Enjoy a dazzling display of orchids in Washington D.C this Columbus Day weekend. This fall tradition brings thousands of orchids in bloom, and visitors, to the U.S National Arboretum. There is a also a sales tent where vendors from around the nation offer many [...]]]>

Paph. Hsinying Citron X Pat Rowlands purchased at last year

Enjoy a dazzling display of orchids in Washington D.C this Columbus Day weekend. This fall tradition brings thousands of orchids in bloom, and visitors, to the U.S National Arboretum. There is a also a sales tent where vendors from around the nation offer many orchids that you won’t find in your local grocery store.

Members of the National Capital Orchid Society (NCOS) are also on had to give tours and answer any questions you many have on orchids. Better still, attend one of the many free orchid growing workshops offered and and then select some orchids to take home with you from our sales tent. I’ll be giving a talk on Saturday at 1.45pm on ‘5 Secrets to Great Orchid Growing;’ come find out what they are!

Admission to the show, classes, and sales tent is free! Show hours are:
Saturday 10 am – 5:00 pm
Sunday 10 am – 5:00 pm
Monday 10 am – 3:00 pm
The entrance to the Arboretum is at 24th and R Street, NE, not the New York Avenue address. For more information visit the NCOS website.

If you’re an orchid nut, and looking to to add plants to your collection, get there early on Saturday.  However, there are enough orchids to suit everyone’s taste, so even if you get there later in the day, you’ll still find something you like. I found the slipper orchid pictured above left well into Saturday afternoon after the best stuff had supposedly been ‘picked over.’ Read my orchid website post on how to buy orchids so you can make your way through the sales tent like a pro. If you want to enjoy the displays, then Monday is usually the quietest day ..

New this year are special photo sessions before the show opens to the public:
Saturday, October 8, 9:00 – 10:00 am
Sunday, October 9, 9:00 – 10:00 am
Monday, October 10, 9:00 – 10:00 am

Photograph rare and exotic blooming orchids set in spectacular museum-quality displays without the worry of crowds or space to set up your tripod. The fee per session is $12 (Friends of the National Arboretum (FONA) $10). You can register on the NCOS website.

You can also sign up to become a member of the National Capital Orchid Society at the show. Meetings are held monthly at the arboretum and feature a guest speaker as well as a show table with hundreds of orchids in bloom. Here are some photos from last year’s NCOS Show to whet your appetite.

Here is an exhibit I designed for Orchid Enterprise at last year's show

Well, these garden grown roses aren’t quite houseplants but as summer winds down there is nothing quite like the last of the summer roses to remind us of glories past,and to sustain us during the bleaker days ahead. And there is no better place to take in these elegant beauties than [...]]]>

Rose Norwich Castle

Well, these garden grown roses aren’t quite houseplants but as summer winds down there is nothing quite like the last of the summer roses to remind us of glories past,and to sustain us during the bleaker days ahead. And there is no better place to take in these elegant beauties than the rose gardens at The Regent’s Park in London. I’m sure that even Violet, Dowager Countess of Grantham would wholeheartedly approve and might even stop to sniff the roses when no one was looking, as untoward as that might be…

Typhoon

Sheila's Perfume

I was traveling in northern Brazil last week–it was hot and on the dry side given that the rains had just ended a month or so ago. I try to make it a point to visit garden centers or nurseries wherever I travel to see tropical houseplants. In many cities the [...]]]>

decorative pineapple

I was traveling in northern Brazil last week–it was hot and on the dry side given that the rains had just ended a month or so ago. I try to make it a point to visit garden centers or nurseries wherever I travel to see tropical houseplants. In many cities the garden centers, or nurseries, tend to be clustered together so if you find one, you find them all! These photos were taken in Teresina, the capital of the state of Piaui in Northern Brazil.

Sobralia orchid plants--about 5 feet tall

Sobralia orchid--native to South America

Hibiscus

blue poppy

Made a trip to Longwood Gardens yesterday to catch the Orchid Show (and Sale!). It was a cold but sunny and crisp day and I only wish there had been more time to luxuriate in their stunning conservatory that was bedecked with orchids, but also had their customary spring floral display [...]]]>

blue poppy

Made a trip to Longwood Gardens yesterday to catch the Orchid Show (and Sale!). It was a cold but sunny and crisp day and I only wish there had been more time to luxuriate in their stunning conservatory that was bedecked with orchids, but also had their customary spring floral display for those of us who are ready for spring now. And of course the famous blue poppies. From the rarefied altitudes of the Himalayas, these poppies are flow in in from Alaska to awaken from their frozen dormancy in the capable hands of Longwood horticulturists. One wonders, how ‘green’ this is, but for now, they remain a star attraction in Longwood’s spring display and one can see why. And for those of you who’re thinking they’re not really blue, remember that true blue is not found in the plant kingdom as far as I know-delphinium blue is probably as close as it gets.

Here are a few photos I took . I’ll save the orchids for another post.

Aechema 'Patricia'

iridescent blue poppies turn a lovely lavendar violet as they mature

the famous blue poppies-this was the bluest of the lot

Gorgeous displays of the rare yellow form of Clivia miniata, a South African Speices

thousands of plants make up the the largest living wall in the USA