Most true blue dendrobium orchids or blue Phalaenopsis orchids are fake. They are generally Phalaenopsis orchids that have a vibrant blue dye injected into the base of the flower to make their flower petals a vibrant blue.
True blue flowers are a hard to find in the nature. According to David Lee, author of Nature’s Palette: The Science of Plant Color, only ten percent of natural flowers are blue. Most of these plants tend to be light blue or closer to purple than really blue.
Blue lady orchids are sun orchids native to a small area of Western Australia. The blue lady orchid grows in coastal areas, the edges of forests, and sometimes in swamps. Blue lady orchids are not rare in the part of Western Australia they grow in but are at risk because that area is so small.
Blue vanda orchid (Lord Rothschild’s Variety) is found in Eastern Himalayas, northeast India, and in Asia in Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, and southern China. They are very popular and very expensive.
This is another sun orchid and is found in southeastern Australia and New Zealand. Also known as the Veined Sun Orchid, Swamp Sun Orchid, or Striped Sun Orchid, these plants like swampy, sunny areas.
Another sun orchid, this is also called the slender lady orchid. It is the most common orchid in Australia and also grows in New Zealand. They are not hard to grow.