Daily Mail - Daily Mail Weekend Magazine
Operation orchid!
Britain’s native orchids are rare, but one scientist has made it his mission to save them... and wants you to help him too
When did you last see an orchid? Not a willowy Phalaenops is from southeast Asia but one of our native British orchids – smaller, sturdier and less flamboyant but still exquisitely beautiful. Chances are that it’s some time since you’ve seen one growing in the wild, if ever.
Wilson Wall has been enchanted by orchids since he was a young man, when he would come across them while out walking. Now aged 64, he has had a distinguished career as a geneticist, investigating the forensic applications of DNA analysis and appearing as an expert witness in high-profile criminal cases. After working in New Zealand on breast cancer research, he decided to take a different direction and opened a nursery specialising in British orchids, which he began selling in 2013.
Bewdley Orchids, based in Worcestershire, isn’t just a business for Wilson and his wife Alison, who works with him: it’s a mission. ‘We are determined to help our native orchids to survive, and reverse the decline in numbers caused by habitat damage and by fertilisers and herbicides from farmland,’ Wilson says. ‘By selling orchids, all of which we grow from seed, we hope that new populations of orchids will grow and prosper.’
There are 56 orchids native to Britain. Some are so rare that they are grown in specially guarded sites to prevent theft or damage; other more common varieties can be spotted flowering between May and September on chalkland, in meadows and on the edge of woodland. Although you may think they are too fragile for your own plot, orchids actually make good garden plants.
‘Once they’re established, they are surprisingly robust plants,’ Wilson says. ‘They’re hardy perennials and, if you look after them properly, they’ll last for many years. Some will self seed and you will eventually build up quite a colony. You can grow them in containers or in the ground, or use them as part of a wildflower meadow.’
Bewdley Orchids sells about 20 different varieties, most of which are available by mail order. They often sell out quickly so keep an eye on the website, especially in spring, when many varieties become available. The easier ones to try are the ‘Common Spotted’ (sadly no longer very common in the wild), ‘ Heat Spotted’, ‘ Southern Marsh’, ‘ Fragrant’, ‘ Pyramidal’, ‘Green-winged’ and ‘Early Purple’ orchids. The more challenging ones include the ‘Bee’, ‘Butterfly’ orchids, ‘ Twayblade’, ‘ Broad- leaved Helleborine’ and ‘Marsh Helleborine’.
The trickiest part of growing orchids is getting them to germinate in the first place, which is where Wilson’s skill as a scientist comes in useful. ‘After culturing all manner of tissues, setting up orchid seed under sterile conditions was quite straightforward,’ he says.
It can be five years before a plant is ready to be sold. Ironically, while an
exotic Phalaenopsis can be bought for a tenner, buying a native orchid can cost anything from £11 to £ 40 per plant. Despite this, Wilson can barely keep up with demand. ‘There are a lot of enthusiasts,’ he says. ‘And the more people grow them, the more chance there is of them setting seed and spreading. Gardeners really could make a difference to their survival.’
Bewdley Orch ids ( bewdley orchids.com) also sells orchids at Rare Plant Fairs (rareplantfair.co.uk). Growing Orchids In The Garden by Wilson Wall and David Morgan is published later this year.