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NEC Gardeners World Live 2025

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Here is our Gold Medal Winning display at the NEC. The first day here has been really busy and it has been lovely to meet so many of our orchid friends, old and new. The show has a lovely atmosphere and so many lovely orchids and displays. Congratulations to all involved.  

Bristol Orchid and Rare Plant Fair - Saturday 5th April

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  Our next show is tomorrow in Bristol. There are lots of great traders there as well as talks. If it is anything like last years event it will be a wonderful day.  We look forward to seeing friends there both old and new.

RHS Orchid Show - Wisley 2025

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  There is one left of the RHS Orchid Show. We have had a lovely time and really enjoyed meeting old friends and making new ones. Congratulations to the RHS for organising such a great event We are delighted with a Silver-Gilt Medal for our display and the wonderful feedback from visitors. We are looking forward to our final day, on Sunday, at the home of UK Gardening. Do come and say hello. The photos show our display featuring our lovely orchids and the new information boards that focus on their natural habitats and how these conditions can be replicated in the UK. We are particularly pleased to have so many red and orange orchids amongst our 50 display species including; Cattleya coccinea, Oncidium noezleanum, Cattleya cinnabarina, Brassia aurantiaca (below) and Renanthera monachica. 

Read about making our new terrarium for warm growing miniature orchids

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  Read about making our new Terrarium We have been inspired by our customers that grow great orchids in terrariums to add a few to our home. Our first is a terrarium for warm orchids to go in our south facing dining room. Here is a page about how we made it. If you have any questions, send us an email on isleofportlandorchids@gmail.com

Shows in 2025

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  Shows 2025 Update We will be selling plants at several shows in 2025. Here are the dates confirmed so far Wessex Orchid Society Show - Saturday 1st March 2025, Portchester Parish Hall, 1 Assheton Court, Castle Street, Portchester PO16 9PS. 12:00 - 4:00pm RHS Orchid Show - 14th-16th March 10am-4pm. RHS Garden Wisley, Wisley Lane, Surrey, GU23 6QB.  Bristol Plant Show on Saturday 5th April 2025 St. Philip and St. Jacob church, Tower Hill, Bristol, BS2 0JA 10am-5pm UK INTERNATIONAL ORCHID SHOW at BBC GARDENERS WORLD LIVE June 12 th – June 15 th , 2025, NEC Birmingham Gloucestershire Rare Plants & Orchids Fair 2025 , 10 am to 4.30 pm, Saturday 5 July, St. Mary de Crypt Church, Southgate Street, Gloucester,GL1 1TP

Early spring in the Orchid Collection

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 While we are still in the grips of winter the greenhouses are already showing signs of Spring. In our Cloud Forest Greenhouse most of our plants are in full growth and enjoying the increased daylight as the days start to lengthen. As a result we are increasing the amount of feed we are giving our plants. Our tank currently has feed to 400 micro-seimens which will increase to 500 micro-seimens in the summer. In our Himalayas Greenhouse almost all of our plants are resting - refecting the very seasonal growth habits of the plants from the monsoon forests of the Himalayas. Some dendrobiums such as Dendrobium aphyllum have dropped all their leaves and are kept almost completely dry. Other plants like cymbidiums and coelogynes are kept damper - watering about twice a week to avoid any shrivelling of bulbs as they move into their flowering season.  Indoors our warm orchids such as Phalaenopsis and Aerangis species are in growth and so watering and feeding does not change much durin...

Order Christmas cards and messages in your Christmas orchid orders

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If you are ordering orchids as a Christmas present from our ETSY shop you can buy a card means that we will include it with your order with your own message choice.  The cards are all purchased from Dorset Wildlife Trust, at the Chesil Wild Centre, where both of us volunteer to do our bit to help and protect our local flora and fauna - keep an eye on our website for details of the summer flower walks we lead on the reserve every summer. By the way our last ordering date for pre-Christmas delivery is Wednesday 18th December.