Happy 2015! Phal Spikes + NYBG Orchid Show Dates Released

Happy New Year, everyone! I have to say, I am so glad to see 2014 go. The second half of the year was not the best. Despite some really fun stuff (Comic-Con, our honeymoon), July through the end of the year also involved an inflammatory bowel disease diagnosis for me (fun times…but it’s ok—I’m actually doing well right now), family drama, and plenty of stress to go along with it. All of which also left me less than motivated to blog, so that’s partly why you’ve seen fewer posts from me. Needless to say, I was thrilled when the clock struck midnight on Wednesday because it signaled a fresh start.

On a lighter note, though there’s not a whole lot going on with my orchids at the moment, I do have one Phal that’s about to bloom (YAY!) and a second one whose spike is coming along nicely:

Peloric Phal buds
Peloric Phal buds
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2014 Brooklyn Orchids Calendar Now Available!

IMG_4435Yes, it’s that time of year again…the time for shameless self-promotion. I’ve just added the 2014 Brooklyn Orchids calendar to my online store at Zazzle! The calendar includes 12 months of original orchid photos that I took at this year’s New York Botanical Garden Orchid Show, some of which you may recognize from my recap post.

The calendar costs $23.15—but Zazzle is having a sitewide sale through today where you can get 40% off 2014 calendar purchases (and other discounts for other items, too). Make sure you use the coupon code ITSWONDERFUL to get your discount on the calendar! If you aren’t able to order today, watch Zazzle for other holiday shopping coupon codes, because they do offer them quite a bit during gift shopping season. Happy shopping! 🙂

The Orchid Show 2013: My Visit to NYBG

Orchid Show Phal
Orchid Show 2013

Yesterday marked my fifth anniversary of falling in love with orchids, as I attended the New York Botanical Garden’s 11th annual Orchid Show! The first Orchid Show I went to was in 2009 and I was just awestruck, so I celebrate the beginning of my orchid obsession every year by attending a new show.

This year’s show doesn’t have a theme like past shows, but lack of a theme doesn’t mean a lack of beauty. Francisca P. Coelho, Vice President for Glasshouses and Exhibitions at the Garden, designed the Orchid Show, incorporating many of the garden’s Hurricane Sandy-damaged trees.

A couple tips for those of you planning to visit the Orchid Show: 1) Look up as you browse! The garden has a wide variety of orchids in their regular collection, and you can find them attached way up high to tree branches throughout the conservatory. Many of them are in bloom right now, so you’ll be rewarded with little (in some cases, nearly microscopic) treasures by scanning the branches above you. 2) Sniff the flowers! This year’s show seems to have an especially large contingent of fragrant orchids, and there are some really amazing scents everywhere you turn.

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The Orchid Show 2013: Dates Announced!

Hanging out with Dendrobiums at the Orchid Show 2012
Hanging out with a Dendrobium display at the Orchid Show 2012

Good news, orchid lovers—the New York Botanical Garden‘s 11th annual Orchid Show dates have been released! The show will take place from March 2 to April 22, 2013. Tickets, as usual, are $20 per person…totally worth it for the orchid extravaganza that lies in wait!

The show is typically themed (last year was vertical gardens, 2011 was “On Broadway“), but this year it doesn’t sound like there is a specific theme. Here’s what the NYBG’s website says about The Orchid Show 2013:

Elaborate and kaleidoscopic displays throughout the galleries of the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory explode with orchids in an amazing array of colors, shapes, sizes, and textures. Tens of thousands of blooms–blue and purple vandas, green and yellow cymbidiums, delicate pink and white moth orchids, and more–stand out amid stately palms and exotic tropical leaves.

This year The Orchid Show is designed by Francisca P. Coelho, Vivian and Edward Merrin Vice President for Glasshouses and Exhibitions at the Garden. Coehlho is best known for her plantsmanship and key role in the design and development of high profile shows in the Conservatory.

Regardless of the theme (or lack thereof), you bet your ass I’ll make at least one visit to this year’s Orchid Show! Will you be attending?