HousePlants Now » Orchids

Orchid Mystique in Washington D.C.

admin — Sat, 21 Apr 2012 16:14:45 +0000

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

Orchids in Cali, Colombia

admin — Sun, 04 Mar 2012 22:36:45 +0000

Cattleya trianae blooms in its native Colombia

Cattleya trianae is the national flower of Colombia and is among the largest and most beautiful of the cattleya orchid species. There are many different colors ranging from white to pink with variations in lip color to boot. It generally flowers in the late winter/early spring. This picture was taken in Cali, Colombia in February. The orchid was growing and blooming high up in a tree. You can find out more about this history of this orchid at Chadwick and Sons Orchids.

A few other orchids were also in bloom, but these were cultivated plants, though still native to the region. Below are two different types of Sobralia orchids. These plants that looks like grassy bamboo plants can reach from 12″ or 12 feet in height depending on the variety. The short-lived flowers, that may open at dawn ans spent by nightfall bloom in abundance. They are terrestrial, growing in the ground unlike the epiphytic Cattleya trianae.
Lastly we have Phragmipedium longifolium that was growing in a basket on somebody’s balcony. These are related to the Asiatic slipper orchids. However, these plants enjoy slightly cooler conditions and like lot of fresh cold water at the roots. They bloom over many months on the same stem.

Sobralia Orchids

Phragmipedium longifolium growing in a basket

Winter blooming cattleya orchids….

admin — Sat, 21 Jan 2012 17:18:42 +0000

With snow on the ground, there’s nothing like the rich perfumed scent of a gorgeous cattelya orchid to remind you of your favorite tropical paradise where I know you’d rather be right now. One of my new favorites has to be Blc. Momilani Rainbow ‘Buttercup’ which releases its heady perfume all day and has flowers that last for weeks, which is longer than for most cattleya orchids. While the plant is not compact it s definitely on the smaller side compared to other standard cattleyas. So, if you have room on your windowsill, this is one ‘houseplant’ I would definitely recommend.

Blc. Momilani Rainbow 'ButterCup'

Slipper Orchids from the NCOS Show

admin — Mon, 24 Oct 2011 02:21:15 +0000

Here are two maudiae-type slipper orchidsthat I bought at the recent orchid show held in Washington D.C. Most of these hybrids are being bred in Taiwan (slipper orchids are from south-east Asia) and the quality is outstanding. Growers usually have a batch of identical seedlings in bloom, and its fun to go through and pick out the best ones. ‘Best’, is of course, subjective but most slipper orchid enthusiasts will agree that if you look for flowers that are symmetrical, show clear color and boast a good flat dorsal sepal(that’s the striped one at the top of the flower that ends in a point) you can’t go wrong.

Paph Hsinying Rubyweb '#4' x sukhakulii '#25'

Then, of course, you have to like the flower, so that you’ll enjoy it once its home and blooming on your windowsill (the flowers can last six weeks or more). The orchid to the top is 50% sukhakulii, a species from Thailand that impart wide spotted petals to its progeny. Below is what is known as a vini-color hybrid–the goal with this kind of breedingis to get wine colored flowers–sin fact, some of these can be an extremely dark wine-red, or practically black. The vini colored slipper orchids are best admired while sipping a glass of claret red.

Maudiae-type slipper orchids also have beautiful foliage . They are relatively low-light plants and with a little care can be grown as houseplants. Learn how to grow slipper orchids

Paph Fever Pitch x Macabre x (Onyx x Ruby Leopard)

Easy-to-Spot Orchids

admin — Sun, 09 Oct 2011 16:53:23 +0000

I purchased this gorgeous cattleya orchid at the NCOS Orchid Show that is on this weekend in Washington D.C. The large spotted waxy flowers held with their heady fragrance proved to be irresistible. There were about ten of these in bud or bloom being sold by Orchid Enterprise and most of them were snapped up quickly. I think you can see why.

For orchid nuts: This is a tetraploid mutation of the ‘Carmela’HCC/AOS clone.’Linwood’ received an AM/AOS

Cattleya Caudebec 'Linwood' AM/AOS

Orchid Show in Washington D.C. on Columbus Day Weekend

admin — Sun, 02 Oct 2011 04:34:12 +0000

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

Summer blooming spiders (orchids that is)

admin — Sun, 07 Aug 2011 20:35:50 +0000

spider orchid

While even the campiest of orchids take a break in the summer, not so the brassias orchids. These spidery giants of the orchid world that hail from central and south America seem to revel in the summer heat. Here are some photos of our brassia orchids on bloom. These photos are from last summer. The flowers were about 18″ from top to bottom! They also have a light spicy fragrance that adds to their allure. Learn how to grow brassia orchids.

Is that an orchid in your pocket?

admin — Mon, 21 Feb 2011 03:45:28 +0000

pocket orchid (see the quarter?)

I stopped by Whole Foods on the way home and found that they had a whole bunch of ultra-miniature phalaenopsis orchids all vying for attention. Now these things were tiny. They were in 2.5″ pots and you could have five of them easily fit in the footprint of a standard phal. Needless to say I had to have one, and since my bag was full of groceries I stuck the tiny tot in my coat pocket and hurtled home on my bike so my latest orchid adoptee would not get too cold. We made it home intact and Phal. Timothy Christopher ‘M-P0764′ is now happily ensconced among my other plants.

Now this is a cross of Cassandra X amabilis, so it has equestris in the background which brings down the flower size. Other species in the background, stuartiana and amabilis should result in lots of blooms on branched spikes. In essence, these look like a miniature amabilis.

However do note: these Lilliputian marbles will grow up. Ideally, you could have a specimen size plant covered with loads of lowers in a 4″ pot. its a testament to phalaenopsis breeders that you can have a hybrid that flowers so vigorously when still quite small.

Photos from the 2010 Orchid Show

admin — Fri, 15 Oct 2010 01:59:56 +0000

orchids for sale!

The 2010 National Capital Orchid Show and Sale in Washington D.C. was held on a glorious sunny October weekend. There were hundreds of amazing orchids in bloom and we caught a few on camera. This year, the show was held in the Bonsai Pavilion which has lots of natural light–the displays were enjoyed by thousands people over the course of the weekend. The show is always held on Columbus Day weekend and admission is free.

fringe-lipped cattleya orchid

jewel orchids-grown for their foliage

Dtps Yu Pin 'Fireworks' has an unusual lip

part of the display I designed

a stunning display of slipper orchids

See more photos from the NCOS 2010 Orchid Show!

2010 Orchid Show & Sale in Washington D.C.

admin — Tue, 05 Oct 2010 02:20:25 +0000

Laelia Orchid in bloom at 2009 Orchid show

The 63d Annual Orchid Show and Sale will be held October 9-11 at the US National Arboretum in Washington D.C. Admittance to the show and sale is free. This is a wonderful opportunity to see hundreds of orchids in bloom, many rare and exotic, displayed by some of the best orchid growers in the country!

After you view the orchids on display, take a free class or workshop on how to grow orchids, and then head over to the sales tent for a selection of orchids you won’t find at the grocery store.

I’ll be presenting a talk on ‘Foundations of Orchid Care’ at 1pm Saturday so please join me for that!

See some photos from last year’s orchid show.