Sweet Nia Rose

Walking into my dining room area today, I didn’t just see my sweet orchid sitting on the table, I smelled it. In advance. From several feet away. Glorious fragrance, just as if a huge dozen big red roses were bursting open in bloom.

The orchid oncidium Nia Rose is just amazing at how much sweet tones of floral essence it can put out of such small blooms. Often called “dancing ladies”, the dainty and ruffled petals of these types of orchids resemble women in flaring skirts.

We picked up several new plants this year from Fort Collin’s nursery in nearby Colorado. Having gone for one, we came back with six. As one does. And this one was part of that bunch.

Unfortunately a few days after arriving to our home already in bloom, I found it completely covered in aphids. Stems, blooms, the whole plant. Following online instruction, I used a solution of hydrogen peroxide and water to spray all over the entirety of leaves to roots and cut off the stem of blooms, regrettably. But it was for the greater good of saving the plant.

Surprisingly, it immediately put out this new stem of blooms with not an aphid to be seen. I look forward to re-potting this one just as soon as it finishes it’s bloom cycle and really see it take off a few months from now. What a delight!