Currently Blooming
We’re a few months in to 2024, and I have many blooming orchids to post about! First, I want to share this photo from the rotunda at the National Gallery (west building). We went there in late January and to my surprise, there was a beautiful display of orchids ringing the fountain:
I’m not sure if the orchid display is still there, but if you live in DC or happen to be visiting, it can’t hurt to stop by. The National Gallery is worth a visit regardless (and admission is free!).
My Orchid Blooms
Long post ahead…I’m sharing 19 photos of my orchids! I’m delayed in writing this post, so some of the orchid blooms I’m sharing have already come and gone. Like this bright yellow Dendrobium aggregatum that refused to bloom for ten years:
The Dendrobium has now bloomed each year for the past three years, and it’s such a treat each time I see a spike poking out from between the leaves!
This Tolumnia Golden Sunset ‘Red’ has also not been a super reliable bloomer, but has been doing well in my greenhouse. It only gave me two flowers this year, both of which have faded now, but I enjoyed them while I had them.
Ditto for this NOID Tolumnia; I got two cute red blooms that are now gone. I really love the rich, velvety red color of these blooms:
I’m pretty sure this Phalaenopsis Mannii x self hasn’t bloomed in a couple years, so I was happy to see it spring to life again. There are now two blooms, with another one or two on the way:
Two of the Phalaenopsis orchids that I rescued from a nearby alley have bloomed! They both have large, beautiful white blooms:
My Home Depot NOID peloric Phalaenopsis is still going strong! This is the orchid that I’ve had in my collection for the longest, and I’m always so thrilled to see it bloom:
This Ikea NOID Phalaenopsis plant is not doing great overall, but at least it bloomed again this season. I hope I can keep this orchid alive after it’s finished blooming. Its pink-and-yellow color combo and ruffled edges are just so cute:
Another orchid that took years to bloom for me is this Phal Yellow Butterfly ‘Amber.’ I love these pale yellow blooms!
The rosy coloring and dark red speckles on this NOID Phalaenopsis are so pretty:
This striped NOID Phalaenopsis was a birthday gift in 2011! It’s another fairly reliable bloomer:
I don’t think the below pink NOID Phalaenopsis bloomed last year. Its blooms are a little wonky (the flower you see below is the best one), but I’ll take a wonky bloom over no bloom. Also? These blooms are fragrant, which is not super common in Phals.
This Phalaenopsis Evarise Blue Angel sometimes blooms sequentially, meaning it keeps putting out new blooms as the older ones fade. We’ll see how long this bloom cycle ends up lasting!
My mini NOID Phal from Trader Joe’s has two spikes and several of these waxy, wrinkly, sometimes-imperfect blooms. They’re pretty cute, though:
This bright, voluptuous NOID Phal was a rescue from my husband’s workplace. It wasn’t in bloom when I received it, so I had no idea what the flowers would look like when it bloomed!
Both the mother and keiki of this NOID Trader Joe’s Phal have bloomed again for me. These two orchids have been some of my most reliable bloomers over the years! The flowers are starting to fade in this photo, so they’re more textured than they were when they first opened.
I was a little late to photograph this Phalaenopsis Star April’s Coming in full bloom; as you can see, its flowers are also starting to fade. But they’re still gorgeous:
This NOID Phalaenopsis from Home Depot is another orchid that I’ve had for years and years. Both this and its keiki are blooming, though the keiki only has one bloom. I’ll take any and all blooms, though!
I believe this NOID Phal is from Trader Joe’s; the blooms are such a pretty pale yellow veering into green territory. Very lovely, especially with the pop of yellow in the center.
I was surprised to see some new blooms pop out on my Dendrobium nobile. The plant’s health is pretty bad, and I imagine it isn’t long for this world. But we’ll see if I am able to keep it alive!
Thanks for reading along! I have yet to attend the 2024 Smithsonian Orchid Exhibit, which is located in the Kogod Courtyard at the National Portrait Gallery. But the exhibit runs through April 28, so I have ample time to visit at least once. I will come back here to share photos after I’ve had a chance to commune with the orchids there!
