Orchids Have Arrived

Bongard Nursery has recently received 4 new varieties of Orchids which are in full bloom. Prices range from $25 to $45.
Zygopetalum is a lovely orchid. whose name, derived from the Greek word zygon, means “yoked petal”. It refers to the yoke-like growth at the base of the lip caused by the fusion of petals and the sepals.
Denbrobium comes in purples, white and yellows
Angcm Sersquipedale also called Darwin’s Orchid or Christmas orchid has a long spur and star like white waxy flowers
Paphiopedlum Maudie is also called Lady Slipper. Because of its easy growing requirements, which can be provided in most homes, P. maudiae is a popular houseplant.

The beautiful and well known Angraecum sesquipedale, Star of Malagasy, has long been popular among orchid hobbyists. But its story is as interesting as its flower. In 1862 while exploring Madagascar, Charles Darwin came across this orchid with the foot-long nectary, and proposed that there was a pollinator with an equally long tongue to reach the nectar, and pollinate the orchid. Some 40 years after Darwin’s death in 1882, a giant hawk moth with a foot-long proboscis was discovered on the island and fittingly named, Xanthopan morganii praedicts.