Growing Orchids in Your Garden
Okay, so you’ve been seriously bitten by the orchid bug, and you’ve acquired so many that you’ve run out of room to grow any more. A reasonable person would maintain their hobby at a manageable level. But with orchids, why be reasonable when you have the opportunity to expand your hobby outside? Growing Orchids in Your Garden, by Robert G. M. Friend, is the guide for you. Whether you live in Puerto Rico or Canada, the UK or Australia, there are orchids you can grow outdoors for at least part of the year. This clearly written and beautifully illustrated book will show you how.
Even if you don’t plan on replacing the lawn with Cymbidiums, you can still learn a lot by understanding how orchids grow in the wild. Friend explains how epiphytic orchids grow as air plants, how lithophytic orchids grow as rock plants, and how terrestrial orchids grow in the ground. There are concise instructions for each variety, and a great extensive table of recommended orchid species in the back of the book. In case you think your climate is too cold for orchids, there are plenty of varieties from cold regions, like Bletilla and Calanthe, that are deciduous and go dormant in the winter.
You may be surprised to learn how many orchids are easy to grow in your own backyard. So if you think your garden is impressive now, just wait until you fill up that rock wall with Dendrobiums and Laelias.
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April 14th, 2009 at 8:33 pm
this is the best orchid book!!! i live in ny state where the winters are really cold, and i still am growing bletillas and cymbidiums that i learned how to do here.
November 12th, 2009 at 4:57 pm
Looks like a cool book — thanks for the recommendation.