O is for Orchid on the A to Z Challenge

  • Post published:04/18/2016
  • Post comments:4 Comments

O is for Orchid. I have never kept an orchid alive long enough to bloom again, but giving it another try is on my To Do List. I know it can be done because my daughter Betsy  does it all the time. When  her work mates get gift orchids they always give them to Betsy after they finish blooming. She keeps them and brings them back into bloom again and again.

Cymbidium King Arthur'
Cymbidium ‘King Arthur’

Last year I went to the Orchid Show put on by the Amherst Orchid Society in Northampton and took some photos of the beautiful orchids on display.

Dendrobium sanderae 'Tunxis Road'
Dendrobium sanderae ‘Tunxis Road’

I got to talk to Bill Benner about his orchids. He has over 100 orchids growing on his windowsills. There goes my excuse that you need to have a greenhouse or a fancy set up to grow orchids.

Orchid closeup
Orchid closeup

Somehow I lost the name of this orchid, but it was voted best in show. I think these three orchids begin to suggest the many flower forms in the orchid family – which is possibly the largest  plant family of all.

For more information about orchids and growing orchids click on the American Orchid Society website.

To see who else is posting during the A to Z Challenge click here.

This Post Has 4 Comments

  1. Denise Hammond

    I’ve gone from keeping 30 orchids to only having one. I battled mealy bugs and then scale. I let the bugs win. But they were lovely when they were blooming.

  2. Mason Canyon

    Beautiful photos. I don’t think I could ever grow an orchid. I seem to have a black thumb when it comes to growing flowers.

    Mason
    Alex’s Ninja Minion

  3. Pat

    Denise – I didn’t realize bugs could be such a problem. They are beautiful! The orchids, not the bugs.
    Mason – Not every plant is for every person. And so much the better.

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