AboutOrchids

If you have a warm, sunny windowsill, and sometimes forget to water, Tolumnias may be perfect for you. These mini orchids have eye-catching colors and patterns. I bought this Tolumnia hybrid at last year’s Pacific Orchid Expo, and this year, it put on a great show with lots of brilliant blooms.

Tolumnias are native to the Caribbean, and are sometimes called Equitant Oncidiums or Dancing Lady Orchids. Their small leaves require morning sun and warm temps. With thin roots, which need to dry out between waterings, they’re often grown on mounts. This allows them to dry quicker than potted plants. Provide a winter dormancy with reduced watering, but always maintain high humidity and good air movement.

Tolumnias come in vivid colors, like reds, pinks, yellows, and oranges. Although the plants remain small, their flower spikes can reach up to 18 inches (46 cm,) so they do require some extra space when in bloom. Old spikes may blossom again, so don’t cut them off when they’re done. And find a little room for these floral gems on your windowsill.

Would you like to have an orchid adventure in southern France? How about southwestern China? Check out these expertly guided trips from the Orchid Conservation Alliance. I’ve blogged before about their great work to preserve orchids.

The trip to France is coming up first, from April 22 – May 1. Orchid lovers will enjoy wine, food, castles, and gardens, along with the native orchids of springtime in Provence and the Périgord.

The trip to China will be June 17 – 30. It will take lucky travelers to the spectacular scenery and rich plant life of the Himalayas, home to many orchids. Both trips are expensive, but promise the adventure of an orchid lover’s lifetime.

Bonsai is the art of growing small trees in containers. Each potted tree is carefully shaped and pruned to evoke an idyllic natural scene. There’s no better place to marvel at them than the National Bonsai and Penjing Museum at the US National Arboretum in Washington DC. I was able to enjoy this spectacular little forest of bonsai trees during a recent family visit to the East Coast.

Many people already know about bonsai, but penjing is a less common term. Penjing is the ancient Chinese art of creating miniature nature scenes. This was later adapted in Japan to create bonsai. There are many different styles of both bonsai and penjing, but generally, bonsai focuses on a tree or group of trees, while penjing creates landscapes, often with trees, rocks, and other plants. Beautiful trays or shallow pots hold the displays.

These tiny trees need regular water, sunlight, and temperatures appropriate for each species. They fare best when grown outdoors for most or all of the year. They are only brought inside for cold winters or harsh weather, and returned to the sun and fresh air as soon as possible. Growers temporarily wire branches to create specific shapes and designs. By keeping them in small pots, and pruning their branches and roots, the trees stay dwarfed. Even though they’re small, well-grown bonsai appear large and ancient. Expert daily care can keep them alive until they’re very old. Amazingly, the very first photo in this post depicts a Japanese White Pine which started cultivation in Hiroshima in 1625! It even survived the atomic bomb dropped on that Japanese city at the end of World War II. The Japanese family which nurtured this tree for six generations gave it as a gift to the USA for 1976’s bicentennial celebrations.

Of course, I’m always looking for orchids, and I found a few among the trees in the museum’s Tropical Conservatory. The only one in bloom during my visit was the brilliant Cattleya hybrid in the final photo. There was also an enormous Bamboo Orchid, but it didn’t have any new flowers. Visit the National Bonsai and Penjing Museum — it houses a forest full of bonsai and much more! Learn about bonsai basics at BonsaiEmpire.com.

National Geographic offers 12 wonderful orchid photos for spring. These aren’t your everyday orchids. Instead, they’re unusual Mediterranean terrestrial species, like Helleborines, Tongue Orchids, and Elder-Flowered Orchids. Aren’t they just as stunning as their better-known, tropical relatives?

April is a very busy month for orchid shows around the planet. All are great opportunities to see wondrous flowers, take photos, talk to orchid experts, and buy plants for yourself.

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In Surrey, UK, RHS Garden Wisley features colorful tropical orchids for a month-long exhibit from April 2nd – May 1st. Enjoy blooming orchids in the Glasshouse, and then enjoy them from an artistic perspective. The Wisley Garden Library displays orchid portraits until May 2nd, including works by renowned botanical artist Nellie Roberts.

With such incredible diversity, the orchid family features flowers of every size. Some varieties have tiny flowers, each bloom smaller than a fingernail. These mini blooms may be less popular than their larger relatives, but they are just as interesting. Big, showy orchid flowers may steal the spotlight, especially if you need a magnifying lens to enjoy the smaller blooms. However, many of these tiny flowers have their own fascinating intricacies. Each diminutive bloom is a perfectly formed flower with all the requisite orchid parts, only in miniature.

With ubiquitous digital cameras, it’s easier than ever to enjoy these orchids. Simply take a picture, enlarge it on the screen, and look at the great details. Many of these varieties with small flowers are miniature plants, but sometimes even large plants can have minuscule flowers. Larger plants may have dozens, or even hundreds, of tiny blooms, creating very impressive displays. So orchids with tiny flowers can be just as amazing as their larger flowered cousins.

All of these photos are from last month’s Pacific Orchid Expo.

Despite its nickname, the Downy Rattlesnake Plantain has no venom. It’s a hardy orchid species native to eastern North America, with beautiful white veining patterns on its leaves.

There are always plenty of orchids to celebrate today’s spring equinox. Here are a few more of Dave’s photos from the recent Pacific Orchid Expo to mark the change of seasons.

Here on the California coast, today brings official end to a rainy winter. It hasn’t ended our drought yet, but many reservoirs are full, and the hills are green again. It’s a great springtime bonus. Happy equinox.

Orchids in Minnesota? In fact, the state has dozens of native species, one being the Small White Lady Slipper, Cypripedium candidum. This rare orchid already has an uncertain future, threatened by habitat destruction and invasive species. Now, a new study examines dangers from climate change.