The new year brings orchid shows to every corner of the world. Especially in cold winter areas, like Massachusetts, Minnesota, and the UK, orchid shows offer a great tropical respite from the season’s chill.
If you’re enjoying a beautiful gift orchid, but wondering how to take care of it, you’ve found the right place. Despite their reputations as difficult plants, orchids are easy. Check the orchid care tips below the photos to learn how to keep your plant happy.
Identify your orchid – Different orchids have different care needs, so it helps to know what kind you have. Phals, or Moth Orchids, are the most popular (see three examples of Phals in the first row of photos above.) Other favorites include Cymbidiums, Dendrobiums, Oncidiums, and Lady Slippers.
Light – Place your orchid in bright light. Morning sun is good for most varieties. Some, like Cattleyas and Vandas, need direct sun to bloom again.
Humidity – Orchids hate dry air, which can wilt flowers, damage leaves, and attract pests. Raise humidity by grouping plants together, or placing your orchid in a humid area, like a bathroom or kitchen. To increase humidity, use a cool mist humidifier, or spray leaves regularly with a mister. Another common trick is to balance flowerpots on pebbles in trays of water, always keeping the pots above the water level.
Water – Use room-temperature water to thoroughly soak the roots and the potting material. Let the water drain completely out of the holes in the bottom of the pot. Don’t let the plant sit in water for an extended period. Most orchids can stay a little drier in winter.
Please forgive me for being a few days late with my customary solstice post. We traveled to a family celebration in Maryland, and I had no blogging time. Spending a few days in wintry weather, however, reminded me of the warming power of orchids. Nursing a tropical plant though a cold, sun-starved winter can be challenging. But their inspiring, exotic beauty provides a powerful antidote to the cold and grey. Even if you don’t grow orchids yourself, you can still enjoy their warmth in photos like those below. Many orchid books are full of colorful pictures, too. Here’s to the sun’s return!
Koalas and kangaroos are well-known Australian wildlife, but many people don’t realize how many fascinating orchids are also Aussie natives. Australian Geographic showcases some of the most remarkable in “Orchids: The coy seduction.” Natives like the Sun Orchid, Purple Enamel Orchid, Hammer Orchid, and Giant Spider Orchid are rarely seen outside the country. Check out the article’s great photo gallery with 15 pictures of these very unusual plants from Oz. It’s easy to see that Australia’s orchids are unlike any others in the world.
I’ve also added a few of Dave’s and my photos below, showing even more variety in the Australian orchid family tree. Some of these, like the Phal, Dendrobium, and Sarcochilus, are commonly grown outside the country. Each one has its own magical beauty.
Worried that a gift orchid might freeze its blooms off? Give an orchid book instead! Orchid books are full of gorgeous flowers, make great holiday presents, and don’t need water or fertilizer. Check out the five popular examples below:
Growing Windowsill Orchids
Master experts from Kew Gardens share their orchid success tips. Short but thorough, with wonderful photos and clear-cut illustrations, this is one of my favorite books for orchid beginners.
The Orchid Whisperer: Expert Secrets for Growing Beautiful Orchids
This book shares practical advice to grow like the pros, and includes lots of colorful photos.
Orchids for Every Home: The Beginner’s Guide to Growing Beautiful, Easy-Care Orchids
From renowned orchid authors Brian and Wilma Rittershausen, this book offers beautiful pictures and good info for beginners.
Orchids
This stunning coffee table book showcases orchid beauty with master photography.
The Marie Selby Botanical Gardens Illustrated Dictionary of Orchid Genera
One of Florida’s best known botanical gardens has put its expertise into this massive work. The book is a comprehensive reference guide to the vast orchid family, with great photos and illustrations.
The next Santa Barbara International Orchid Show will recall how World War II turned the area into an orchid haven. England was the world’s leading Cymbidium grower before World War II. During the war, the UK’s valuable plants were threatened by aerial bombings and fuel shortages. To help save them, orchid enthusiasts in California purchased and imported many English Cymbidium collections. They thrived in the mild climate and relative safety of Santa Barbara. After the war, those rescued British plants became parents of American hybrids, which helped spur growth of Santa Barbara’s orchid industries. “It turns out that as an unintended consequence of World War II, the center of the orchid world shifted to America.” Santa Barbara now grows more orchids than any other region in the USA, and is renowned for Cymbidiums. It’s home to numerous companies like the Santa Barbara Orchid Estate. Next March, the 70th Santa Barbara International Orchid Show will salute this lucky break for Southern California.
December may be the slowest month for shows, but you can still find orchid events around the world. Many groups have holiday orchid auctions, so check with your local orchid society for info.
With dense clusters of little purple blooms, this looks like a hyacinth. On closer inspection, however, each flower reveals itself as a tiny, perfect orchid. Known as the Giant Hyacinth Orchid, this has been a very reliable bloomer in our garden, opening in late autumn and continuing for several months into winter.
This year’s incredible bloom consists of 30 spikes, each with many dozens of small flowers spiraling upward. I keep this plant outdoors all year. Since our move from San Francisco to Pacifica last winter, it lives in windier and more exposed conditions, but it seems to have adapted pretty well. It did suffer some sunburned leaves during a few hot days in October, when I should have moved it into shade. Despite the damaged leaves, it’s still putting on this great show.
Giant Hyacinth Orchids are native to cloud forests from southern Mexico through Central America, and down into Venezuela and Colombia. To grow them, give some full sun, regular water, fertilizer, high humidity, and winter dormancy. They can tolerate a wide range of temps, but need cool nights to bloom. Our local Anna’s Hummingbirds love the flowers, and pollinate many of them. The Giant Hyacinth Orchid offers spectacular color for our winter garden.
The Rainforest Alliance works to conserve biodiversity, encourage sustainability, halt deforestation, and stop environmental destruction. With programs in over 100 countries, the Rainforest Alliance takes the approach “that the health of the land is inextricably connected to the wellbeing of those who depend on it for their livelihoods.” To these ends, the group fights climate change, promotes responsible eco-tourism, trains farmers in sustainable practices, and much more. Founded in 1987, and based in New York City, the group may be best known for “Rainforest Alliance Certified” products. These items feature their familiar green frog logo to show they have been harvested in a way to protect biodiversity, and also to protect the rights of local peoples.
By championing rainforests, the group saves the orchids growing within them. To help the Rainforest Alliance in their work, join their community, or make a donation. As a non-profit organization, donations are tax-deductible as allowed by law.
Enjoy these two short, time-lapse videos featuring the blooms of rare Ghost Orchids. It’s easy to see why these flowers inspire so much fascination and intrigue. In the first video, a small flower spike emerges from the roots of this bizarre, leafless orchid species. The growing spike unfurls a perfect Ghost Orchid flower, revealed in full profile. The second video shows a different flower unfurl over 2½ days. Both of these clips are courtesy of Jay Staton Photography.
