Paphiopedilum bellatum var. alba x Paphiopedilum delanatti var alba

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Originally uploaded by 1888Orchids

I wanted to share photos of Paphiopedilum bellatum var. alba x Paphiopedilum delanatti var alba because I have always been fond of mutating orchids. The two photos are of the same orchid. The white orchid is the preferred color and shape. The balance of the crop is pink and looks like the second photo. Amazing don't you agree? Enjoy!

Black Orchid

I never imagined that looking at an orchid flower would bring such joy.  When I was a kid, I never said I wanted to be an orchidist but yet here I am.. an orchidist, a lover of orchids.  I have the privilege of seeing literally thousands of orchids.  Many just take your breath away.  I hate to admit it, but I've even gotten misty eyed while admiring the beauty of an orchid flower.  I am sure it is because I admire them so much that I happen upon a black orchid called Paphiopedilum Astro Boy (Paph. Makuli x Paph. rothschildianum).
A real black orchid is markedly unusual making them very rare.  The normally occurring flower color of  Paphiopedilum Astro Boy is green and maroon.  A black "mutation" like this is very unusual and special.  Enjoy!

Black Orchid

It is befitting that a black orchid would bloom just in time for Halloween.  I know Halloween celebrates goons and goblins but who cares? Halloween is about everything ghoulish.. even a black orchid.  Behold a real black orchid plant in bud.  The name of the orchid is Paphiopedilum Astro Boy.  A real black lady slipper orchid. 
This is the second time I have seen a black orchid produced by Paphiopedilum Astro Boy.  The first time I saw the black orchid was in 2004 in the greenhouse then a second time at an orchid show.  The orchid at the orchid show was also black but it was not Paphiopedilum Astro Boy.  Here you have an orchid plant that normally produces a different flower than a black flower.  That is a mutation.  Therefore, all real black orchids are mutations making this a rare orchid indeed. 
This is only the second time I have seen a black orchid in twelve years but then again I haven't attended many orchid shows lately but I love orchid shows.  The photos of the black orchid with a gray background were taken on September 29, 2011. 

Black Orchid

Bees outpace orchids in evolution

Orchid bees aren’t so dependent on orchids after all, according to a new study that challenges the prevailing view of how plants and their insect pollinators evolve together.

URL: http://www.physorg.com/news/2011-09-bees-outpace-orchids-evolution.html

Enjoy,
Steve
1888Orchids.com

Cymbidium tracyanum v. alba

Cymbidium tracyanum x alba
Originally uploaded by 1888Orchids

An orchid collector's dream.. the white version of the ever popular Cymbidium tracyanum comes Cymbidium tracyanum v. alba the albino version of this ever popular cymbidium orchid plant. I like it, do you?

Shoyeido Selects - Orchid Gift Set

100 sticks of calming Orchid incense and a colorfully glazed ceramic incense holder are nestled into a wine colored paper box. Elegant floral graphics complete this beautiful all-in-one offering.

URL: http://www.shoyeido.com/product/orchid-incense-gift-set/
Enjoy,
Steve
1888Orchids

"Olympics Of Orchids" Returns To Singapore After 48 Years

The 20th World Orchid Conference (20WOC) returns to Singapore for the second time with the theme ‘Where Old World and New World Orchids Meet’. This triennial international event will feature spectacular orchid displays with the finest and rarest species and exotic hybrids from around the world. To celebrate this event, one of the main highlights will be the unveiling of a new orchid hybrid named “Renanthera 20th WOC Singapore 2011”.

URL: http://www.etravelblackboardasia.com/article/77853/quotolympics-of-orchidsquot-returns-to-singapore-after-48-years

Enjoy,
Steve
1888Orchids

First Taiwan orchids in growing media enter Australia

After more than four years of negotiation, Australia finally agreed earlier this year to allow Taiwan's world-famous butterfly orchids to be imported in a growing medium of water weeds, Council of Agriculture (COA) Minister Chen Wu-hsiung said.


URL: http://focustaiwan.tw/ShowNews/WebNews_Detail.aspx?Type=aSOC&ID=201109140027

Enjoy,
Steve
1888Orchids

How Are Orchids Propagated?

Like most plants, orchids are able to reproduce themselves in two different ways; the one way sexually by seed, and the other asexually by vegetative propagation. For the beginner, vegetative propagation is commonly used to build up one's orchid collection. Vegetative propagation can be accomplished in three ways; that is, by division, back bulbs and offshoots. The technique of each differs primarily in the means of producing the new individual and in the early care.

URL: http://www.aos.org/Default.aspx?id=410

Enjoy,
Steve
1888Orchids

Pink Phalaenopsis Orchid Plant

orchids_Pink Phalaenopsis Orchid Large Flower Type 036
Originally uploaded by 1888Orchids

I want to share one of the most beautiful pink phalaenopsis orchid plant that I have ever laid eyes on. The grower did not include a tag with the plant so I don't know the name of the orchid but it is stunning both in color and size, the flower can measure up to five inches in diameter.. Wow! The large orchid flowers produce a top heavy display of flowers that is sure to delight even the hardest to please on your orchid gift list.

Bewildered by the beauty of orchids

Charles Darwin once wrote that "the contrivances by which orchids are fertilised, are as varied and almost as perfect as any of the most beautiful adaptations in the animal kingdom". No wonder, then, that they are the largest and most diverse plant family on Earth, consisting of between 20,000 and 30,000 varieties.

URL:http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/8730537/Bewildered-by-the-beauty-of-orchids.html
Enjoy,
Steve
1888Orchids

Weedy orchid taking root

Q: The plant in the accompanying photo has become highly invasive in one area of my yard and is beginning to show up in other areas. I can't always get the root out. I have this notion of a widespread underground network given its rapid growth in numbers. Can you identify and provide some clues for eradication?

A: When I studied the photo you sent of this weed's flowers, I thought they looked mightily like orchids. But an orchid weed? How could that be? Everyone loves orchids! And don't they need tender care to survive at all?

URL: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2011/08/25/HOG91KNI5Q.DTL#ixzz1W9L3zQdA

Enjoy,
Steve
1888Orchids



Weedy orchid taking root

My question is the directions that came with the plant say water every 20 days and fertilize every other month with 10-10-10 or 12-12-12.

A: Phalaenopsis or moth orchids tend to thrive on what seems neglect: Water every three weeks and fertilization every other month. The "10-10-10" or "12-12-12" refers to a balanced fertilizer with equal amounts of nitrogen, phosphate and potassium, the macro-nutrients that all plants need for growth and development.

In the wild, orchids depend on decomposing leaves for most of their nutrients. They don't need much.

For best results, use a water-soluble fertilizer specifically designed for orchids. According to experts, orchids planted in bark may need a higher amount of nitrogen (the first number in that three-digit formula) because the decaying bark will use up a lot of the available nitrogen, leaving little for the plant. That's why some orchid foods are 30-10-10, for example.

Before feeding, water the plant well and get its bark or other planting medium moist but not soggy. Discard any water and/or fertilizer that accumulates in the pot's saucer or decorative container; standing water can cause the orchid to rot.

URL: http://www.sacbee.com/2011/08/20/3842356/garden-detective-mystery-plant.html#ixzz1Vlslr8B6

Enjoy,
Steve
1888Orchids

Botanic Garden Scientists Save Smuggled Plants

Plant detention center is a picturesque prison

Inside the U.S. Botanic Garden's production facility, a soft mist floats down on a tangle of green leaves and colorful flowers. With 34 greenhouses and 30,000 plants, the glass-enclosed campus just off Interstate-295 is one of the lushest spots in Washington.


URL: http://wamu.org/news/11/08/16/botanic_garden_scientists_save_smuggled_plants.php

Enjoy,
Steve

ARKive blog - Spotlight on: Orchids

Orchids are a dazzling genus of over 24,000 plant species capable of producing some of the most beautiful flowers on the planet. Found on every continent except Antarctica, orchids have been documented in nearly every color but black. However, the orchid is more than just a pretty face as it employs some of the cleverest tricks to attract pollinators and has developed unique relationships with other species, each benefitting nicely from it. Let’s explore some of the most fascinating (and lovely) orchids on ARKive!

URL: http://blog.arkive.org/2011/08/spotlight-on-orchids/

Great blog, enjoy!

Steve Peralta
1888Orchids

Growing orchids as a hobby

URL: http://www.theborneopost.com/2011/08/14/growing-orchids-as-a-hobby/

Enjoy,
Steve

Wisconsin's orchids best in show

It must be heaven on earth when you run across a patch of orchid plants like this.

Enjoy,
Steve
1888Orchids

Orchid Plants - Availability List - August 9, 2011

Orchid plants abound and our greenhouse is filled with alluring mixed orchids called Inter-generic orchids.  Inter-generic hybrids are made up of many different genera that are crossed together to create orchids plants called inter-generic orchids.  The result are orchid plants that have become perennial favorites among orchid lovers. 

(Mtssa Izumi X Odcdm Black Beauty) “Hawaii”

Alcra. Pacific Nova Butter Buds

Bllra Lunatic Fringe “Ikes Yikes”

Bllra Lunatic Fringe “Orchid Isle”

Bllra Pacifc Treasures “Everything Nice”

Bnfd Gilded Tower “Mystic Maze”

Brsdm Ashibune “The Orchid Works”

Brsdm Golden Gamine “White Knight”

Brsdm Shooting Star “Mustard”

Dgmra Hani “Star of Unicorn” AM/AOS

Mtssa. Charles M. Fitch Izumi

Odbrs Iridecent “Pacific Pixie”

Odbrs Kennith Bivens

Odcdm Catatante “Pacific Sunspots”

Odcdm Everglades Elegance “Nancy Lee”

Onc Heaven Scent “Redolence”

Onc Rosy Sunset “Rosebud”

Onc Sharry Baby “Sweet Fragrance”

Onc. Nambo Waltz Boso Sweet

Orchid Plants  

If you like trees, then you will like the Hoyt Arboretum

The arboretum is located in Portland, Oregon.  The arboretum grounds are open and free to the public from 6:00 am to 10:00 pm daily.  Woohoo!!
Hoyt Arboretum

Enjoy,
Steve Peralta
1888Orchids.com

Cattleya Orchid - It takes seven years to bloom

I have always been fond of Cattleya orchid plants.  What makes them so alluring to me is that they are true epiphytic plants or air plants.  They rely on the air you and I breathe to live.  Cattleya orchids extract nutrients from the air to survive.  They use their root system to cling to trees (but they don't harm the tree) where they grow like they have grown for hundreds of years.  My favorite orchid is the Cattleya orchid.  Did you know that it takes seven years for a Cattleya orchid to bloom from seed? Here are some photos of some of my favorite Cattleya orchid plants, enjoy.