AboutOrchids

Check out these orchid exhibits for great Valentine’s Day activities or as warm respites from winter. Find previous listings here and here.

February 8 – March 5
Mille et une orchidées (1001 Orchids) offers an escape from a chilly Paris winter at the Jardin des Plantes. Enjoy spectacular flowers among lush greenery in heated glasshouses.

February 10 – March 25
The Chicago Botanic Garden presents Asia in Bloom: The Orchid Show. Check out Orchids After Hours on Thursday evenings, and weekend plants sales at the Orchid Marketplace.

February 10 – April 1
Leave winter behind at Atlanta Botanical Garden’s Orchid Daze. Thousands of blooms will fill the Fuqua Orchid Center for the exhibition.

February 16 – March 24
Find inspiration at The Orchid & Poetry Show at Myriad Botanical Gardens in Oklahoma City. The Crystal Bridge Tropical Conservatory will contain exhibits inspired by poems.

February 23 – April 8
The US Botanic Garden Conservatory, collaborating with Smithsonian Gardens, presents Orchid Spectrum. Among the thousands of orchids on display, highlights include some unique, specimen plants from the two esteemed collections.

The Northern California coast is already a beautiful place, but winter orchid blooms make it even better. The plants in these photos are reliable performers in our garden every year. We grow lots of Cymbidiums, which do very well in our climate. And so do some other orchid varieties, like cool-growing Zygos, Epidendrums, Laelias, and the Giant Hyacinth Orchid.

Of course, being outdoor plants, some of the blooms are battered by the elements. Many of these flowers last for months, even with strong ocean storms and winds. This year, we’ve had a few storms, but otherwise have been unusually warm, dry, and windy. It’s been those drying winds which the orchids don’t like, and which damage the flowers. With the forecast predicting more warm days approaching 80°F (27°C,) I’m watering the orchids more this winter than I did during our cool, foggy summer. That backwards schedule is likely another sign of climate change. On the coast, right next to the cool Northern Pacific Ocean, it’s a strangely warm winter.

Orchid shows are great places to enjoy incredible flowers, take photos, talk to experts, and buy orchids. Many events are perfectly timed for Valentine’s Day. Two of the world’s biggest shows happen this month in Tokyo and San Francisco.

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These extended orchid exhibits offer warm oases in the winter cold. They’re well-timed for Valentine’s Day, too. Find the previous listings here.

January 27 – March 11
Celebrate Orchid Mania at the Cleveland Botanical Garden. And don’t miss the botanically-inspired fashion show created by Kent State University Fashion School.

February 2 – March 11
Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden in Belmont, North Carolina presents Art & Orchids 2018. The Orchid Conservatory will be complemented with Egyptian plants, and two dozen garden-themed Egyptian tapestries will also be on display.

February 10 – March 11
RBG Kew’s Orchids Festival will celebrate Thailand’s orchids in London. Highlights of the display in the Princess of Wales Conservatory include an elaborate orchid palace and handcrafted Thai umbrellas.

February 10 – March 11
Orchids 2018 offers orchid species in warm glasshouses at Cambridge University Botanic Garden in England. Enjoy the lunchtime guided tours on Wednesdays, and explore orchids after dark in Twilight!

AboutOrchids is 10 years old today! As we approach 900 posts over a decade, it’s easy to look back and see how the blog (and I) have grown. When somebody asks how I still come up with new posts after all these years, the answer is that I’m still learning, too. And the more I learn, the more I understand that orchids are perennially fascinating. It may be the latest hybrid trend, or the discovery of new species, but there’s always more about orchids. With hundreds of thousands of different varieties, they are an endless topic.

You can probably hear my enthusiasm still going strong, but it can also be a lot of work. A decade ago, when blogs were still cool, I had no idea if AboutOrchids would outlast the trend. Along the way, Dave and I have learned more, and taken more photos, than we ever could have imagined. I’m thrilled when readers tell me that the website has helped them, or that AboutOrchids has given them enough orchid care basics to advance to other areas, like hybridizing or showing orchids. And supporting conservation must be an integral part of our love for these remarkable flowers.

So even if the website is desperately overdue for a revamp, I plan to still keep going with the blog. I can’t imagine a day when I’m ever done learning about orchids. Thanks to all AboutOrchids’ readers for being along for the ride.

The Botanic Gardens of South Australia are asking for donations to help save the Flying Duck Orchid. You may have seen its bizarre flower, which truly looks like a flying duck. Unfortunately, like many other fascinating Australian species, it’s endangered by habitat destruction and invasive species. Over 40% of South Australia’s orchids are threatened with extinction. The goal is to create a seed bank to protect 20 native orchid species, including the Flying Duck, with the future aim of reinforcing wild populations. Their donations page can accept contributions from outside Australia, too.

Botanical gardens are great places to escape winter doldrums, especially when they hold extended orchid exhibits for just that purpose. These amazing events run for weeks, and provide an easy way to enjoy a day in a tropical rainforest.

January 11 – February 19
Denver Botanic Gardens presents an Orchid Showcase with hundreds of tropical blooms. Visitors can enter the showcase’s photo contest by using the hashtag #DBGContest on Facebook or Instagram.

January 13 – February 25
Head to Pittsburgh for the Orchid and Tropical Bonsai Show at Phipps Conservatory. The botanical wonders on display will include some of their world-class Lady Slipper orchid collection.

January 13 – March 4
The Franklin Park Conservatory and Botanical Gardens in Columbus, Ohio transforms into Orchids: Utopia. Enter the show’s Instagram photo contest with the hashtag #fpcOrchids.

January 20 – March 25
Beauty awaits at Longwood Gardens’ Orchid Extravaganza near Philadelphia. Start with a tall tower of Moth Orchids, continue through an orchid curtain, and then marvel at hundreds of hanging Vandas.

Do you have any of these Moth Orchid species in your collection? You might not own these specific varieties, but if you have Phal hybrids, there’s a good chance that one or more of these species are in their ancestry. These nine photos show a few of the types frequently used in hybridization.

Starting with the Phal species native to India, China, Southeast Asia, the Philippines, and Australia, plant breeders have turned this small genus of orchids into the most popular houseplants around. Phal hybrids are often recommended as the best orchids for beginners. Loved for their beauty around the world, they’re also tough enough to grow in test tubes, be shipped across oceans, and survive the rigors of supermarket shelves.

There are about 60 Moth Orchid species. Many have multiple color variations, which may be rare in the wild, but have entered cultivation. They’ve added their genes to the vast Phal hybrid pool. Hybridizers continue to create new colors and patterns. All share their beginnings in tropical jungles with remarkable Moth Orchid species.

Welcome 2018 with orchids! There are shows around the world, despite the depths of winter in the northern USA and Europe. The Tamiami International Orchid Festival in Miami is one of the largest in the country, and always a spectacular show.

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Looking for a worthwhile organization that deserves an end-of-the-year donation? The American Orchid Society (AOS) is raising funds for vital research, conservation, and education efforts. They’ve set a $40,000 goal by the end of the year, and you can help with a contribution. As a 501c3 non-profit group, donations to the AOS are tax-deductible as allowed by law. Any size donation is appreciated. You can also support the AOS by joining and enjoying the benefits of membership, such as the beautiful monthly Orchids magazine.