Receive New Gardening Articles By Email (Free Introductory Offer!)
Just sign up below to receive our new gardening articles full of handy hints for your garden. Your email address will not be shared and you can unsubscribe automatically any time - but we don't think you will want to!
Note: This free offer may end at any time.
Newest Additions
More Gardening Info
Bonsai for home or garden
Gardening Articles
Gardening Ideas By The Barrowload
An Orchid’s Best Growing Environment Looks A Lot Like Home (But Not Exactly!)
See more in General Gardening
Cultivating orchids used to be a pasttime for the privileged; now it is something anyone can do. This happened as a result of studying these plants both in their native habitats and in greenhouses, gardens and even the laboratory.
One important discovery about orchids was that many of the most ornamental species did not require either the high heat or the elaborate growing equipment that people once thought necessary. The knowledge gained opened orchid cultivation to anyone willing to learn what there was to know about it.
In the 1800s, when the mania for orchids really took off, many would-be growers were at first discouraged by one big problem. World travelers sent home one exotic species after another, but often without any notes at all as to their local growing conditions. Orchids vary greatly in their needs, such as for light, heat and water, and not knowing a particular plant’s unique requirements could and often did lead to disaster. “The want of some such information has been a source of extreme vexation to many lovers of these plants,” one writer complained in 1885.
Today we are more fortunate with our understanding of the orchids. We can stand on the shoulders of other orchid enthusiasts who carefully wrote down everything they learned about each type and species of the plants that they encountered.
Yes, it is important to understand the habitat and climate from which an orchid comes. But having said that, let’s inject a cautionary note. Generally, you shouldn’t try to completely re-create the conditions of a plant’s natural habitat. To some degree it is possible to grow more impressive orchids than nature produces by carefully tweaking its environment. This is both an art and a science.
To again quote that writer in 1885: “We admit that we should by all means take nature as our guide for the production of good plants but it should be nature in her best garb only and then looking as we do upon cultivation as a help to nature the result can only be an improvement if success in the object aimed at has been attained.”
So, what should a just-starting-out orchid grower to do? How do you strike a balance between imitating nature and improving on it with the tools of modern horticulture? The only sure answer: Educate yourself. You can successfully grow orchids if you know what you’re doing up-front.
Among the best and most thorough guides to modern orchid growing is Orchid Care Expert by Nigel Howard, which may be downloaded online. There are many books on the subject of orchids, but Mr. Howard’s guide is a complete education in itself, suitable for beginners as well as the more experienced. Also, check out the Orchid Secrets web site, which has a growing database of articles on many aspects of orchids.
Related Articles
No Comments »
No comments yet.
RSS feed for comments on this post.
Leave a comment
For Your Garden
Gardening Heaven
What's Hot
Don't miss your chance to sign up for our gardening newsletter - it's up there on the left!