Hong Kong Orchid Tree Not an Orchid at All 2012-02-08

By Lee PottsOrchid Specialist
The Hong Kong Orchid tree impresses The Garden’s visitors year round with its incredible canopy that stretches over 30 feet wide and features delicate branches that drape over the walkways with six-inch, heart-shaped leaves. As beautiful as this canopy is, it’s during the winter that this tree becomes even more impressive — by producing an almost endless supply of magenta-purple flowers nearly as big as your hand for up to five months.
Although orchid has become an established fixture in this tree’s common name — and is a reference to the flowers’ resemblance to other orchids — The Hong Kong Orchid tree is actually a closer relative to the common garden pea.
The Hong Kong Orchid tree, botanically known as Bauhinia blakeana, is considered to be a natural species since it is sterile. Until a recent discovery of a lone tree in Hong Kong, it was believed thatnone of these trees produced seed. Because of this, it is possible that all Hong Kong Orchid trees originated from one single tree cultivated by the Hong Kong Botanical Gardens in the late 1800s.
Although it is still debated today, Bauhinia variegata and Bauhinia purpurea are commonly thought to be the species that produced Bauhinia blakeana, which was discovered in 1880 by a French priest on the shore of Hong Kong Island near Pok Fu Lam. Many reports lead us to believe that this discovery was of a single Bauhinia blakeana which is the only one discovered in the wild. In 1908, the first scientific description was made by S.T. Dunn, superintendent of the Botanical and Forestry Department of Hong Kong, who assigned this tree to the genus Bauhinia and named it after Sir Henry Blake, British Governor of Hong Kong from 1898 to 1903.
By 1914 the Bauhinia blakeana was being introduced outside of The Hong Kong Botanical Gardens on a wider scale. It is often recognized from its image that appears on the Hong Kong flag and coins. In addition, a statue of this plant is on display in Golden Bauhinia Square in Hong Kong. With the beauty of the year round foliage and winter purple magenta flower, we consider this tree to be a highly valued tropical treasure. (more...)

Low Maintenance Doesn’t Mean No Variety 2011-08-15

Colorful tropical plants add beauty and create a relaxing atmosphere to any interior living environment whether at home or work. Maintaining tropical plants inside may seem to be challenging, but luckily there are many that are low maintenance. Three favorites come to mind:

The first is Sansevieria, commonly known as the snake plant. With very low water and light requirements, this is one of the easiest plants to maintain. There are several cultivars that range in size from six inches to around three feet. Colors range from dark green foliage to white with some cultivars having very intriguing combinations of both.

Consider using Sanseverias in containers along with the next plant on my list of favorite tropicals, Codiaenum variegatum, commonly known as the croton plant. There are hundreds of cultivars available, and my description cannot do this tropical treasure justice. Its bright patterned foliage includes an absolutely indescribable combination of green, yellow and red, with multiple leaf patterns and a variety of sizes. Crotons do well in indirect light and perform better if they are allowed to dry out between watering.

A third addition to this tropical container combination is bromeliads—specifically, the terrestrial Guzmanias or Neoregelias. The color range is wide open in this group of tropical plants, and their maintenance requirements are simple. Bromeliads can live without water for long periods of time, provided water is maintained in a naturally occurring cupped area located in the center of the plant. Keeping water in the “cupped” area will keep this tropical hydrated. Add fresh water once weekly to avoid the water becoming stagnant. Bromeliads, either alone or grouped in a container, will add remarkable beauty to any surrounding while not demanding a lot of maintenance. (more...)

Holiday Lights at the Garden Opens 2009-12-03

Holiday Lights at the Garden opened this past weekend with record numbers. It was our busiest open ever promising a busy holiday season at the Garden.

Continuing until Thursday, Dec. 31 these spectacular evenings will include displays with more than 600,000 lights, old fashioned trains, carriage rides, holiday carols, baked treats and other activities designed to fill the holiday season with memories that will last a lifetime.

Beginning at the Garden’s grand entrance on New Hope Road guests are immediately immersed to a Christmas wonderland as they travel past the still Garden ponds and make their way into the Visitor Pavilion, where they are greeted by white trumpeting angels, decorated in holiday splendor and sounds. The décor includes a guest favorite, a spectacular 16-foot-tall Orchid tree, featuring more than 300 orchids.

In the Garden guests are invited to enjoy a walking tour through a dazzling light display encompassing six separate gardens, The Orchid Conservatory and surrounding landscape that presents spectacular light displays at every turn. Guests can walk through a grand 30-foot tall tree of lights, visit the icy White Garden or the festive Canal Garden. A captivating display of lights engulfs guests in every direction.

The Orchid Conservatory offers a chance to warm up, and see two garden-scale trains snaking through the tropical plants and holiday favorites.

Carriage rides through a portion of the display are available Thursday through Sunday evenings for an additional fee.

Please see our web site http://www.dsbg.org/ for the latest information. (more...)

Christmas Crafts at Holiday Lights 2009-12-13

Holiday Lights is in full swing at the Garden, and it really is a fun event-- for guests as well as staff. I enjoy walking through the Garden and overhearing the appreciative comments and exclamations from visitors as they enjoy a lovely evening with family and friends. Beautiful lights, great music and entertainment, tasty hot chocolate, and jolly old Saint Nick himself... and much more-- it's all here!

There is one little corner of the Garden where I spend a lot of time, and that is the Christmas Crafts table in the Visitor Pavilion. We provide a nature-based holiday craft each night, which changes from week to week. So far, we have made Christmas Mice from pinecones, Nature Baskets that can be displayed on a table or hung on the tree as an ornament, and Nature Bags (sachets) that will fragrance a room. Still to come-- Pomanders and Glittered Pinecones.

The Nature Baskets and Nature Bags, in particular, would be easy to do at home as well. Take a few minutes to go outside with your kids and look around. Collect small treasures that you find-- a few small pinecones, sweetgum balls, a bit of moss, an interesting pod... all of these can become unique treasures in the eyes of a child. Back inside, take a small basket (app. 2-4 inches wide) and work together to arrange the treasures in the basket. Add a dash of color and sparkle, if you wish, by tucking in a small ornament or a bit of ribbon, and you're done! Set the basket on a table, or hang it on the tree. A larger basket can become a centerpiece or mantel decor.

Nature Bags (an updated and kid-friendly name for a sachet) are also easy. You can search outside for nature treasures, as described above, and tuck them in a small muslin bag or wrap them up hobo-style in a scrap of fabric and tie closed with a ribbon. At the Garden we use muslin tea bags, which are perfectly sized for a small sachet, and add fragrance with a few drops of essential oils that can be purchased at any craft store. We make use of cones, pods, and bits of greenery collected from around the Garden, and add ingredients like lavendar, cinnamon chips, allspice berries, cloves, and rose petals. The bowls filled with all the different ingredients are beautiful, and showcase the diversity of textures, colors, and fragrances from nature.

Though sachets are an old-fashioned craft, kids love making them and enjoy sorting through all the different ingredients to create just the right mix for their very own creation. Adults love making them, too. The craft corner is open to anyone who wants to participate. From the youngest toddler working with help from their parents to the most experienced senior, everyone has a small memento of their evening at the Garden to take with them that they made themselves. What a treat!

All in all, nature crafts are perfect for the holidays. Take a few minutes with your family to go outside and gather some treasures from your yard. Or, if you're in the area, come visit the Garden and enjoy making a nature-based Christmas Craft together and have a lovely evening of Holiday Lights with your family and friends. See you here! (more...)

Orchid Spectacular Planned 2010-01-08

Garden staff is hard at work preparing for Orchid Spectacular that begins Jan. 15.

This is our annual showcase of orchids that opens with the NC Piedmont Orchid Society’s judged show and sale. The event continues through March 14 with a presentation of the best of the Garden’s collection of nearly 5,000 orchids, continuing education classes, lectures and more.

The NCPOS show runs through Jan. 17 and begins with the American Orchid Society’s judging of hundreds of varieties from the intriguing bulbophyllums to the colorful cattleyas presented in the theme of “Orchids in the Trees.” It’s an appropriate theme given that a vast majority of orchids are epiphytic, which means they grow upon rocks or trees, receiving nutrients from rainfall or from the humid air around them. The event includes the sale of orchids and orchid supplies from the region’s most respected growers and informal talks by members of the orchid society.

Friday night, Jan. 15, the event ramps up with “An Evening of Orchids,” an elegant celebration of orchids from around the world. In addition to the magnificent display of orchids, the evening will feature an auction of unique orchid packages, food and more. Tickets for the event are $55 or $85 for the Patron Level. Reservations must be made in advance by calling 704-829-1252.

“Orchid Spectacular” and the Garden’s ongoing lecture series continues Jan. 23 with “The Road Less Traveled: New Orchid Hybrids for Warm Climates,” a lecture by Milton Carpenter, owner of Everglades Orchid, of Belle Glade, Florida. An internationally recognized speaker with 42 years experience in growing and breeding orchids, Carpenter rarely lectures now. The results of his orchid breeding have enabled people in warmer climates to grow previously cold-preferrent orchids. Admission to the lecture is $15 for Garden members and $20 for non-members. The lecture begins at 10 a.m.

Throughout the ongoing event, Garden guests will be able to view some of the world’s most stunning varieties of orchids in The Orchid Conservatory. Here the garden displays fascinating orchids from around the globe in an incredibly creative and artistic fashion. More than 22,000 species of orchids exist on all but one of the earth’s continents and hybrids number in the hundreds of thousands. The orchids displayed at the conservatory represent the great diversity of temperate and tropical species, from the hot, humid lowlands to the cool mountain regions.

There is more, including a quilt display and continuing education classes, so come back to the Garden Blog later to learn more or check out the website at www.DSBG.org. (more...)