The Allure of Orchids

It starts with just one plant…The most voluptuous flowers in the world have to be members of the orchid family.

We’ve read of how “tulipomania” besotted the Dutch in the 17th century. There ought to be a period called “Orchidomania” too, because these are some of the most elegant, exotic, colourful and fun flowering plants in the world. Just ask any orchid enthusiast, and he’ll tell you so. He’ll also often tell you, perhaps sheepishly, that, “It all started when I bought just one orchid....”   

Gail Schwarz of Waverly, NS is one such enthusiast. She blames her fascination with orchids on her husband, who bought one just to try growing it. “When we got it to bloom a second time, we got very excited. Then we went to an orchid show, joined the local orchid society, bought some more plants, and as they say, the rest is history.”

Today, Schwarz has somewhere between 300 and 400 orchids in a 16 by 20 foot greenhouse. “We had so many, with so many different growing requirements, that we decided to go with a greenhouse for growing them most of the year,” she explains. When the plants are in flower, she takes them into the house to enjoy their blooms, some of which can last for months.

Orchid Botany and History

There’s some debate as to precisely how many orchid species exist in the world, but authorities place the number at between 18,000 and 25,000—making them the second largest family of flowering plants next to the aster family. Add to this the fact that orchids cross-pollinate with amazing ease, resulting in thousands of hybrids as well as inter-generic crosses, and untangling the orchid family tree is as tricky as untangling the aerial roots of a Vanda orchid. Many of the varieties we see cultivated commercially today, originate in tropical locales around the world, from Central America to China, from the Philippines to Australia, with only about 2,000 species found in more temperate zones.

Although interest in orchids started to increase when plant-hunting naturalists travelled with European explorers of the 16th century, the craze for growing orchids exploded in the early 19th century. Initially, many of the precious plants brought from tropical climates back to the cooler weather of Europe languished and died because no one knew how to give them the growing conditions they needed. Then an industrial process for producing glass in thin sheets was developed, and it became de rigueur for the aristocracy to have glass houses or conservatories filled with exotic plants. Orchids were among the most prized, and huge sums were often commanded for particularly rare species. Some less conscientious plant hunters would actually destroy wild plants so as to make a species even more rare and drive up the prices yet higher.

Orchids can be deciduous or evergreen, terrestrial species growing in soil, or aerial species found growing in trees or on rocks. The dramatic aerial types are epiphytes or lithophytes that coexist with the tree or rock on which they grow, drawing their nutrient requirements from decomposing organic matter and rainfall near their fleshy, unusual roots. Some species require bright light but not direct sunlight, while others flourish under a hot sun. With so many different species and hybrids, it’s understandable that you need to match your home’s conditions to a particular plant.

Although there are certainly species of orchids which are tricky for beginners to grow successfully, many will grow quite happily on an ordinary windowsill. The secret to success is to know your home light and heat conditions and find an orchid that takes such conditions.

Growing Orchids: No Greenhouse Necessary

David Latter is proof that you can grow many orchids without having your own greenhouse. He has turned his Halifax basement into a home for 1,000 or so orchids. He agrees with other enthusiasts that the fascination with orchids usually starts with just one plant, and “since they are so different from most other plants, with so many different types... you can get addicted to them.”

Latter bought one plant about 20 years ago, and his collection “just grew.” He started selling plants eight years ago, and continues to sell orchids and supplies today. He maintains that since most people don’t have a greenhouse or plan to grow huge numbers of plants, they want orchids that they can grow on a bright windowsill in their homes, so he raises plants that meet those requirements.

When a beginner comes to him wishing to purchase a plant or two, Latter recommends plants based on that person’s growing conditions. Then, it’s a case of providing new plants with the right heat, light and potting substrate conditions, and taking care not to over-water or over-fertilize them. Many beginners, overzealous and wanting to do their best, think that with water and fertilizer, if a little is good, a lot is better, when in fact the opposite is the case.

A Cure for the Winter Blues

Jean Allen-Ikeson operates Windsor Greenhouse in Falmouth, NS, where she grows, hybridizes and sells orchids as well as greenhouse kits for hobbyists. She comes by her love of orchids naturally; her mother Ninette Maples has been growing them for many years, and although now in her 80s, continues to compete at internationally renowned orchid shows. Her mother’s fascination with the plants rubbed off on Allen-Ikeson, who found in orchids, many of which bloom from fall to spring, a wonderful relief to the tedium and greyness of the winter months.

“I don’t do winter well, and having all these glorious blooms around me helps get me through,” she says. With “somewhere around 2,500” orchids in her home and greenhouse, she has plenty of help to chase away the winter blues. Jean maintains that just about anyone can grow an orchid or two once he knows the basics. She stresses that water quality is critical to good plant health. “A lot of areas here in NS have alkaline water, which makes nitrogen in the soil less available to orchids when they need it.” She recommends using rainwater or putting tap water through a Brita filter, but stresses not to use commercially-sold spring water, which also has a high pH as well as high salt and mineral content.

Asking an orchid enthusiast to pick a favourite species or hybrid is always entertaining. These plants are rather like peanuts, apparently—you can’t have just one. Gail Schwarz places the fragrant orchids such as Cattleyas at the top of her list, because they are both showy to look at and dazzling in scent. She also likes Oncidiums, which are easy to grow and often produce many blooms on a small plant, such as the chocolate scented Oncidium Sharry Baby.

David Latter laughs and says, “I like them all: that’s my problem!” and observes that often times orchid growers find that their interests change after a few years. “You might start with the easy ones such as Phalaenopsis, then move on to Cattleyas and Masdevallias, which are a little more difficult. I’ve gone through most everything over the years.”

Wild Orchids in Atlantic Canada

Not all orchids are tropicals. Atlantic Canada is home to a number of wild orchid species, from the easily recognized and lovely white, pink and yellow Lady’s Slippers (Cypripedium) to more modest but no less lovely species such as fringed orchids. While these are gorgeous to admire and photograph, wild orchids, like their domesticated counterparts, have very specific growing requirements. Plants dug up from the wild invariably die, so if you have a yen to have orchids in your flower gardens, buy them from a reputable greenhouse where they have been propagated from seed or from tissue culture rather than from wild harvesting.

For Orchid Enthusiasts<

There’s an active and flourishing club for enthusiasts in Nova Scotia, aptly called the Orchid Society of Nova Scotia. The Society, which boasts 85 members currently, meets on the second Sunday of each month, excepting summer, at the Museum of Natural History in Halifax. Meetings usually include a guest speaker or special presentation, and the society holds spring and fall shows and sales at the Museum. It’s an excellent place to learn more about orchids and meet other growers. David Latter stresses that “we all started with one orchid and we were all beginners at one time. So there are no stupid questions, and anyone will gladly help out a new member with questions.” (Nova Scotia is the only province currently with a permanent society.)