Inspiring orchids
It’s a number-one seller for a reason... treat it right and an orchid will turn on the charm
T WOULD be nice to escape to the tropics, rather than shivering through this cold Brexit-obsessed February. Gardening may hold the answer! If you’re based in or near London, or are planning a trip to the city, you can suspend the winter blues by attending Kew Gardens’ Orchid Festival.
It’s a magnificent annual celebration of the most mysterious and beautiful plant and takes place at the Princess of Wales Conservatory.
Running until March 10, this year it celebrates the biodiversity of Colombia, home to 4,270 species of orchid.
The highlight of the display will be a carnival of animals, depicting a toucan in flight, a hanging sloth and a swimming turtle.
If you are planning to go, try off-peak times and avoid half-term because it’s a hugely popular attraction.
Orchids are the number-one bestselling houseplant, loved for their exquisite blooms that will last for a couple of months in the right conditions.
However, their beauty also puts them at risk as rare and wild species are plundered from their natural habitat and traded on the internet, leaving some species in danger of extinction.
There is also a huge demand for the bulbs which are ground to make a popular milky Turkish drink, Salep.
They are also the source of vanilla, an essential ingredient for our favourite biscuits, puddings and ice creams.
Many countries are sustainably farming orchids to match this high demand – in the Netherlands, the trade of orchids is worth almost €500m.
If you would like to introduce some exotic floral beauty to your living spaces, here are a few tips on how to maintain them.
One of the most important factors for your orchid’s health will be where you place it. They like good light but to be away from direct sunlight.
A north or east-facing windowsill is usually a comfortable place for them all-year round.
A humid environment is best so that usually means the kitchen or bathroom in most homes. Standing your orchid on moist pebbles is a more consistent method of controlling humidity. You can also mist the leaves (but avoid the flowers as this can lead to mould).
The temperature they like will vary by type – the most popular type, Phalaenopsis or moth orchid, like it warm, about 18˚C.
Cymbidiums, such as the glorious Ice Cascade, which has waterfalls of white flowers, prefer it a bit cooler, so site them in a porch or conservatory.
Cymbidiums also like to go outdoors in mid-summer where the night-time temperature drop will coax new flower spikes.
When you’re watering, completely drench it through and let the compost dry out a bit between waterings.
If you can’t remember when you last watered it, just pick up the pot – if it’s very light, it needs a good soak.
If you prefer, you can stand the pot in a tub of water and let it drink from the bottom for an hour or so, but be sure to allow the water to drain away.
It’s better to water this way rather than a little dribble every other day.
As with most houseplants, you can cut back quite a bit on the watering in winter.
For optimum care, in hard-water areas use rainwater instead, and a tepid water temperature is best.
You can feed your orchid fortnightly when it’s in active growth, for example, when it’s pushing up a new flower stem, developing buds or putting out new aerial roots (which shouldn’t be pruned). There are specialist orchid feeds available, or just diluted regular houseplant food is fine too.
When the orchid blooms go brown you can clip the stem back – just above a node is best. You may strike it lucky and get a secondary bloom this way, or you might have to wait longer for the plant to throw up a new flower shoot.
Orchids need repotting every two years as the bark they grow in decomposes. So get some fresh orchid compost and repot – the same-size pot is fine for a moth orchid – and let the aerial roots stick out.