Brooklyn Orchids

Visiting R.F. Orchids in Homestead, Florida

February 12, 2015 3 Comments

A few days ago my husband and I returned from an eight-day trip to southern Florida, and it was a much-needed escape from the Brooklyn winter. We flew into Fort Lauderdale and drove to Miami to stay in South Beach for a night; then we drove down to the Keys, with a 3 night stay in Islamorada and a 4 night stay in Key West. Of course I knew I had to look out for orchids in this tropical climate, and I was not disappointed! Needless to say, I pretty much photographed every orchid that I saw, so I’ll be splitting this vacation up into two posts: the first will be photos of our visit to R.F. Orchids, a nursery and showroom in Homestead, and the second will be photos of orchids that we saw throughout our trip.

Let’s get started with R.F. Orchids!

My Orchid Garden

Quick Update: My First Orchid Bloom of 2015!

January 15, 2015 1 Comment

In my last post I shared photos of a couple of my Phals that are in spike. Well, my peloric Phal has finally begun to bloom and it makes me so happy!

As I suspected, this first bloom is facing downward because I most likely didn’t keep the plant’s orientation to the light consistent while the buds were growing. Whoopsie…but it’s still gorgeous! This flower is just what I needed this morning. 🙂

That’s all for now!

My Orchid Garden, New York Botanical Garden, Orchid Shows

Happy 2015! Phal Spikes + NYBG Orchid Show Dates Released

January 3, 2015 3 Comments

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:

Orchids in the Media

Happy Early Holidays to Me: Venezuelan Orchids Illustrated

December 7, 2014 No Comments

Venezuelan Orchids Illustrated, Vol. 1-6

I’ve mentioned before how wonderful my husband is, and I have yet another example of his awesomeness to share with you. As an early holiday gift, he got me the complete, out-of-print six-volume set of Venezuelan Orchids Illustrated by G.C.K. Dunsterville and Leslie A. Garay!

A little back story on how my husband heard about these books: he recently read my copy of Orchid Fever: A Horticultural Tale of Love, Lust, and Lunacy by Eric Hansen, which is a GREAT book that I simply cannot recommend enough for any orchid nerd (and it’s on my To Re-Read List, because I first read it years ago). Chapter four talks about Galfrid Clement Keyworth Dunsterville (what a name!), a British engineer and his wife Nora, who traveled throughout Venezuela from the 1950s to the 1970s on what sounds like an epic orchid collecting adventure. Their expeditions prompted the husband-and-wife team to write literally thousands of pages describing the orchids they encountered along the way, complete with detailed illustrations of each. These six volumes, which include introductions in both English and Spanish, cover 1,000 Venezuelan orchid species, and they are beautiful—so of course I took photos:

How-To, Orchid Beginner Tips, Orchid Care

New! Orchid Care FAQs Page

December 4, 2014 No Comments

A cheerful orchid to brighten this chilly day.

Happy Almost Friday, orchid lovers! Just wanted to drop a brief update here: I’ve added an Orchid Care FAQs tab to the main menu up at the top of my website. I’ve been meaning to collect and organize these blog posts in one location for some time, because I know not everyone can quickly or easily find my blog’s Orchid Beginner Tips category (and I fully admit the category is not super organized once you’ve navigated there).

So here the Orchid Care FAQs are here: click on over to find a list of links to my orchid care tips for newbies.

I hope you find this newly organized hub helpful!

Brooklyn Orchids Merchandise

Cyber Monday Sale: 65% off Brooklyn Orchids 2015 Calendar!

December 1, 2014 No Comments

Happy Cyber Monday, all!

If you’ve been thinking about picking up a 2015 Brooklyn Orchids calendar, there is truly no better day than today. No joke: all Zazzle calendars are 65% off!! Enter coupon code ZAZCYBER2014 at checkout to get next year’s calendar, filled with 12 months of original orchid photographs by yours truly, for just $7.43 apiece (regular price $23.10). I think I’ll be ordering a couple copies myself today. 🙂

The above-mentioned coupon code will also get you discounts on a slew of other Brooklyn Orchids goodies today: 50% off of cards, 40% off of mugs, 30% off of gadget cases, and more.

Ah, Cyber Monday: holiday shopping at its finest.

Thank you in advance for all of your support of my little blog endeavor!