HOT HOUSE PARTY
At this time of year, I often bring orchids in from the greenhouse to add a dash of exotic colour. When I do, I find it’s more decorative and practical to display them in a watertight container than in a pot with drainage holes. This majolica jardinière is the perfect host. Its blue base fades into turquoise and if more blue were lost from the turquoise glaze it would become green, so the smart green orchid foliage makes a comfortable progression.
How to achieve the look
One of the trickiest aspects of combining orchids is that different orchids like different temperatures and light levels, so I’ll use them in the main house or conservatory only for temporary weekend displays. Arching out on long sprays is x Colmanara ‘Green Valley’ in the Wildcat Series; its flowers are persistent and it is a vigorous, easy orchid that’s best grown in coarse bark with daytime temperatures of 18-24ºC and 13-18ºC at night. Another good orchid for the novice grower is Brassia ‘Orange Delight’ (16-28ºC day, 12ºC night) with vivid spidery flowers that have a spicy scent. You can grow it in the house provided you give it humid conditions and keep it out of direct sunlight and drafts. Next to it is Lycaste aromatica (20-26ºC day, 15ºC night), a wonderful, strong-growing orchid that is scented heavily of cinnamon. It needs shade and humidity. The large, purple, tessellated flowers are x Vandachostylis ‘Blue Magic’ (18-25ºC day, 12ºC night), which has strong, ladder-like foliage and very long roots. Vandas need good light levels, although not direct light, and high levels of humidity. They can be grown in bark or as an air-plant provided the environment has high humidity. For this display, all of the plants are held in place with wire and left in their original orchid pots. I have added coarse bark around the roots to help retain moisture. Some of the roots are too long to fit in the pot and are allowed to drape over the side. The whole display is misted twice daily with rainwater; it is particularly important to use rainwater as hard water will cause lime deposits to mark the foliage.