Orchid Time

This time of year you can't beat a trip to a greenhouse--especially one with hundreds of orchids blooming.  The McMillan Greenhouses at UNC Charlotte are full of gorgeous tropicals, but orchids were the stars yesterday afternoon when I stopped by.

If you're lucky enough to live close by, there will be a Valentine Orchid Sale beginning February 8th and a Greenhouse Open House Event next Saturday, February 9th, from 10:00 - 3:00.  The brand new Orchid Grove will be on display and experts will be there to answer any questions you might have about the plants or to help you choose one to buy for your home.

Treat yourself!  I got these Onidium at the sale last year.  I love the cute little pseudobulbs of these plants and how the flowers smell sweet and chocolatey when they bloom.  They live in my windowsill year-round in the small clay pots I finally put them in...when their tiny plastic ones were so full of roots you could no longer see any growing medium!

Orchid growing presentations will be at 11:00 and 1:00 if you're unsure about what to do with one after you buy it.

Be sure to walk through the newly planted conservatory while you're there.  That's where the beautiful epiphyte display above drapes over the balcony rail...

and where this red bloomer hangs.  Can you believe it's an orchid, too?  For more details about the sale and event, click here.

If you can't attend the McMillan event, you can head to a greenhouse or garden center near you to enjoy these tropical natives.  Before you know it we'll all be planting seeds and perennials--but now is the time for orchids!

~*~