Phalaenopsis

Question:

How should we care for our orchids during these cold winters? Diane F.

Answer:

One would think that tropical plants and snow storms are highly incompatible. Yet millions of orchid hobbyists across America are able to bridge the gap to successfully grow and bloom a wide range of orchid genera by creating healthy horticultural microclimates within their homes. The months of December, January, and February offer the greatest challenges, as well as the greatest rewards - if executed correctly.

Question:

I thought I was going to pass out at the grocery store after seeing what looked like an entire display of blue orchids! They don’t look real but what exactly am I seeing? Debbie T.

Answer:

Just in time for Easter. Put away your eggs. It’s time for dyed orchids!

My father recalls a time when cut white carnations were soaked in dye and passed off as pink. Or red. Or orange. They sold like hotcakes. Of course, no one had to be concerned with what the cut flowers looked like on their next blooming a year later.

Consumers have many options when buying orchids. The flowers can be about to open, fully in bloom, or half and half. Oncidiums, with at least one bud remaining, such as this popular hybrid, Sweet Sugar, are considered fresh.

Q) I am an ‘amateur’ grower of Phalaenopsis. I have 12 pots and all seem very healthy with
bright green leaves. My problem is they are not blooming. Some haven’t bloomed in 3-4 years!
My house doesn’t have much light so I’ve added grow lights. Jane E.

Q) What can you tell me about Merriweather Post’s orchid collection? Aaron T.

A) The name Merriweather Post is often mentioned in connection with the famed music pavilion near Washington D.C. or for the popular line of breakfast cereals that includes Grape Nuts Flakes. However not many people know that Marjorie Merriweather Post maintained extensive orchid greenhouses which held one of the largest private collections in the United States.

Twice a year, 75,000 visitors descend upon a small town in North Carolina for the High Point Furniture Market to see the latest in home furnishing from around the world. Solid Cherry dining room tables with walnut inlays, classic crystal chandeliers, teak bonded leather sofas, and sleek lined swivel chairs from Belgium are among the dazzling arrays of offerings in the 11 million square feet of exhibit halls. One design piece that is consistently displayed throughout the show is the “Orchid Arrangement.”

Q) My moth orchid is simply gorgeous but there doesn’t seem to be any identifying label. What can you tell me about its history? John H.

A) Phalaenopsis are commonly sold today without botanical name tags – a development which is unfortunate because the hobbyist cannot trace the fascinating parentage of each hybrid. Each plant offers clues, however, in both its foliage and its blossoms. Understanding the distinctive characteristics of the species is the key to fully appreciating the most popular houseplant in America.

Sometimes it’s nice to share a success story of an everyday guy who grows orchids on his windowsill. I suppose he’s not quite an everyday guy. His name is Howard ‘Buddy’ Wiles III and he is an Obstetrics and Gynecology doctor in Richmond. Although he doesn’t have any professional orchid training, he has figured out a way to grow and bloom Phalaenopsis in his office window year after year.

Q) I was recently given a lovely orchid. The only problem is that the flowers don’t look quite right. What’s going on? Jackie C.