Cymbidiums
Weddings and Mother’s Days in the 1980s just wouldn’t have been the same without a bouquet or a single flower in a box. This orchid variety, with its long, thin leaves and waxy flowers, is as popular today as it was then.
widely regarded as the predecessor of today’s terrariums and aquariums. This invention meant that plants could be removed from the forests and sealed into glass cases before they were shipped. This way, about 80% of the specimens survived the journey to Europe, heralding a new era.
Such wild and wonderful stories only added to the appeal of orchids. Even Queen Victoria was captivated but felt they should be collected by men only, because the flowers were considered far too sensual and vulgar for the fairer sex. This exclusive reputation grew further thanks to the difficulty involved in growing orchids from seeds – and the fact that it took four to seven years before the plants bloomed.
FIND AN ORCHID CLUB
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a complete list.
How it works today
Orchids are cultivated in laboratories and multiplied by means of tissue cultures. This is how masses of the same plant can be cultivated and cloned – enough to sell in supermarkets.
Even if you are one of those people whose orchids drop dead in the blink of an eye, they remain a better investment than a bunch of flowers, which last a maximum of two weeks before you end up with wilted eyesores and a vase of smelly water. Most orchid varieties will reward you with flowers for at least two months – there is even a Dendrobium variety that blooms for eight months!
Yet it isn’t nearly as difficult as you might think to make an orchid flower repeatedly. The rewards are great if you know where in nature the plants occur, so that you can recreate these growing conditions in your own home. In nature Cymbidiums are found in the humid and sunny (but nevertheless cooler) foothills of the Himalayas and are crazy about cold winters (without frost!), which activate the growth of flower buds for spring.
For a long time these plants could not be cultivated in sub-tropical regions, where it never gets cold enough to induce flower formation. But fortunately someone discovered a tropical Cymbidium in China and crossed it with another sort to get a heat-resistant Cymbidium that will grow in sub-tropical areas such as KwaZulu-Natal. ( This variety can be found at Raindance Orchids at Munster in KZN and the Riebeek Valley Garden Centre in the Western Cape.) In the home You can keep shop-bought Cymbidiums inside your house while they’re flowering, but plant them out in your garden as soon as possible afterwards as they prefer the outdoors. These plants must get enough light (once again, not direct sunlight); the air should be humid; and the growing medium – usually bark – must drain quickly: clay pots work better than glazed or plastic pots as they dry out faster and also “breathe”. Water Ensure that the growing medium remains moist, particularly in the hot summer months, and that the water drains properly. In summer, give your plants a very weak (quarter-strength) liquid fertiliser such as Nitrosol approximately every six weeks. There are a number of different orchid foods available – check out your nearest garden centre and follow the instructions carefully. It’s bad for the plants when certain nutrients and salts build up in the soil. What do I do once they flower? Wait a week or three after the plant starts flowering, cut off the flower stem at the base and place in a vase containing water – it will last a long time. Take the plant outside, replant it in fresh growing medium (preferably bark) and place the pot on a stump or table in a lovely shady patch under a tree where it will get dappled sunlight in the morning. Be sure to protect it from afternoon sun – and slugs, of course, as they think the flower buds are a delicious Caesar salad. The plant can happily be watered along with the rest of your garden, even daily in summer, as the bark drains fast. Why do they die? The old story: too little or too much light and/or water.