Orchid Flower Arrangements for All Seasons

Make your winter interiors bloom with orchid flower arrangements. In the winter when little else is blooming, what could be more wonderful than to lose yourself in an orchid blossom? They’re so intricately created, they could be jewelry. They almost blur the distinction between artifice and nature.

Our Most Popular Orchid Arrangements

Click the arrows (or swipe if on a mobile device) to see more

A rusty roller skate is tucked into this Antonio Bond arrangement of bittersweet berries, poke berries, red peonies, and cymbidium orchid blossoms. Photo by Dagnushka.
See more of Antonio's designs.

A combination of phalaenopsis orchids, vanda orchids, and cymbidium orchids in a tulipiere. “Working in Palm Beach lends itself to the use of many orchid varieties and tropical foliage, both of which I love for creating that casual Florida look.”—Tom Mathieu. Photo by Jessica Glynn
More Mathieu Designs

In the foyer of a home restored by James Farmer, the sideboard is topped with a large Japanese bowl filled with flowering phalaenopsis orchids and magnolia branches. Photo by Emily Followill. See the story.

Bill Hidgins of Atlanta's Lush Life creates arrangements anchored in a European aesthetic. Here, arcs of golden cymbidium orchids seem to pour out of a vase filled with complementary green hydrangeas and grasses. Photo by Erica George Dines

A duet of Blue Magic vanda orchids and Noorah Blue orchids is looped with willow for a modern, textural touch and then gathered with Aspidistra leaves. Photo by Udom Surangsophon
More from Banchet Flowers

A gleaming silver bowl overflows with blossoms of ‘Henrietta Japhet’ cattleya orchids, ‘Henryi’ clematis, star-of-Bethlehem, alocasia foliage, and calathea foliage. Photo by Erica George Dines
More Michal Evans

For their dining table centerpiece Rick Davis and Christopher Vazquez of Amaryllis Floral & Event Design created an arrangement of lady’s slipper orchids, hydrangeas, hypericum berry, pine cones, and evergreens. Photo by Jenn Verrier.
See more of Rick and Christopher's holiday decor.

A Foxgloves & Ivy creation of yellow and orange Aranda orchids, Gerber daisies, Dutch hydrangeas, 'Tutti-Frutti' mini calla lilies, and Monstera nestled in a frosted glass cube.

A sleek and skinny glass vase containing phalaenopsis orchids allows for unobstructed chitchat across the table. Hot-pink peonies and air plants lend color to the white-on-white scheme designed by Blair Laborde of Sarah Blair Event Design. Photo by Mary Craven Dawkins

Yellow-green Dendrobium orchids are the main ingredient in this mixed arrangement by Wildflower Designs of Birmingham.

This frothy concoction of pinks and purples plays nicely with the icy silvers of the plateau and mercury glass. FLOWER LIST: Vanda orchids, ranunculus, hyacinth, snapdragons, stock, ‘Topaz’ roses, and Asiatic lilies. Photo by Becky Luigart-Stayner
More FlowerBuds Arrangements

Brooklyn, New York floral designer Taylor Patterson combined Phalaenopsis orchids, Japanese maple, dyed grass, dried sedge, and grass seedpods in this striking arrangement. Photo by Monica Buck
More of Patterson's Designs

As if the bride will be right back to claim her bouquet, an arrangement of beachy blooms gets a splash of refreshing water from the fountain. FLOWER LIST: ‘Carolina Sapphire’ cypress foliage, cattleya orchids, echeveria succulents, fringed ‘Aladdin’ tulips, hydrangeas, phalaenopsis orchids. Photo by Paul Johnson Photography
See More Christina Springfield Arrangements

Michal Evans, one of Atlanta’s premier floral and event designers, creates a show-stopping centerpiece in a riot of colors with lady’s slipper orchids, vanda orchids, hyacinths, muscari, Eucharist lilies, freesia, lisianthus, stock, kale. Photo by Erica George Dines
More Michal Evans

“The outdoor surroundings are such a part of this house that you don’t want arrangements to compete with the view,” says Michael Grim. “So we just massed a few blooms for pops of color.” Here, he uses a vase filled with vanda orchids to enliven the porch. Photo by Tria Giovan
More Michael Grim Designs

A green scene with cascades of orchids, tropical greenery, and a magnolia-leaf table skirt made by Mark Held and Richard David, co-owners of Mark’s Garden in Los Angeles. Photo by Loupe Images

Flower Girl’s Denise Porcaro arranged cymbidium orchids, roses, calla lilies, scabiosa pods, ranunculus, horsetail, and bear grass in a Mason jar. Photo by Michael Mundy

New York–based floral designer Oscar Mora ushers in spring with a standout arrangement of Japanese sweet peas, ranunculus, peonies, orange roses, yellow roses, phalaenopsis orchids and more blooms sure to brighten anyone’s day. Photo by Brooke Slezak
Step-by-step instructions for this arrangement

On the Florida Panhandle’s Emerald Coast, Brian Watson and Eugene Campbell of Myrtie Blue created this sunset-inspired arrangement of ‘James Storie’ orchids, ‘Porcelain Lace’ spray roses, ‘Quicksand’ roses, ‘Caramel Antike’ roses, and more blossoms that fit harmoniously in a beachy interior. Photo by Colleen Duffley
More Myrtie Blue Designs

Spray roses, Phalaenopsis orchids, and Charood Mokara orchids with a red dogwood accent in an Aspidistra-lined, red glass cylinder vase make for a jaunty, tropical tabletop design. Photo by Udom Surangsophon
More from Banchet Flowers

Flowers on the half shell emerging from the sea recall Botticelli and his Venus. FLOWER LIST: ‘Carolina Sapphire’ cypress foliage, cymbidium orchids,  muscari,  sweetpeas. Photo by Paul Johnson Photography
See More Christina Springfield Arrangements

Willow Crossley says that keeping mini orchids, such as these diminutive purple phalaenopsis in a recycled pickle jar, is a great way of introducing children to flowers.
More Willow Crossley Designs

Taylor Patterson of Fox Fodder Farm shares step-by-step instructions for creating an Ikebana-style arrangement that celebrates autumn's colors with Phalaenopsis orchids, carnations, marigolds, grasses, and Japanese maple. Photo by Monica Buck
How-To for this Arrangement

Jimmie Henslee created this bold arrangement of rose hips, pyracantha, smoke bush, Dutch amaryllis, eucalyptus, millet, and Cymbidium orchids, surrounded by pumpkins in muted colors. Geode lamps are from the Lamp Shoppe. Photo by Elizabeth Lavin.
See more of this Trish Sheats designed home.

Indeed, the orchid family, Orchidaceae, is a marvel of evolutionary range and ingenuity, with more than 800 genera and 25,000 known species. And the number of registered hybrids, now topping 110,000, rises almost daily. In fact, they hybridize so easily that there may never be an end to the new varieties and new color combinations that growers create.

At their shop, Foxgloves & Ivy, Larry Hammack and partner Greg Brown send out hundreds of arrangements each week, and orchids are a part of many of them. “When orchids are used in arrangements, they always make a statement,” says Larry.

“An incredible cymbidium stem dropped in an inch of water in a big, clear, square vase says ‘contemporary’ in a way little else can,” he says. “Mixing orchids with what we in the floral trade call the ‘Dutch’ flowers is a great way to add drama to a more traditional arrangement, and extend the life of that arrangement.”

Because orchids don’t have to be in water, they’re perfect for occasions like weddings that call for “personal” flowers.

“We put them in boutonnières and bride’s bouquets, on the wedding cake or tucked in at the place settings,” says Larry. “That staying power makes them wonderfully affordable for home use as well. If you’re having a dinner party, buy one cymbidium stem and you’ll have enough blossoms for every napkin ring and to float in a beautiful crystal bowl to center the table,” he suggests.

Caring for Cut Orchids

For those of us who might be intimidated by these fascinating flowers, questions abound.

How do you care for orchids in a cut-flower arrangement? “Don’t put them in the refrigerator,” Larry cautions. “They just can’t handle the cold. Recut the stems just as you would the other flowers in an arrangement, and be sure your vase is spotless. They don’t really need flower food, but a little can’t hurt, as a key component is the bactericide, which will help keep the water fresh.”

By Conne Ward-Cameron

More Orchid Arrangements and Orchid Care

• Dress Up an Orchid
• Growing Orchids at Home
• Amanda Lindroth Designs