9 Pretty Orchid Flower Colors You'll Often See in Bloom

Orchids have become an extremely popular houseplant due to their exotic beauty and availability in the marketplace. Once you've mastered the skills needed to successfully grow orchids, they can almost become an obsession because of the many varieties and colorful blooms.

With more than 28,000 accepted orchid species, you can find an orchid colorway you love from red to blue to black. We'll take a look at the range of orchid colors and help identify some of the species that bloom in your favorite colors. Most of the orchids are easy-to-find and easy-to-grow species:

• Cattleya: Often used in corsages, these orchids generally produce large blooms once per year. They require lots of light to flower.
• Phalaenopsis: Commonly known as moth orchids, they have long arching sprays of colorful flowers that remain fresh for several months. They require less light than cattleyas and adapt well to conditions found in most homes.
• Dendrobium: These orchids produce long, graceful sprays of flowers that remain open for three to four weeks.

Red Orchids

Red orchids are splashed in a stunning colorway that is sure to bring some lively color to your home. These orchid varieties are often ruby red.

• 'Why Not' (Cattleya aurantiaca x Broughtonia sanguinea): From the cattleya genus, this orchid produces bright clusters of red blooms with varying amounts of gold in the center on upright stems.
• Phalaenopsis cornu-cervi var. chattalade '#1' : A compact species with ever-blooming flower stems produces glossy dark red blooms.
• Jewel Box 'Dark Waters' (Cattleya aurantiaca x Slc. Amzac): Compact and easy to grow, this hybrid orchid with parentage from three species—sophronitis, laelia, and cattleya—produces true red blooms that measure nearly 3 inches across.
  

Pink Orchids

Pink orchids are a tried-and-true option, with lots of common varieties bearing pink hues.

• Jiaho's Pink Girl 'Little Miss' (schilleriana x Zuma Pixie): This phalaenopsis orchid produces miniature pink blooms about 1.5 inches wide that are lightly fragrant.
• Pink Twilight 'Horizon' (Bc. Marcella Koss x Blc. Nacouchee): This brassolaeliocattleya orchid plant is extremely large and produces pink blooms that are around 6-inches in width and very fragrant.
• Cattleya 'Benin' (Cattleya Summer Spot x Cattleya Lulu): A vibrant pink, spotted cattleya hybrid, the throat can be solid hot pink or have a touch of white.

White Orchids

White orchids are elegant and delicate, often seen added to bouquets and vases.

• Dendrobium anosmum 'White': This fragrant, spring-blooming dendrobium species is native to much of Southeast Asia. The blooms are produced on flower spikes and last about a month.
• 'Cattleya Dolosa' (Cattleya loddigesii × Cattleya walkeriana) var. alba: A fragrant cattleya, the white blooms are perfect and often seen in wedding bouquets or corsages.
• Phalaenopsis 'Taisuco Kochdian' (Phal. Kochs Schneestern x Phal. Meridian): This phalaenopsis orchid bursts forth with spikes of large white flowers with a touch of pink in the throat.

Blue Orchids

Blue orchids are a bit of a rarity to see in nature. Over time, growers have developed blue orchids around the world that can now be grown anywhere.

• 'Blue vanda' (Vanda coerulea): A true blue orchid, this vanda orchid was first discovered by the explorer William Griffith in 1837.
• 'Blue Lady Orchid' (Thelymitra crinita): The bright blue flower has black and yellow columns in the center that match beautifully with the petals and is endemic to southwest Australia.
  
• The Blue Mystique Orchid: Because there are so few natural blue orchids, growers meet the demand by dyeing blooms (usually a white phalaenopsis). The special formula dye is injected into a small hole in the stem of the plant. Once the dyeing process is complete, the hole is covered with wax and the blooms begin to change color within 24 hours.

Purple Orchids

Purple orchids are showy, fragrant, and elegant. They're sure to standout among your houseplant collection.

• Den. Hamana Lake 'Kumi' (Den. Super Star × Den. Warabe): This is a dwarf denrobium variety that produces lightly fragrant flowers that are pinky-purple with a white center.
• Cattleya lueddemanniana: Native to Venezuela, the purple flowers are showy and fragrant.
• Cattleya harrisoniae 'Homestead': From southeastern Brazil, the tall upright stems produce large purple blooms with white lips on the edge of the throat.

Green Orchids

Green orchids were developed as a hybrid variety, often bearing long-lasting, waxy flowers.

• Rlc. 'Prada Green Deluxe' (Rlc. Ports of Paradise × Rlc. Hemlock Pass): This rhyncholaeliocattleya hybrid typically produces a pair of fragrant light green showy flowers each year.
• Den. 'Peng Seng' (Dendrobium cruentum x Dendrobium tobaense): This orchid has unusually long-lasting waxy flowers featuring lime green petals with a deep red throat.
• Dendrobium 'Little Green Apples' (Dendrobium Green Elf x Dendrobium convolutum): A hard-caned Latouria type dendrobium, the waxy, long-lasting green flowers can last up to six weeks.

Orange Orchids

Another rarer variety, orange orchids are a bold choice that is sure to be stunning.

• Rth. Love Passion 'Orange Bird' (Rlc. William Farrell × Ctt. Trick or Treat): This rhyncattleanthe orchid blooms in clusters of bright orange flowers.
• Rlc. Asia Pacific (Rlc. Yen Twentyfour Carat × C. Tainan City): This orange cattleya hybrid has rich, showy, fragrant flowers twice a year.
• Ctt. Caribbean Treat (Ctt. Trick or Treat × Ctt. Caribbean): This cattleya hybrid produces a spray of medium-sized orange blooms.

Yellow Orchids

Yellow orchids are optimistic, happy, and cheerful blooms. Plus, these flowers are thought to symbolize joy, friendship, and new beginnings.

• Rlc. Husky Boy 'Michael' (Rlc. Evergreen × C. Orglade's Glow): A rhyncholaeliocattleya hybrid, 'Michael’ has small golden yellow flowers with a red picotee on the lip.
• Den. Golden Blossom 'Kogane' (Dendrobium Golden Eagle × Dendrobium Dream): The flowers of this variety begin as light yellow when first open and darken to golden yellow as the blooms age.
• Dendrobium aggregatum: Native to Thailand and much of Southeast Asia, this orchid blooms in showy sprays of yellow buttercup flowers.

Brown and Black Orchids

Though brown is not often a color we want to see on our plants, when it comes to brown and black orchid flowers, its a welcome, modern color.

• Cymbidium 'Magic Chocolate' (Cymbidium erythraeum × Cymbidium Vogel's Magic): Brown is not typically a color associated with healthy flowers, but this flower with brown petals and white and brown speckled throat is lovely.
• Dendrobium spectabile: This fragrant orchid flower features light green petals with a dark brown throat and veining.
• Monnierara Millennium Magic 'Witchcraft' (Catanoches Midnight Jem × Mormodes sinuata): One of the few true black orchids produces arching stems that can hold up to a dozen fragrant black flowers with a red flushed central column.