Are you talking about one of the Bauhinia? Which, and where (climatically) are you?

I don't know which one it is, so here are some pictures. I got them from someone and they only said that they were orchid trees. I am in southeast Texas.

Those look like they were grown from seed, so I'd say they're Bauhinia purpurea. They produce a lot of seed which germinate very readily making them a weed in warm areas. They do look very attractive though. There is another very similar one, Bauhinia blakeana, which is thought to be a hybrid as it doesn't produce any seed. It's often preferred for that reason. They need well drained soil and are relatively drought tolerant. But they look better with adequate water.

I think they were grown from a seed. Thanks for the advise!

They're only a medium tree but spread fairly wide, so you need to leave a bit of room for them. They grow pretty fast. I used to cut flowers/seed pods off mine but eventually cut the trees out and replaced them with Bauhinia blakeana. I think the blakeana has a better looking flower, although very similar.