January Walking Tour - Orchids and Bromeliads

By Nick Snakenberg, Curator Orchids/Greenhouse

We will once again feature blooming orchid plants in the Orangery at Denver Botanic Gardens during our Orchid Showcase from January 9 to February 24. What better way to spend a brisk winter day than enjoying a cozy seat amongst hundreds of orchid plants.

Orchids are believed to be the largest family of blooming plants in the world with species growing on all continents except Antarctica. They also occur in a wide variety of growing environments – from warm tropical forests to cool mountaintops and even deserts. There are well over 20 species that grow in our Colorado wilderness.

The Orangery exhibit will feature hybrid orchids that do well in cultivation. Orchids have become more and more available to hobbyists at ever-more reasonable prices. Once a hobby for the elite, orchid growing can now be enjoyed by all.

Complementing the orchid flowers will be a number of colorful foliage plants and exotic bromeliads. Like many orchids, most bromeliads are also epiphytic – growing in tree limbs with little or no soil substrate. Nearly all bromeliads occur naturally in New World environments (one species can be found naturally in Africa). The most commonly known representatives of the bromeliad family are the pineapple (Ananus comosus) and Spanish moss (Tillandsia usneoides), however hundreds of species and hybrids are used as landscape plants in warmer climates.

As always, both orchids and bromeliads will also be featured in Marnie’s Pavilion. Blooming plants from the Garden’s extensive collections are rotated in this display space as they come into bloom throughout the year. It’s a good idea to come by regularly to see what new gems there are to discover amongst the lush foliage of this ever-changing exhibit space.

Enjoy the show and be sure to tell your friends you stopped by the Gardens. And when they give you a puzzled look as if to ask, “In the middle of winter?” – you can tell them all about the beauty there is to discover at Denver Botanic Gardens.

Photos by Nick Snakenberg