AboutOrchids

Where can you find orchids in London besides Kew Gardens? Try the smaller, lesser-known, and older Chelsea Physic Garden. Inside its glasshouses, Chelsea Physic Garden houses a small but impressive orchid display. Founded in 1673 to study medicinal plants, it’s one of the oldest botanical gardens in the world, 86 years older than Kew. I visited at the end of June, and found some great orchids in bloom. There were several beautiful and bizarre Stanhopeas in bud, and a couple more in flower.

These orchids were on display in the glasshouses next to the Gift Shop. The Tropical Corridor Glasshouse showcased this brilliant white Sobralia blossom and climbing Vanilla vine.

There were several large orchids hanging in intermediate glasshouses, too, including the Dendrobium and Coelogyne in the final two photos. They must be spectacular when in bloom, and they’re both fragrant, also.

Orchids are just a small part of Chelsea Physic Garden. Its main displays highlight medicinal, edible, and other useful plants, and also feature a new woodland grove. Don’t miss historic Chelsea Physic Garden when visiting London!

Kew Gardens is packed with botanical treasures, and it’s impossible to see them in a single visit, or a single blog post. Here are some more photos from our recent trip to the world’s preeminent botanical garden. The first picture shows the Palm House, which features orchids scattered among its tropical plants. The second picture has the Princess of Wales Conservatory, with two rooms devoted to orchids, and the third highlights one of those rooms, the Tropical Orchid Zone.

The remaining photos show a few of the fascinating orchids on display during our visit. The next six pictures are orchid species. Some are common, like the Chinese Ground Orchid, and others are much more unusual, like the Grammatophyllum. They are just a fraction of Kew’s orchid gems.

We couldn’t find name tags on the orchids in these last three photos, but they’re certainly worthy of inclusion. An antelope-type Dendrobium, and two colorful Vandas, round out this visit to Kew. Check back soon for more.

Kew Gardens is the heart of the botanical world.  It’s one of the oldest, largest, and most important botanical gardens, and it maintains the largest collection of living plants on earth. Kew is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and it’s also one of London’s top tourist attractions. And, of course, it has lots of great orchids. Dave and I visited Kew Gardens at the end of June, and were astonished by all its botanical beauty. I’m just starting to sort through our photos. Here are my first orchid shots from Kew Gardens.

We found lots of orchids in Kew’s remarkable Princess of Wales Conservatory, and a few more in the majestic Palm House. The Princess of Wales Conservatory has zones for both tropical and temperate growers. The blooming orchids feature rare species, including some which Kew has brought back from the brink of extinction.

Dating to 1759, Kew covers 300 acres (121 hectares) with gardens, glasshouses, statues, and historic buildings, including the royal Kew Palace. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew has been at the forefront of plant conservation and research for more than two centuries. It maintains one of the largest botanical libraries, and one of the largest collections of dried plant specimens, in the world. Continuing an effort begun by Charles Darwin to register all plant names, Kew publishes the International Plant Names Index, as well as the Plant List. There’s so much more to this incredible institution — check back soon to see more pictures from Kew.

The orchid world focuses on the southern hemisphere this month, with busy show schedules in Australia, Brazil, New Zealand, and South Africa. There are still shows up north, too, in Louisiana, Iowa, Hawaii, Ontario, and more. San Francisco Bay Area residents, don’t miss Orchids in the Park in Golden Gate Park on July 25th-26th! Enjoy incredible orchids on display and on sale at San Francisco’s smaller annual orchid show.

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A distressing study of Asian orchid species reports that many are threatened with extinction. Habitat destruction, deforestation, and illegal sales of wild plants are destroying these beauties. The Center for International Forestry Research in Indonesia inspected Thai flower markets, and found hundreds of endangered species for sale. Even though it’s illegal to sell these plants taken from the wild, the laws are almost never enforced. The study’s authors have called for better monitoring of these species, and improved enforcement of conservation laws.

The International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) also has a sad update that almost all Asian Lady Slipper orchid species are highly endangered. It’s not all bad news, however. Conservation efforts to save some threatened animal species, such as the Iberian Lynx and Guadalupe Fur Seal, are succeeding, and this proves that these efforts do work. Inger Andersen, IUCN Director General, said “But this update is also a wake-up call, reminding us that our natural world is becoming increasingly vulnerable. The international community must urgently step up conservation efforts if we want to secure this fascinating diversity of life that sustains, inspires and amazes us every day.”

Welcome summer’s arrival with amazing orchids. These brilliant tropical blooms celebrate the summer solstice with warmth and beauty. Within your own home, orchids can transport you to the depths of a tropical jungle, or to the heights of a cloud forest. If you take a summer vacation, orchids may entice you into a far-flung botanical garden, or into a living, breathing rainforest. Here’s to a summer orchid adventure!

These photos are from last year’s Orchids in the Park, held in Golden Gate Park. This year’s event is coming up on July 25-26. It’s definitely on my summer orchid calendar.

Botanic Gardens Conservation International (BGCI) is the world’s largest plant conservation network, and it’s trying to save the planet’s plants. Based at Kew in London, the group’s membership includes over 800 botanic gardens from 118 countries. These gardens work together to share info, battle climate change, educate the public about the environment, and coordinate protection efforts. BGCI currently runs large conservation projects in China, North America, Russia, and the Mid East. Check out the Eastern Prairie White Fringed Orchid, one of the species they’re working to save in Illinois.  You can help by donating, becoming an individual member, and supporting your own local botanical garden.

Bee Orchids know how to appeal to bees. In the first video below, a botanist from London’s Natural History Museum explores the elaborate deceptions of these fascinating plants. Also known as Ophrys apifera, Bee Orchids mimic the appearance and pheromones of their namesake bugs to trick them into pollinating their flowers. The video also shows a related species, the Late Spider Orchid, Ophrys fuciflora, which is another insect mimic.

Like many orchids, Bee Orchids attract only one species of pollinator. That may not seem like an efficient strategy, but it helps the plants deliver their pollen to flowers of the same species. The next video shows another Ophrys variety, the False Spider Orchid, which also has great bee-appeal.

To learn more about orchid pollination strategies, check out this great Oxford University Press blog post about orchid deception.

Summer is coming, and it looks like it’s going to be a hot one. Orchids can survive heat waves with some basic care tips. Check these helpful hints when temperatures soar.

• Give orchids water when they dry out, but be careful not to drown your plants. High humidity is more important than repeated waterings in hot weather.
• Place plants into shade. Move orchids away from windows and out of direct sun to prevent leaf scorching.
• Keep humidity levels high. Most orchids can handle increased heat as long as it is matched by increased humidity. Raise humidity by grouping plants together, or placing plants in a humid area, like a bathroom or kitchen. Use a spray mister. Balance flowerpots on pebbles in trays of water, always keeping the pots raised above the water level.
• Fertilize less in hot weather. In high heat, orchids can’t metabolize plant food.
• Cool nights help a lot. If temps drop nightly, even cool growers can handle daytime heat waves for a while.
• If hot weather is a regular feature of your climate, you can still grow orchids. Choose warm growers, like Vandas, Cattleyas, and Spathoglottis, shown in the photos below.
• Always treat clean water as a valuable resource. Water conservation is an important consideration for all orchid growers.

Orchid shows are happening in every hemisphere, along with other interesting orchid events. The four-day Native Orchid Conference in New Hampshire includes field trips to see wild orchids in the White Mountains. In Southern California, the Orchid Digest Speakers’ Day is a feast of orchid experts, a great show, and dinner, too.

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