Enchanting and challenging Orchids

They have an aura of mystery and invoke obsession in collectors, and some behave like divas, but choose the right one and you can’t go far wrong, says Camilla Phelps

- Camilla Phelps

IN the final throes of the deep, dark winter months, we naturally yearn for warmer, far-off climes. But while we are hunkering down against the elements and Covid, we can still get a taste of the exotic by inviting orchids into our homes. February is peak flowering time, and orchids are guaranteed to deliver some much-needed joy.

Orchids have a reputation for being tricky and many people class them as definitely not for beginners. With delicate flowers that can be hard to regrow, strange roots protruding from pots, and sometimes confusing watering needs, they seem so fussy that it’s tempting to treat them like cut flowers and simply bin them after the blooms have faded. But choose the right plant and you can’t go too far wrong.

South American origins

Orchids have long fascinated growers and, ever since the butterfly orchid, Psyclopsis Papilio, was first brought from South America in 1838, gardeners have been trying to grow them in the UK. Although we might think of orchids as being tropical plants, they come from many different climate zones and habitats. Many are epiphytes and grow on trees, getting moisture from their environment, but they are also found on forest floors and, much closer to home, in our native chalky grassland meadows.

Evolutionary adaptations