65th Orchid Show Ushers in Fall

The Orchid Show and Sale, held every Columbus Day weekend at the US National Arboretum kicks off  Saturday Oct 6 and runs through Monday.  This year marks the 65th Annual Orchid Show put on by members of the National Capital Orchid Society.

The show features hundreds of orchids in bloom, the likes of which you will not see for sale at your local grocery store. And if you want to add a few of these beauties to your collection, you’ll find a sales tent with many different types of orchids for sale, and experts who can help you choose.

Here are a few photos from this years show to whet your appetite. Visiting the show and sales tent is  free, so this is a great way to while away a few hours and enjoy a burst of tropical color.  There are also tours and workshops to help you hone your orchid growing skills!  See details and hours of operation

Lycaste Concentration ‘Santa Barbara’ AM/AOS

 

Trichoglottis philippinensis

Trichoglottis philippinensis

Orchids for Sale

Gorgeous Display from J&L Orchids

Orchid Mystique in Washington D.C.

The U.S. Botanic Gardens show Orchid Mystique: Nature’s Triumph, in collaboration with Smithsonian Gardens, runs until April 29, 2012. This year’s exhibit observes the 100th anniversary of Japan’s gift of the cherry blossom trees to Washington, D.C., apparently by presenting our orchids around the Conservatory “in serene settings evocative of Japanese gardens to complement the thousands of orchids on display.”

Unfortunately there is not too much of a Japanese aesthetic going on(Italian style terracotta pots don’t quite cut it) other than a lovely Japanese garden, and with the hordes of tourist, serenity is in short supply.  Still, there are always some beautiful orchids to observe and we’ve selected a few here to  share with you.

Also on display are photographs of Images of North American native orchids from Hal Horwitz, which are really worth seeing. In that same vein, its also worth checking out an exhibit about a new national effort to restore and conserve native US orchids. Sadly, may of our own orchids are extinct or endangered in our own backyards of Maryland and Virginia.

Cymbidium Blue River ‘Thunder’

Dendrobium aggregatum, a tiny species with large sprays of flowers

 

Dendrobium Gold Star 'Orange Royal'

Vanda Pachara Delight ‘Pachara’

Chysis bractescens


Cymbidium cooperi