Featured Flower Friday "THE ORCHID"

Who better to kick off our weekly series of featured flower Friday than the king of kings, ORCHIDS!!!

In my quest to answer the question, "how many orchids species are there?" I came up with conflicting answers but the numbers are staggering ranging from 17,000-30,000 species. In addition to orchids species there are 110,000 cultivars (cultivated varieties) of orchids on the International Register of Orchids. Most of these hybrids are created by hand through pollination...simply AMAZING!

As you can imagine I could blog about orchids forever but I selected some of the most popular varieties used in bridal and event work.

SPECIES: Dendrobium, Cattleya, Lady Slipper, Cymbidium, Phalaenopsis
SEASONS AVAILABLE: Year Round
LASTING QUALITY: 4-10 days
PRICING: Range can be anywhere from $3.00 to $60.00 a stem depending on the variety.

Dendrobium Orchid: petite inexpensive orchid with endless color options, great for multiple applications including personal flowers, bouquets and centerpieces.

Photo courtesy of Lotus Photography

Cattleya Orchid: large delicate expensive orchid, perfect for bouquets and centerpiece work. Did I mention this flower smells amazing? A little slice of heaven on earth!

Photo courtesy of Ben Harrison Photography

Lady Slipper Orchid: medium sized expensive orchid, perfect for bridal bouquets, pave style centerpieces and a gorgeous accent to that perfect piece of china.

Photo courtesy of Brianna Graham Photography

Cymbidium Orchids: medium to large moderately priced orchid with endless color options, great for multiple applications including personal flowers, bouquets and centerpieces.

Photos courtesy of Brianna Graham & Jen Kroll Photography

Phalaenopsis Orchids: medium to large expensive orchid with amazing color options, great for multiple applications including personal flowers, bouquets and centerpieces. This is my personal favorite. I love the delicate nature of the bloom and the colors, simply scrumptious!

Photos courtesy of Jen Kroll Photography

All Designs were created by Modern Day Floral

One of my designers, Karen, mentioned once that she was talking to a friend who said, "I have no idea what an orchid even looks like! What is it?!?" Karen simply responded, "Well, think of the most GORGEOUS flower you could ever imagine... that's an orchid." I couldn't agree more!

What is your favorite orchid?