Hawaiian Jewelry Made From Nature

At the 2012 Philadelphia Flower Show there was a whole display of accessories made out of flowers and other natural elements. Hair combs, necklaces, charm bracelets and handbags were all on display and they attracted lots of attention. Although all of the pieces were made out of unusual materials, they were still functional and wearable. A card accompanied each item with the raw elements so that you could decipher what was in each piece. The above necklace is made from hydrangea, ivy, reed, rhododendron sea pod, juniper berry, grapevine and wax flower.

The hair combs below mostly feature orchids in keeping with the Hawaiian theme.

This comb used real leaves to look like an orchid.

This comb used seeds as the main element.

Charm Bracelet.  Made from:  ivy vine, lemon leaf, protea, daffodil petal, black bean, pine nut, setaria, paperwhite petals, fern and an acorn.

The green 'beads' in this necklace are actually made from almonds and the 'fringe' is sago palm.

The theme for the handbags was to make an evening bag that was inspired by the ocean.

Palm tree bark was used to make the look of the waves.

The blue balls are all white peppercorns that have been colored.

Maybe you will be inspired go out and collect something from your yard to make yourself a unique fashion piece.

Hawaiian Wave

One of the first large installments at the Philadelphia Flower show this year was a giant wave made out of plastic, lights and of course flowers. As you walked underneath it you noticed how moving pictures were interspersed with rows of white orchids and anthuriums (Flamingo Flowers). The display called 'Wave' was created by Valley Forge Flowers and won an award for the beautiful orchids that they showed.

Walking under the wave.

White orchids that won an award.

Stripes of flowers.

The curve of the structure gave the illusion of movement.

There were lots of large installments and displays that I will post about soon.

Orchids: Part IV

So here is my final post about all the lovely orchids that were on display this year at the Phipps Conservatory Orchid and Bonsai exhibit 2012.  I wanted to share some of the less common orchids that made me stop and stare.

It is amazing that there can be so many different varieties of one single genre of flower; some looking so unique that you wouldn't even suspect that they are orchids.



Here are some pictures. Enjoy!

Onicidium

Cymbidum:
  Moira

Fredclarkeara:
After Dark
'SVO Black Pearl' FCC/AOS

Cymbidium:
Via Mar Tranquila
'Mt. Cook'

Epidendrum ciliare var.oerstedii

Rhyncholaeliocattleya:
Honolulu Sunset

Dendrobium: 
 Remy Hartman

Cymbidium:
Happy Days
'Sanbar's Green Envy'

Cymbidium:
Showgirl
'Marion Miller'

Odontocidium:
Wildcat
'Bobcat'

Dendrobium: 
Starlet Beauty
'Robsan' AM/AOS

Laeliocattleya:
Melody Fair
'Carol'

Aliceara: 
Memoria Jay Yamada

Laeliocatanthe:
 Cosmo-Cerrito

Bakerara:
Clownish
'Cotton Candy'

Cymbidium: 
Red Beauty 'Evening Star'
HCC/AOS

Since orchids need to be kept in a warm climate visiting the  the orchid room at Phipps can be a nice reprieve from the snowy Pittsburgh weather. So I encourage you to go out and visit your local conservatory bask in the warmth of flowery scented air and view some beautiful flowers.  

Paphiopedilum Orchids

The Paphiopedilum  or Lady Slipper Orchids, are my absolute favorite type of orchid. I think it is because of their unique shape which are slightly insect like that I find them so fascinating. There are about 80 different species of the Paphiopedilum Orchid and they are native to South China, India, Southeast Asia and the Pacific Islands.
For more detailed information about these orchids click here.

Here are some pictures of the different Paphiopedilum Orchids at the current Phipps flower show.

ENJOY!

Paphiopedilum:Arturianum

Paphiopedilum: Wallur x Stokes Poges

Paphiopedilum: John Hanes 'Scott'

Paphiopedilum: Millheart 'Doris'

Paphiopedilum: Paphiopedilum Iowii

Paphiopedilum: Radley

Paphiopedilum: Paphiopedilum Villosum

Paphiopedilum: Mildred Hunter x gratriaxianum

Paphiopedilum: Yerba Buena 'Whitecap' HCC/AOS x Gwenpur 'Symetry'

Paphiopedilum: Patricia Haynes x Milmoore 'Khasi' HCC/AOS

Doritaenopsis Orchids

As I mentioned in my last blog post the Doritaenopsis is any Phaleanopsis  orchid crossed with a Doritis (Dor xPhal).  If there is any history at all of the Doritis  in the Phalaenopsis then it is referred to as a Doritaenopsis. However these flowers are botanically now reclassified as Phalaenopsis orchids though they are referred to as Doritaenopsis  horticulturally.

It can be difficult to tell the differences between orchids with Doritis breeding and those without so I relied heavily on the name placards at Phipps Conservatory.
Here are a pictures from the Orchid and Bonsai Exhibit 2012; you'll find that they look very similar to the classic Phalaenopsis orchids.

As always ENJOY!

Doritaenopsis: Saitama Alliance 'Kazu'

Doritaenopsis: Frank Sarris

Doritaenopsis:Taida Salu 'Red Stripes'

Phalaenopsis Orchid

Phalaenopsis Orchid

 When people think about an orchid and how it is supposed to look like they usually think of a Phalaenopsis or Moth orchid. The Phalaenopsis is one of the most common orchids with around 60 different species and are native across Asia and Australia. It is no surprise then that there were many different Phalaenopsis orchids at Phipps Conservatory during the Orchid and Bonsai Exhibit. In fact it is also one of the prominent breeds of orchids displayed in the Frank Sarris Orchid Room year round at the Conservatory.
The Doritaenopsis Orchid which is a cross of a Doritis and Phalenopsis orchid has been reclassified as Phalenopsis. However, they are still called Doritaenopsis in most horticultural circles and I will have a separate blog about them later.

Here are some pictures of some of the different Phalaenopsis orchids currently on display. Some of the name plaques give detailed information about the flowers which I included below the picture in order to be as specific as possible. 
Enjoy!

 Phalaenopsis: Salu Spot x Phal. TimothyChristopher

Phalaenopsis: Exotic Fire

Phalaenopsis Orchid

Phalaenopsis Orchid

Phalaenopsis:  Lowland Angel

Phalaenopsis: Malibu Madonna 'Tokyo' AM/AOS*

Phalaenopsis: Baldan's Kaledioscope 'Golden Treasure' AM/AOS*

Phalaenopsis:Norman's Mist 'Mont Claire'

For more information about Phalaenopsis in general check out the Wikipedia page; it is pretty spot on.
Click herefor more information about Phipps Conservatory.

*AM/AOS denotes Award Merit from the American Orchid Society