{"id":26800,"date":"2017-01-19T07:30:02","date_gmt":"2017-01-19T15:30:02","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.aboutorchids.com\/blog\/?p=26800"},"modified":"2017-05-19T11:47:06","modified_gmt":"2017-05-19T19:47:06","slug":"hyacinth-orchids-big-and-small","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.aboutorchids.com\/blog\/2017\/01\/19\/hyacinth-orchids-big-and-small\/","title":{"rendered":"Hyacinth Orchids, Big and Small"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>For years, I&#8217;ve had great success growing a <a href=\"http:\/\/www.aboutorchids.com\/blog\/2014\/11\/26\/giant-hyacinth-orchid\/\">Giant Hyacinth Orchid<\/a> outdoors. With long, graceful leaves, it&#8217;s an elegant plant even when not in flower. But certainly, it&#8217;s at its best when it bursts into bloom. Tall stalks emerge, each boasting dozens of small, purple flowers. Every winter, this orchid reliably puts on a great show, usually lasting for months. It&#8217;s currently outside our front door, where it started blooming a few weeks ago.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.aboutorchids.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/Arpophyllum_giganteum_5_800px.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-26809 size-thumbnail\" src=\"http:\/\/www.aboutorchids.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/Arpophyllum_giganteum_5_800px-96x128.jpg\" alt=\"Arpophyllum giganteum, Hyacinth Orchid, orchid species with purple flowers, grown outdoors in Pacifica, California\" width=\"96\" height=\"128\" srcset=\"http:\/\/www.aboutorchids.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/Arpophyllum_giganteum_5_800px-96x128.jpg 96w, http:\/\/www.aboutorchids.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/Arpophyllum_giganteum_5_800px-225x300.jpg 225w, http:\/\/www.aboutorchids.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/Arpophyllum_giganteum_5_800px.jpg 600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 96px) 100vw, 96px\" \/><\/a><a href=\"http:\/\/www.aboutorchids.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/Arpophyllum_giganteum_3_800px.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-26807 size-thumbnail\" src=\"http:\/\/www.aboutorchids.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/Arpophyllum_giganteum_3_800px-128x85.jpg\" alt=\"Arpophyllum giganteum, Hyacinth Orchid, orchid species with purple flowers, grown outdoors in Pacifica, California\" width=\"128\" height=\"85\" srcset=\"http:\/\/www.aboutorchids.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/Arpophyllum_giganteum_3_800px-128x85.jpg 128w, http:\/\/www.aboutorchids.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/Arpophyllum_giganteum_3_800px-300x200.jpg 300w, http:\/\/www.aboutorchids.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/Arpophyllum_giganteum_3_800px-768x512.jpg 768w, http:\/\/www.aboutorchids.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/Arpophyllum_giganteum_3_800px.jpg 800w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 128px) 100vw, 128px\" \/><\/a><a href=\"http:\/\/www.aboutorchids.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/Arpophyllum_giganteum_6_800px.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-26810 size-thumbnail\" src=\"http:\/\/www.aboutorchids.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/Arpophyllum_giganteum_6_800px-128x96.jpg\" alt=\"Arpophyllum giganteum, Hyacinth Orchid, orchid species with purple flowers, leaves and flowers, grown outdoors in Pacifica, California\" width=\"128\" height=\"96\" srcset=\"http:\/\/www.aboutorchids.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/Arpophyllum_giganteum_6_800px-128x96.jpg 128w, http:\/\/www.aboutorchids.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/Arpophyllum_giganteum_6_800px-300x225.jpg 300w, http:\/\/www.aboutorchids.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/Arpophyllum_giganteum_6_800px-768x576.jpg 768w, http:\/\/www.aboutorchids.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/Arpophyllum_giganteum_6_800px.jpg 800w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 128px) 100vw, 128px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.aboutorchids.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/Arpophyllum_giganteum_1_800px.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-26805 size-thumbnail\" src=\"http:\/\/www.aboutorchids.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/Arpophyllum_giganteum_1_800px-96x128.jpg\" alt=\"Arpophyllum giganteum, Hyacinth Orchid, close up of flowers, orchid species with purple flowers, grown outdoors in Pacifica, California\" width=\"96\" height=\"128\" srcset=\"http:\/\/www.aboutorchids.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/Arpophyllum_giganteum_1_800px-96x128.jpg 96w, http:\/\/www.aboutorchids.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/Arpophyllum_giganteum_1_800px-225x300.jpg 225w, http:\/\/www.aboutorchids.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/Arpophyllum_giganteum_1_800px.jpg 600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 96px) 100vw, 96px\" \/><\/a><a href=\"http:\/\/www.aboutorchids.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/Arpophyllum_giganteum_2_800px.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-26806 size-thumbnail\" src=\"http:\/\/www.aboutorchids.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/Arpophyllum_giganteum_2_800px-85x128.jpg\" alt=\"Arpophyllum giganteum, Hyacinth Orchid, orchid species with purple flowers, grown outdoors in Pacifica, California\" width=\"85\" height=\"128\" srcset=\"http:\/\/www.aboutorchids.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/Arpophyllum_giganteum_2_800px-85x128.jpg 85w, http:\/\/www.aboutorchids.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/Arpophyllum_giganteum_2_800px-200x300.jpg 200w, http:\/\/www.aboutorchids.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/Arpophyllum_giganteum_2_800px.jpg 533w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 85px) 100vw, 85px\" \/><\/a><a href=\"http:\/\/www.aboutorchids.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/Arpophyllum_giganteum_4_800px.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-26808 size-thumbnail\" src=\"http:\/\/www.aboutorchids.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/Arpophyllum_giganteum_4_800px-85x128.jpg\" alt=\"Arpophyllum giganteum, Hyacinth Orchid, orchid species with purple flowers, grown outdoors in Pacifica, California\" width=\"85\" height=\"128\" srcset=\"http:\/\/www.aboutorchids.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/Arpophyllum_giganteum_4_800px-85x128.jpg 85w, http:\/\/www.aboutorchids.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/Arpophyllum_giganteum_4_800px-200x300.jpg 200w, http:\/\/www.aboutorchids.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/Arpophyllum_giganteum_4_800px.jpg 533w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 85px) 100vw, 85px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>After a dozen years of spectacular blooms with this plant, I spotted a closely related subspecies for sale at <a href=\"http:\/\/www.aboutorchids.com\/blog\/2016\/02\/28\/pacific-orchid-expo-2016\/\">last year&#8217;s Pacific Orchid Expo<\/a>. Some friends successfully grow this smaller Hyacinth Orchid variety in their gardens, so I decided to try it, too. I&#8217;m happy to see that <em>Arpophyllum giganteum subspecies alpinum<\/em> is just as easy to bloom as <em>Arpophyllum giganteum<\/em>. Instead of purple, it has vivid crimson flowers.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.aboutorchids.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/Arpophyllum_giganteum_subspecies_alpinum_1_800px.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-26811 size-thumbnail\" src=\"http:\/\/www.aboutorchids.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/Arpophyllum_giganteum_subspecies_alpinum_1_800px-85x128.jpg\" alt=\"Arpophyllum giganteum subspecies alpinum, Hyacinth Orchid, orchid species with crimson flowers, grown outdoors in Pacifica, California\" width=\"85\" height=\"128\" srcset=\"http:\/\/www.aboutorchids.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/Arpophyllum_giganteum_subspecies_alpinum_1_800px-85x128.jpg 85w, http:\/\/www.aboutorchids.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/Arpophyllum_giganteum_subspecies_alpinum_1_800px-200x300.jpg 200w, http:\/\/www.aboutorchids.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/Arpophyllum_giganteum_subspecies_alpinum_1_800px.jpg 533w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 85px) 100vw, 85px\" \/><\/a><a href=\"http:\/\/www.aboutorchids.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/Arpophyllum_giganteum_subspecies_alpinum_2_800px.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-26812 size-thumbnail\" src=\"http:\/\/www.aboutorchids.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/Arpophyllum_giganteum_subspecies_alpinum_2_800px-96x128.jpg\" alt=\"Arpophyllum giganteum subspecies alpinum, Hyacinth Orchid, orchid species with crimson flowers, grown outdoors in Pacifica, California\" width=\"96\" height=\"128\" srcset=\"http:\/\/www.aboutorchids.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/Arpophyllum_giganteum_subspecies_alpinum_2_800px-96x128.jpg 96w, http:\/\/www.aboutorchids.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/Arpophyllum_giganteum_subspecies_alpinum_2_800px-225x300.jpg 225w, http:\/\/www.aboutorchids.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/Arpophyllum_giganteum_subspecies_alpinum_2_800px.jpg 600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 96px) 100vw, 96px\" \/><\/a><a href=\"http:\/\/www.aboutorchids.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/Arpophyllum_giganteum_subspecies_alpinum_5_800px.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-26815 size-thumbnail\" src=\"http:\/\/www.aboutorchids.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/Arpophyllum_giganteum_subspecies_alpinum_5_800px-128x96.jpg\" alt=\"Arpophyllum giganteum subspecies alpinum, Hyacinth Orchid, orchid species showing leaves and crimson flowers, grown outdoors in Pacifica, California\" width=\"128\" height=\"96\" srcset=\"http:\/\/www.aboutorchids.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/Arpophyllum_giganteum_subspecies_alpinum_5_800px-128x96.jpg 128w, http:\/\/www.aboutorchids.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/Arpophyllum_giganteum_subspecies_alpinum_5_800px-300x225.jpg 300w, http:\/\/www.aboutorchids.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/Arpophyllum_giganteum_subspecies_alpinum_5_800px-768x576.jpg 768w, http:\/\/www.aboutorchids.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/Arpophyllum_giganteum_subspecies_alpinum_5_800px.jpg 800w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 128px) 100vw, 128px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.aboutorchids.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/Arpophyllum_giganteum_subspecies_alpinum_4_800px.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-26814 size-thumbnail\" src=\"http:\/\/www.aboutorchids.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/Arpophyllum_giganteum_subspecies_alpinum_4_800px-96x128.jpg\" alt=\"Arpophyllum giganteum subspecies alpinum, Hyacinth Orchid, orchid species, close up of crimson flowers, grown outdoors in Pacifica, California\" width=\"96\" height=\"128\" srcset=\"http:\/\/www.aboutorchids.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/Arpophyllum_giganteum_subspecies_alpinum_4_800px-96x128.jpg 96w, http:\/\/www.aboutorchids.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/Arpophyllum_giganteum_subspecies_alpinum_4_800px-225x300.jpg 225w, http:\/\/www.aboutorchids.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/Arpophyllum_giganteum_subspecies_alpinum_4_800px.jpg 600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 96px) 100vw, 96px\" \/><\/a><a href=\"http:\/\/www.aboutorchids.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/Arpophyllum_giganteum_subspecies_alpinum_3_800px.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-26813 size-thumbnail\" src=\"http:\/\/www.aboutorchids.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/Arpophyllum_giganteum_subspecies_alpinum_3_800px-85x128.jpg\" alt=\"Arpophyllum giganteum subspecies alpinum, Hyacinth Orchid, orchid species with crimson flowers, grown outdoors in Pacifica, California \" width=\"85\" height=\"128\" srcset=\"http:\/\/www.aboutorchids.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/Arpophyllum_giganteum_subspecies_alpinum_3_800px-85x128.jpg 85w, http:\/\/www.aboutorchids.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/Arpophyllum_giganteum_subspecies_alpinum_3_800px-200x300.jpg 200w, http:\/\/www.aboutorchids.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/Arpophyllum_giganteum_subspecies_alpinum_3_800px.jpg 533w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 85px) 100vw, 85px\" \/><\/a><a href=\"http:\/\/www.aboutorchids.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/Arpophyllum_giganteum_subspecies_alpinum_6_800px.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-26816 size-thumbnail\" src=\"http:\/\/www.aboutorchids.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/Arpophyllum_giganteum_subspecies_alpinum_6_800px-96x128.jpg\" alt=\"Arpophyllum giganteum subspecies alpinum, Hyacinth Orchid, orchid species with crimson flowers, grown outdoors in Pacifica, California\" width=\"96\" height=\"128\" srcset=\"http:\/\/www.aboutorchids.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/Arpophyllum_giganteum_subspecies_alpinum_6_800px-96x128.jpg 96w, http:\/\/www.aboutorchids.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/Arpophyllum_giganteum_subspecies_alpinum_6_800px-225x300.jpg 225w, http:\/\/www.aboutorchids.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/Arpophyllum_giganteum_subspecies_alpinum_6_800px.jpg 600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 96px) 100vw, 96px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>My new plant is still small, but even at its largest, this subspecies has smaller leaves and shorter flower stalks than the purple variety. Despite these differences, these two plants are very closely related. They are considered the same, not separate, species. And I&#8217;m very happy to have them both in the garden.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>For years, I&#8217;ve had great success growing a Giant Hyacinth Orchid outdoors. With long, graceful leaves, it&#8217;s an elegant plant even when not in flower. But certainly, it&#8217;s at its best when it bursts into bloom. Tall stalks emerge, each boasting dozens of small, purple flowers. Every winter, this orchid reliably puts on a great [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[15,6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-26800","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-cool-growers","category-photos"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.aboutorchids.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26800","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.aboutorchids.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.aboutorchids.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.aboutorchids.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.aboutorchids.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=26800"}],"version-history":[{"count":38,"href":"http:\/\/www.aboutorchids.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26800\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":26851,"href":"http:\/\/www.aboutorchids.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26800\/revisions\/26851"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.aboutorchids.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=26800"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.aboutorchids.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=26800"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.aboutorchids.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=26800"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}