Flowering plants in Buenos Aires: orchids, a violet that isn't and a lily that isn't
The African violet among the flowering plants in Buenos Aires is not a violet at all: Saintpaulia comes from Tanzania's Usambara Mountains, and its seeds reached Europe in 1892. It is day-neutral and flowers for most of the year, which is the real difference between a flowering plant and a cut bouquet: the plant keeps flowering rather than standing until it fades.
Orchids, an African violet and a peace lily: what the section holds
Most of the grid here is orchids, sold as orchid plants in boxes, hat boxes and jute pots, with the African violet and the peace lily each keeping a section of their own.
A peace lily is not a lily. Its white "petal" is a spathe, a modified leaf wrapped around a spadix, a small spike carrying dozens of true flowers, and the plant is native to the tropical Americas and South-East Asia.
The moth orchid, or Phalaenopsis, is the most popular orchid sold in a pot; the name is Greek for moth, and Carl Blume described the genus in 1825. In the wild it grows as an epiphyte on tree trunks, with roots that photosynthesise in open air. Not every orchid in the grid is necessarily this species, since a box or a bouquet can carry other kinds too.
A cut orchid stands in a vase for two to three weeks. A potted Phalaenopsis keeps its flowers open for two to three months, since the plant goes on living instead of surviving on water taken up through a cut stem.
The same orchid appears here in several forms: an Orchid Box, orchid and lisianthus in a hat box, orchid and roses in a jute pot, and a chocolate orchid bouquet among the sweeter options. The hat box shape follows the round cardboard boxes once made for hats.
A name alone does not always say whether a listing is a rooted plant or a cut arrangement. Where that matters, describing the occasion and the budget in the chat brings back options with photos and prices before anything is paid.
Looking after a potted orchid, a peace lily and an African violet
Each of the three plants asks for something slightly different:
- Orchid: grow it in a clear pot of bark. Water it about once a week, less in winter, and tip out any water left in the saucer. Keep the leaves dry and out of direct summer sun, which scorches them, and once flowering ends, cut the spike above the second node.
- Peace lily: it tolerates shade well and needs watering about once a week.
- African violet: cold water left sitting on the leaves marks them, so room-temperature water is the safer choice.
- Cats: a peace lily contains calcium oxalate and is only mildly toxic to a curious cat, unlike a true lily, which is toxic in every part, pollen included.
Flowering plants delivery in Buenos Aires: photo, card and payment
Each order here is put together individually, and the finished plant or bouquet is photographed before the courier leaves, so a change can still be requested from that photo.
Delivery in the centre is free, and the time for a given listing is shown on its own page rather than promised here; most orders reach the recipient on the day they are placed.
The recipient's phone number is enough to arrange delivery, and the card sent with the order is free and can be left unsigned. Payment is by Visa or Mastercard, and the total shown in the cart is final.
An African violet or a peace lily suits a shadier spot than most orchids need. Whatever the choice, the address, timing and payment options are set out on the delivery terms page.