Collection: Purple Orchids

Purple Orchids NYC for Same-Day Delivery

Purple is the color New York sends to show respect. A purple orchid carries admiration, dignity, and a little royalty in one plant, and it blooms for months. Every purple orchid here leaves our Upper East Side shop the day you order it. Choose a single violet stem or a full amethyst centerpiece, and our couriers hand-carry it anywhere in the city with same-day orchid delivery in NYC.

Purple Orchids at a Glance

• Prices: from under $90 for a purple Phalaenopsis to about $380 for grand amethyst pieces
• Shades: lavender, lilac, violet, amethyst, and deep plum
• Delivery: ordered before our daily cutoff, it arrives today, anywhere in NYC
• Bloom time: a healthy plant holds its blooms for two to three months and can flower again
• Best for: gratitude, promotions, retirements, graduations, and every gesture of admiration
• From: Black Petals, 1121 First Avenue, Upper East Side, (212) 933-0151

The Flower That Named a Color

Here is something most gift-givers never learn. "Orchid" is the name of a color in English, and that color is this soft, regal purple. The flower came first. The color was named after it.

For centuries, purple dye was so rare that only royalty wore it. The purple orchid inherited that meaning. It became the flower of admiration, dignity, and honor. When you want to tell someone they have earned your respect, this is the plant that says it without a single word.

Which Shade of Purple? A Florist's Guide

Purple is not one color, and the shade you choose changes the message. Here is how we match them in the shop every day.

Every shade here sits within our full orchid collection. If the moment calls for reverence instead of admiration, our white orchids for sympathy and weddings carry that quieter meaning. And where purple warms toward magenta, our pink and magenta orchids pick up the story.

The Purple Moth Orchid and Its Cousins

The plants in this collection are purple Phalaenopsis, better known as purple moth orchids. They are the easiest orchid to keep in a New York apartment and the longest blooming, which is why they are the heart of our purple range. For cut arrangements and event work, purple has two more voices: Vanda, the genus famous for the deepest violet flowers in the orchid world, and Dendrobium, with airy sprays of lavender. Our designers source both fresh for custom pieces, so if you want purple in a bouquet instead of a pot, ask us.

What Do Purple Orchids Symbolize?

Purple orchids symbolize admiration, dignity, respect, and royalty. Of all the orchid colors, purple is the one you send upward: to the people you look up to.

• Gratitude: the purple orchid is the elevated thank-you, which is why our Glorious Gratitude Orchid carries the name. It pairs naturally with our thank you flowers
• Promotions: an amethyst orchid on a new desk says congratulations with more dignity than anything in a gift bag, alongside our corporate flowers in NYC
• Retirements: decades of work deserve a flower with weight. Purple is the retirement color, and our retirement flowers are built around it
• Graduations: for the graduate you are proud of, purple honors the achievement, with more of our graduation flowers to pair it with

Naturally Purple, from the Wild

The violet in a purple Phalaenopsis is grown, not added. Wild species like Phalaenopsis violacea of Southeast Asia carry true violet in their genes, and today's purple moth orchids inherit it. When your plant reblooms next year, it reblooms purple. Some intensely colored orchids on the market cannot say the same, so it is worth asking your florist which is which. Ours is the kind you keep.

Purple Orchid Delivery from Our Upper East Side Shop

Black Petals is a working flower shop at 1121 First Avenue, in Manhattan's East Side hospital corridor. Purple orchids are the get-well gift we recommend when the patient is someone you deeply respect: a parent, a mentor, a colleague of many years. The color carries dignity into the room. We hand-deliver to Lenox Hill Hospital and every hospital around us, often within the hour of leaving our cooler.

The rest of the city gets the same hands. Our couriers carry purple orchids to law firms in Midtown, galleries downtown, and brownstone parlors uptown every day, and our Midtown West florist page covers that office corridor in detail. Order before our daily cutoff for same-day delivery, or call (212) 933-0151 and a florist will answer.

Keeping Purple Vivid

A purple moth orchid asks for the same easy routine as any Phalaenopsis. Bright indirect light. Water about once a week, when the bark has gone dry. Distance from the radiator, because steam heat dries orchids out faster than anything else in a New York winter.

Two notes from our bench. Skip the ice cubes, no matter how often you read that advice; these are tropical plants, and cold against the roots stresses them over time. And keep deep shades like amethyst and plum out of harsh direct sun, which fades saturated color. An east-facing window keeps purple looking like purple.

Purple Orchid Questions, Answered

Can you deliver a purple orchid the same day in NYC?

We do it every day. Get your order in before the daily cutoff and one of our own couriers walks it out of the First Avenue shop the same afternoon. If it truly cannot wait, pick up the phone: (212) 933-0151.

What does a purple orchid symbolize?

Admiration, dignity, respect, and royalty. It is the orchid you send to someone you look up to, which makes it the classic choice for mentors, bosses, parents, and milestone achievements.

Are purple orchids naturally purple or dyed?

Naturally purple. Purple Phalaenopsis carry violet genetics from wild species like Phalaenopsis violacea, and the color returns with every rebloom. No dye is involved in any orchid we sell.

What is the difference between a lavender and a deep purple orchid?

The message. Lavender speaks softly: calm appreciation and thanks. Deep purple speaks formally: honor, prestige, and grand occasions. Our shade guide above matches each to its moment.

How much does a purple orchid cost?

A single purple Phalaenopsis starts under $90. The grand amethyst and plum pieces reach about $380. Between those sits a shade and a size for every occasion this page describes, and today's delivery offer is always posted in the banner above.

Is a purple orchid a good retirement or promotion gift?

The best one we know. Purple is the color of earned respect, an orchid blooms for months instead of days, and neither the gesture nor the plant is forgotten by the end of the week.

How long do purple orchid blooms last?

Give it decent light and weekly water and the show runs two to three months. Trim the spike above a node afterward and, with a little patience, most plants raise a new one.