The Elegance of Orchids
Cerwin
form adds a sense of the exotic to any room. It creates drama and
interest wherever it appears, especially when used in contrast with a
more contemporary room design. Signifying perfection, beauty, and
innocence, in the worlds of gift-giving and decorating, the orchid is
fast becoming the new rose. Once considered an ostentatious and
elitist choice, the orchid has finally overcome its bad press. It now
turns up in TV home design shows, in the draughty venues of garden and
hobby exhibitions and can be found for sale, along side the ever-
present African violets, at box stores around the city. In our
preference for conservation, even in gifts, we are turning away from
traditional cut flowers like roses, to living plants. And for sheer
impact, nothing beats an orchid.
The name orchid comes from the Greek ‘orchis’, meaning testicle,
because of the shape of the plant roots. It is no surprise, then, that
in Greek history the orchid was utilized by women who sought to
control the sex of unborn children. If the father ate large orchid
tubers, it was thought the child would be male. To ensure a female
child, the mother would eat small tubers. The ancient Aztecs were said
to drink vanilla from the vanilla orchid, mixed with chocolate, for
strength. In China, the orchid signifies refinement or many children.
The cattleya orchid denotes mature charm and is often used in corsages
or arrangements for Mothers’ Day.
The orchid’s reputation as expensive and temperamental has softened,
somewhat. If you want a pricey plant, there are lots to choose from,
but the cost need no longer be prohibitive. A recent visit to a local
orchid store found an ample supply of plants in the $10 - $20 range.
Of the more than 25,000 species within the orchid family, plenty do
not require a greenhouse environment. To be sure, some require intense
moisture, warmth and care, but others are much less demanding. A few
will even tolerate frost. If you can grow other house plants, you can
probably grow many commonly available orchid varieties. For longevity,
they are certainly worth consideration, and with proper care, it’s
entirely possible for an orchid to outlast its owner.
Orchids can be found in nature throughout Europe; from northern
Scotland, Greenland and Iceland; in Asia, Africa and South America;
and across Central and North America. They can be found on grassy
hills or in bogs and marshes, on breezy slopes, on the forest floor,
and at 3,000m altitude in the Himalayas.
In fact, there are more than 75 orchid species native to Canada, 60 of
which grow right here in Ontario. Amerorchis rotundifolia, with white
or pale pink blooms spotted with deep purple, grows in shaded bogs,
swamps and forests in several parts of the province, notably Ottawa
and the Bruce Peninsula. Standing only 15cm tall, this plant is
approaching extinction in some areas. Cypripedium acaule grows
particularly well under Jack Pine trees in the Bruce Peninsula, and in
White Pine stands along Lake Erie. Ranging up to 59cm in height, its
often-fragrant blooms are yellow-green to purple-brown with a showy
pink pouch and reddish veining. Neither transplant well to gardens,
though, so purchase them from a reputable vendor rather than digging
them up.
Orchids can range in size from the height of a thimble, with almost
mosquito-sized miniature blooms, to twenty-foot goliaths with blooms
the size of dinner plates. The ones we regularly see range in height
from one to two feet. How long a flower lasts depends on the type of
orchid, and on the care provided. Blooms of some species can last up
to four months, while others may bloom continuously, once a year, or a
few times a year. Cut flowers can last up to 2 months. In general,
however, cut orchids usually have a vase life of only 7-14 days.
The largest known species of orchid, grammatophyllum speciosum, can
attain a length of 15 feet, growing in the crotches of large trees,
and weighing up to 2 tons. Its bloom can be expected only once every 2
to 4 years, with flowers 6 inches across. Flower stems can reach 6 to
9 feet in length, with 60 to 100 flowers per spike, and it may remain
in bloom for up to two months. In a news release from October 2003,
the blooming of a rare Tiger Orchid at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden was
enough to generate world-wide attention.
Fragrance has a major role to play when selecting an orchid. There are
intensely fragrant orchids, ones that produce a scent only at night,
and those with no fragrance at all. Orchids can smell like vanilla,
chocolate, curry, cinnamon, or surprisingly, corn chips. Some smell
fishy; others like rotten meat. The label ‘scented’ does not
necessarily mean ‘floral scented’, so you may want to ask the store
clerk to help you pick, especially if giving as a gift.
Generally, orchids are classified according to the type of growing
medium they require. Epiphytes are air plants that grow on trees, in
their natural habitat. They are the most popular type of orchid, and
can be grown in tree bark, crumbled charcoal or pebbles. Lithophytes
cling to the surface of rocks. Saprophytes grow on the forest floor in
the mulch that collects there, and Terrestrials are found in sand or
soil.
The surge in the orchid’s popularity has made available loads of
information about their care and feeding. As with most hobbies,
enthusiasts range from casually interested to totally committed, and
the way they baby their plants reflects this. Some advocates suggest
using only rainwater on the plants, while others insist that it be
fresh rainwater, collected only after it has been raining for at least
an hour, so that impurities left on the catching basin have been
cleansed. Still others say any type of water is fine. There is
consensus that whatever water is used, it should never, ever, be cold
water, and that the plants should be watered from the top, early in
the day, avoiding leaves. Never let an orchid dry out right out, or
stand in water. This sounds very fussy, but it’s much the same care as
we provide for common African violets.
You can keep an orchid alive without great light. To make it really
bloom, however, you need the brightest light you can find, except
direct sunlight. Although we think of orchids as tropical, their
natural habitat is usually under the tree canopy, and exposure to
direct sun may cause them to sunburn.
Most orchids appreciate the greatest possible variation between
daytime and night-time temperatures. Our summer temperatures are
usually quite even, inside and out, day and night, and in the winter
our home environment is kept to a certain heat standard. As a result,
orchids generally flower for us in the spring and fall, when there is
more temperature fluctuation.
Special potting medium is required by orchids, designed to keep the
air circulating around roots and to anchor the plant. The medium keeps
the air moist, but the roots aren’t wet. Keep the humidity raised
around orchids, with the use of a pebble tray, misting, or by keeping
them near your humidifier. With fertilizer, remember that orchid
medium is not like soil, and has no nutrients. You will need use at
least a 20-20-20 fertilizer regularly. Exact instructions depend on
the orchid variety, and there are as many ways to maintain an orchid
as there are orchid-growers. Care can be as fussy, or fuss-free, as
you want it to be.
Some of the more common and popular orchids include:
oncidium ‘Twinkly Fragrant Fantasy’, sporting hundreds of yellow
flowers with a spicy, musky scent that is sometimes a little
chocolaty,
cymbidium ensifolium – lemon-scented, with a touch of jasmine,
maxillaria tenufolia, with dark red flowers and a coconut fragrance,
polystachya bella, with little parasol-shaped flowers that smell like
Lemon Pledge,
brassavola ‘Little Stars’, with lots of small, night-scented white
flowers,
phalaenopsis orchids, or moth orchids - good beginner plants as they
tend to grow well with about the same amount of light as African
violets,
neostylis ‘Sweet Fragrance’ – sweetly chocolate/vanilla scented, and
zygopetalum ‘Artur Elle’, an intensely fragrant fall bloomer
Throughout the city, and on the internet, there are societies and
clubs for orchid enthusiasts, and regular shows open to the public.
For more information check out the following web resources:
Orchid Society of Royal Botanical Gardens – website http://www.osrbg.ca
OrchidWeb – http://www.orchidweb.org
Southern Ontario Orchid Society – http://www.soos.org
Clouds Orchids, Toronto – http://www.cloudsorchids.com
Toronto Botanical Garden – http://www.infogarden.ca