Lady's Slippers orchids in Biltmore

The orchid blooming season begins at the end of January at the Biltmore Asheville Conservatory. The orchids presented here belong to the same group of exotic flowers that we see on our mountain trails from May to July.  

Lady's Slipper orchids are among the most showy orchids in our region. In the mountains of western North Carolina, we find mostly Pink and Yellow Slippers. There are two more types of Lady Slippers: Showy Lady's Slipper and White Lady's Slipper - these I have only seen in the Edinburgh Botanical Garden.

 

Orchids in Biltmore Conservatory - in the world of exotic flowers...

 

 

Orchids at the Biltmore Conservatory

From late January to March, the Biltmore orchid collection is at its best and is on display to visitors. The history of orchids in Biltmore goes back over a century; this was the time when George Vanderbilt was planning his Asheville estate.  

Conservatories and private plant collections were popular with wealthy European landowners in the late 19th century, so George Vanderbilt built his Biltmore Conservatory. In 1894, he made a list of plants that were to be in this building. There were 800 orchids on this list! Currently, the Biltmore orchid collection contains approximately 600 plants.

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The Biltmore Conservatory houses not only a beautiful collection of orchids, but also many colorful and unusual flowers and plants that bloom continuously throughout the year.