The Most Popular Pink Orchid Plants

When we think of an orchid, pink is one of the first colors that comes to mind. In fact, many Phalaenopsis orchids, the easiest to grow at home, come in a variety of shades of pink.

In the Victorian language of flowers, orchids had two meanings. A large, ruffled Cattelya bloom stood for mature charm. This is why an orchid corsage is such a popular Mother’s Day gift. Orchids of any type generally stand for love, beauty, and refinement. Considering how rare orchids were in Victorian Europe, giving an orchid blossom must have been a strong statement indeed.

In Chinese tradition, the orchid stands for anything rare, elegant, and precious. The orchid is a widely used symbol in Chinese art, and is even a standard symbol on mah-jongg tiles.

Well-Known Pink Orchid Plants

The pink orchid ‘Vanda Miss Joaquim’ is the national flower of Singapore and is featured on some of the country’s money. It was the first hybrid orchid created in Singapore. It is fitting that an orchid should be the national flower of Singapore, because orchids are their main agricultural export, they grow easily there, and for a few dollars, you can buy an armload of yellow, white, orange, and pink orchid blooms at any local market.

Colombia’s national flower is actually many flowers. The species is ‘Cattelya trianaei’, but it comes in hybrid colors from white to dark purple to pink orchids. These plants with their large blooms are abundant in Colombian gardens. They are named for a Colombian botanist who made the first systematic catalog of this species.

Like Colombia, Costa Rica’s national flower is also an orchid, but it only comes in two colors, white and pink. They bloom around Easter, so they are usually a part of Costa Rican Easter decorations.

In Eastern North America, you may see a pink orchid in the wild. Many of the orchids native to the area are pink or partially pink orchid. The family usually called “lady’s slipper” orchids are found in the Eastern US, Canada, and parts of Europe. The pink lady slipper is the official wild flower of New Hampshire. Lady slippers are not carnivorous plants, but they do form a “lip” into which insects slip, and the flowers are pollinated by the motion of the bug climbing out.

Another North American orchid family is commonly called “grass pinks”. These pink orchid plants live in swamps or bogs. Their flower spikes can be up to about eighteen inches tall, and the flowers always have a “beard” of hairy stamens.