Orchids of the day: Coelogyne nitida and Phragmepedium bessae

I am happy that this blog has been helpful to some of my friends. Together with Arne, I will post on how to culture orchids at home pretty soon. Right now I am just introducing the orchids that we have at home. Orchids are tricky to culture. I know some of us over water them thinking that they are like regular plants. That is why I added links that would provide some basic background on the sensitive nature of orchid growing. If you have questions, you are welcome to send in comments as Anonymous (if you are not comfortable to sign in). Arne and I would love to help out as best we can. Once again, thanks for your interest. This makes posting new photos fun for me! 

This is Coelogyne nitida. This orchid is in the Coelogyne genus and is a cool growing orchid, a native of the Himalayan region of India and Southeast Asia. This photo was taken late February 2010. We still have this plant and it grew very well that Arne split it into two. It might not be as big nor produce many flowers this year but we look forward to the blooms! The flowers are very beautiful and produce a pleasant mild fragrance. I will certainly take more photos of the blooms this year. This blog has made me more interested in orchids! 

Phragmepedium bessae is a native of South America and was discovered in 1981 in Ecuador and Peru. Here is a blog site that shares the basic care for this particular orchid, commercial-free! http://www.orchid-care-tips.com/phragmipedium-besseae.html. The flower lasted between 2 to 3 weeks. Unlike Coelogyne nitida (above), Leptotes bicolor and Cattleya walkeriana (from previous posts), Phragmepedium bessae produced one flower on the stalk. But the color of Phragmepedium bessae flower is so vibrant and striking. Here's another link with more information on culturing this orchid.