March of the orchs
Exotic blooms that add glamour
EXOTIC and loaded with mystery, orchids cast a spell like no other plant
If you buy one, beware – you’ll always want to grow more.
The striking flat-faced phalaenopsis flowers are now readily available and affordable from supermarkets, garden centres and even garage forecourts.
Nicknamed moth orchids, they have become fun to collect too, as they come with small blooms on mini plants as well large blooms that balance precariously on slim waving stems up to 90cm long.
They come in a wide array of colours. Some are variegated with random spotting and patterns that resemble the markings of a giraffe.
The only colour that isn’t naturally found is blue, but the alchemists are working their magic and injecting them with a blue dye solution.
With such a choice, they make perfect houseplants for co-ordinating with your decor and can be used to add a touch or glamour and romance to your boudoir to make a cutting edge statement in a sitting room.
Thrive
Although sensitive to temperature fluctuations and excessive dryness at the roots, these easy-going orchids are a good choice for beginners. They can be bought into flower at any time of year, will last up to three months and return year after year. When you buy a plant, make sure it is in good condition with leaves of a medium olive green, smooth and shiny. If it is yellowish and leathery it’s probably been dry at the roots at some time and so unlikely to thrive at home. They thrive if grown in a warm, shady spot. A draught-free windowsill is ideal. Feed t hem while growing. If you’re forgetful, use Baby Bio Orchid food, in a mini drip- feeder. You just snip off the feeder’s tip and push into the pot. To encourage more blooms, feel along the bare flower spike for little bumps. These are resting flower buds that will “wake up” after you cut back the stem to the first node below where the old flower had bloomed.