Orchids in the Media

Happy Early Holidays to Me: Venezuelan Orchids Illustrated

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Venezuelan Orchids Illustrated, Vol. 1-6
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:

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Travel

St. Louis Visit: Mom’s Beautiful Orchid Blooms

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Happy Black Friday Day After Thanksgiving, everyone! My husband and I flew to St. Louis yesterday to visit with my parents for a few days and had a lovely dinner with them last night (thanks, Mom!).

Like me, my mom is an orchid enthusiast, and she currently has 15 orchids in the house. They’re spread out over a few different rooms, but most of them are getting southern exposure and are looking quite well. Two of them are blooming like gangbusters at the moment, and they’re so gorgeous that I wanted to share! Apologies for the iPhone quality photos—I actually FORGOT to pack my camera for this trip! Who am I?! I never forget my camera!

First up is a nice, large Oncidium Intergeneric Green Valley Honey ‘Sweet Lady’ which has one spike in full bloom and a second spike in development:

A very nice-sized orchid plant!
A very nice-sized orchid plant!
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How-To, Orchid Beginner Tips

How Do I Get My Orchid to Bloom Again?

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This orchid has bloomed several times for me!
This orchid has bloomed several times for me!

I’m willing to bet that most orchid growers are introduced to the hobby through Phalaenopsis orchids (aka moth orchids) that are already in bloom. Phals are attractive houseplants even when they’re not in bloom, but let’s be honest: when was the last time you fell in love with an out-of-bloom Phal in the store and just had to have it?

With some basic care, it’s not hard to keep a Phal alive through its blooming cycle, but once those pretty blooms fade and you cut the flower spike, how do you get an orchid to bloom again? Too many people feel intimidated at the thought and just toss the “dead” plant away. Please, I beg of you: do not throw your no-longer-blooming orchid in the garbage! Getting an orchid to re-bloom can feel challenging, but once you get the hang of it and your orchid flowers again for you, it’s SO worth the bit of work you put in. You CAN get a healthy orchid to re-bloom! Here are the basics…

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Travel

First Visit to U.S. Botanic Garden + My Latest Orchid Blooms

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Well, here I am again with yet another apology for having neglected my blog. But I have some lovely orchid photos to share with you, so hopefully I’ll be forgiven.  🙂

Over Memorial Day weekend, my husband and I went down to D.C. for a little weekend getaway and some sightseeing. Our first destination was the United States Botanic Garden, which was the first-ever visit there for the both of us. And it was oh so glorious! First of all, it was a gorgeous day, and we strolled around the outdoor rose garden, sniffing the heavily scented blooms. From there, we went on into the Conservatory, which is just a wonderland for plant lovers. While we enjoyed every part of the Conservatory, you know what my favorite portion was. I spent quite a bit of time in the orchid room, marveling at the displays of orchids both familiar and unfamiliar to me.

Of course, I took tons of pictures so I could share them with you. Here are some of my favorites:

Vanda Doctor Anek ‘Fuchs Guoy’
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My Orchid Garden

Beautiful Orchids + Emu Eggs at Brooklyn Whole Foods

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Last night my husband and I grabbed dinner from Whole Foods’ salad bar and then did some food shopping…and in their flower section I was surprised to find some orchids other than Phalaenopsis! There were so many gorgeous options that my food shopping totally derailed and I spent the rest of the time deciding which orchid to buy while my husband shopped. And then I wandered around the produce section gazing at my orchid pick while cradling it in my arms. I’m sure I looked like a Crazy Orchid Lady TM, which, let’s be honest, I am.

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