Visiting Norman’s Orchids in Montclair, California

My husband and I recently returned from a much-needed vacation in Southern California. He’s from Glendale (a Los Angeles suburb) so we started off there, then spent a few nights in Hermosa Beach. From HB we drove to Palm Desert and stayed a few nights, then returned to Glendale for a night before flying back home.

For some reason it didn’t occur to me to research local orchid growers prior to our trip, but a couple minutes into our drive to Palm Desert I thought, “hey, we should see if there are any orchid nurseries along the way!” So I searched “orchid nursery” on Google Maps’ new pit stop feature…and lo and behold, a whole bunch of places popped up. The first one I saw was Norman’s Orchids—whose website I’ve browsed many times before—and it was only located about 10 minutes out of the way on our drive. The decision was a no-brainer: we had to stop by on our mini road trip!

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Quick Update: New Blog Theme!

Just a short note here in case you’ve noticed that my blog looks different. Though my blog has a new appearance, the content and layout is pretty much the same. I’m working on fixing some things around here and making adjustments, so please bear with me. As always, thanks for reading!

2016 NYBG Orchid Show Dates + Planning Tips

With each new year I get excited because to me a new year means a new Orchid Show at New York Botanical Garden! IMG_4288

The Orchid Show is what initially started my obsession with these plants, and I’ve made it a point to attend at least once every year since I first went in 2009. Last year I even had the opportunity to attend on member preview day before the show opened to the public!

When is the 2016 Orchid Show? This year it will run from February 27 through April 17. Tickets are not available yet, but you can sign up to receive ticket alerts when they do go on sale.

After having attended the show for the past few years, I have some planning tips:

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Brooklyn Orchids 2016 Calendar is Now Available

Good news, orchid lovers: the 2016 Brooklyn Orchids calendar is now available in my Zazzle store! This calendar includes original orchid photography by yours truly (the exception being the cover/June photo, which was taken by my husband). Most of the photos were taken at this year’s New York Botanical Garden Orchid Show, but a few are from our visit to Florida. The 2016 calendar is even more special to me, because for the cover page I chose to feature the first orchid I ever saw in the wild.brooklyn_orchids_2016_calendar-ra733a68098c847bfa7458fc0a02e9489_jw7kn_8byvr_512This 12 month, full color calendar costs $23.05 on my Zazzle store. Zazzle currently has a promo code SANTASCOMING that gets you 20% off all orders, but it’s only good through midnight tonight (Pacific Time). So if you want to get a discount on your 2016 Brooklyn Orchids calendar, now’s a good time to do it. I imagine Zazzle will be doing some more sales in the near future too, what with Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and all the other holiday craziness coming up.

Thank you in advance for your support, and I hope you enjoy!

 

When and How to Stake an Orchid Spike

Fall isn’t traditionally the time of year for new plant growth; fall is the season in which the leaves on many outdoor plants start to turn all manner of fiery colors and drop off. On the other hand, certain types of household orchids, such as the ever-popular Phalaenopsis, often begin to put out spikes in the fall that lead to spectacular blooms in the winter and spring. When left to grown on its own, an orchid spike can become heavy with blooms that droop down over the side of the pot, so I highly recommend staking your orchid’s spike to secure it and to make for a lovely cascading spray of flowers like so:FL_phals

The only materials you’ll need to stake an orchid spike are a bamboo flower stake [paid link] and some flower clips [paid link] or twist ties, all of which are readily available in gardening shops, big box home improvement stores, and online. Oh, and a little patience helps too.  🙂

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