tropical climate like Singapore, with warm temps, plentiful rainfall, and strong light. These trees are full of sun-lovers like Vanda, Cattleya, Grammatophyllum, and Renanthera orchids. But even temperate climates can have vertical gardens which include intermediate growers or cool growers. In more shaded conditions, Moth Orchids and Lady Slippers can thrive on vertical displays. Their exotic blooms delight, and contribute a rainbow of colors to green walls. As the vertical garden trend continues to grow, expect to see more orchids hanging around, like they do in Singapore.

As we begin May, I’ll repeat that if any orchid shows are still happening, you shouldn’t go. I don’t know when big public events will be safe, but it’s still too soon. COVID19 is not contained, and the risks are too great. Orchid shows can wait.

So what to do in the meantime? There’s certainly plenty online. AboutOrchids.com has years of blog posts with helpful info and fantastic photos, and there are countless other sites to explore. Do you want to connect with other orchid lovers? Join your local orchid society. Most have regular newsletters. Their in-person meetings are being replaced by virtual ones, for now. How about a little shopping? Many orchid vendors are suffering financially, since shows represent a large portion of their business. Order plants online, or give them a call. They will appreciate your support, and you’ll appreciate your new orchids. Do you belong to the American Orchid Society? Even if you’re not a member, they offer substantial online resources. Joining entitles you to even more, including their superb monthly Orchids magazine. Be well, and enjoy the flowers.

Our spring garden is racing along and full of flowers. The winter rains were light, but it was apparently enough to make things burst into growth. The photos begin with a few outdoor orchids in the first row. There’s my favorite fragrant Zygo, a vigorous Australian Sarcochilus, and a stunning Cymbidium species, all thriving in our back garden.

The next two rows of photos are all native plants. California Poppies offer a brilliant orange counterpoint to the blooms of Blue-Eyed Grass, yellow and white Tidy Tips, rich blue Ceanothus, and little white Erigeron.

Our front yard is mostly succulents and other low water plants. Many have elegant, geometric leaf shapes. Their colorful flowers make them even more striking. Certainly the bees and hummingbirds love it all, and we’ve received lots of compliments from our neighbors. Now that Dave and I have lived in Pacifica for six years, our gardens have matured, and provide homes for a lot of life.

Photographer and conservationist Paul Sterry saw a Ghost Orchid in 1986. Thirty-three years later, in 2019, he found another. His remarkable photos reveal a flower that very few people see in real life: the Ghost Orchid, or Epipogium aphyllum. (Even though it shares a common name, it’s different than the famous Florida Ghost Orchid in the bestseller The Orchid Thief.)

Native to a large range throughout Europe and northern Asia, this phantasm of temperate forests is rare and endangered. Ghost Orchids lack chlorophyll, and feed off fungi. They grow underground except for infrequent and unpredictable flowers. Some enthusiasts spend their whole lives looking, but never find one.  The 2019 sighting took place in a remote Romanian forest, where Sterry was able to photograph Ghost Orchids. He’s learned how they need undisturbed, untrampled leaf litter to survive. The very act of searching for them may destroy these rare phantoms, although Sterry and his Romanian botanist guide were careful not to do so.

For more, check out this National Geographic article, “The Rarest Plant in Britain Makes a Ghostly Appearance.”