Movie buffs and film critics alike are revisiting the 1967 Academy award-winning motion picture, In the Heat of the Night, which recently celebrated the 50th anniversary of its release. The plot touches on a number of social issues that are still relevant today but plant enthusiasts have another reason to be interested. The most important scene took place in an orchid greenhouse.
There’s nothing worse than being tempted by something you can’t have. Or shouldn’t have.
Welcome to the world of Cymbidiums.
Few orchids compare to this genus when it comes to wow factor. A single plant can have 3 - 4 flower spikes, each carrying up to 15 tennis ball-sized blossoms. Colorwise, expect even more drama as there isn’t a muted hue in the lot.
Nearly gone are the days when commercial growers transplanted thousands of young orchid seedlings, raised them to maturity, watched them bloom, and picked the best. Selective breeding, as it was called, was the standard practice for raising popular genera such as Cattleyas, Dendrobiums, Oncidiums, and Phalaenopsis as late as the 1990’s.
People aren’t the only ones who suffer during the winter. House plants do, too.
Tropical orchids are especially challenged when temperatures fall below freezing, heaters take all the moisture out of the air, and the sun barely clears the horizon. These conditions are never found in the rainforest.
For many years, developing countries have promoted ecotourism as a way for indigenous people to make a living without cutting down the forests. Ecuador is particularly rich in biodiversity and has set aside 23% of its land in national parks, reserves, refuges, and recreation. In addition, the government pays private land owners to keep their acreage wild. Over 5000 species of orchids have been identified throughout Ecuador with more being discovered each year.
Every three years, plant enthusiasts from around the globe come together for one grand event which showcases the very best that the orchid kingdom has to offer. The World Orchid Conference was first held in St. Louis, Missouri in 1954 and, since then, has taken place in such distance places as Bangkok, Rio de Janeiro, Vancouver, and Johannesburg. This year, from November 7 to 12, Guayaquil, Ecuador was the host city.
Orchids last much longer than every day flowers – typically 1 to 3 months – and this has contributed to their century and a half of popularity. This bounty of blooms seems to go on forever yet the remaining months of the year are flowerless while the plants are concentrating on growing new leaves and roots. Thus, hobbyists are left to gaze at greenery that is, well, not too exciting.
Orchid foliage rarely wins beauty contests.
Orchid growers are passionate about their collection and learn everything they can to master the sport. Over time, they start to acquire other tropical plants, usually as gifts, which quietly bask in the warm humid climate. Before long, the growing area may come to look more like a rain forest than a living room.
In the far reaches of western North Carolina on 8,000 acres, sits the largest dwelling in the United States, the Biltmore House. George Vanderbilt II modeled his 1895 country retreat after a chateaux in France’s Loire Valley. He also specified an extensive orchid collection to provide fresh flowers throughout the home.
“Usually the orchid wears the woman, but to the contrary with my dear Edith.”
