Orchid Care Tips Blog

Here are five great Orchids you can give as gifts for New Years or a birthday. These five Orchids are quite exceptional in my book in terms of flowers, care, and quality.

1. Phalaenopsis Newberry Bouquet ‘Blushing Bride’ - Beautiful long lasting flowers on this pink and white Phalaenopsis Orchid to use as a perfect gift
2. Phalaenopsis Carolina Yellow Fantasy ‘Golden Showers’ - Great long lasting yellow novelty Phalaenopsis Orchid to give as a gift to someone special
3. Cymbidium Milton Carpenter ‘Everglades Gold’ JC / AOS - Patented Orchid from Carter and Holmes, nice plant as gift
4. Dendrobium Fire Coral ‘Super Star’ AM / AOS - This is one cool Orchid! It has long lasting flowers, loves bright light, and blooms like crazy. It is a great Orchid to give as a gift.
5. Dendrobium Yellow Chinsai ‘Little Joe‘ - Miniature yellow floriferus Dendrobium great to give as a gift.

How important is humidity to Orchid care?

It is very important for your Orchid plants. If you choose to grow your Orchids at home without humidity you may see any or all of these side effects:

• short life of blooms
• flower petals thinning
• browning leaves

If you add humidity at the right amount, you can see these benefits:

• long lasting flowers
• healthy leaves
• more possible repeated blooming

For outdoor orchids such as Cymbidiums and Epidendrums, you can either choose a location with more natural humidity, or mist the Orchids earlier in the day or if it gets hot.

For indoor Orchids, either place the Orchid on a tray of rocks with water underneath, or purchase a humidity tray. Even though humidity trays aren’t the most attractive for home decor, they really do help the plant. Humidity is the number one reason Orchids don’t bloom long or rebloom.

I’ve launched a new Website in the last couple weeks, http://california-plants.com/. Many of you know about my experience with Orchids. What I don’t talk about is my experience with other plants. When I was young, I ran a plant nursery. Ever since, I’ve grown many kinds of plants, trees and shrubs, whether as a hobby or for sale. http://california-plants.com/ is a Website about indoor and outdoor plants, trees, shrubs, and more. Although the focus is California, most things covered on the Website can apply to many other states.