Orchids: Jewels of the garden
They glow in unexpected corners, taking our breath with their fragile beauty. And we reap their spectacular rewards with only a small investment of time and energy.
By Yvonne Swanson
Published March 11, 2006
One of the advantages of living in a semitropical gardening zone is that Tampa Bay area gardening enthusiasts can grow sensitive plants outdoors - the same plants our northern neighbors consider temperamental indoor specimens that require constant care.
Orchids are the perfect example. If you lived up North, you'd have to baby them in a greenhouse or sunroom with just the right amount of light and moisture. You might have to buy artificial lights and misters, making orchid care an expensive and time-consuming hobby.
But we live in an area with just the right temperatures and humidity for growing orchids outdoors. With the exception of a few chilly nights each winter when orchids should be protected from the cold, these epiphytes, or air plants, thrive in the outdoor garden.
They're so easy to grow, in fact, that they're ideal in a low-maintenance garden. "Orchids aren't that much of a fuss. They thrive on neglect," says orchid expert Michael Polen, owner of Art Stone in St. Petersburg, which specializes in orchids as well as outdoor statuary. "People up North spend thousands and thousands of dollars on sunlight and humidity, and we have that naturally down here. You just hang it in a tree, and when it blooms bring it indoors and enjoy it."
The first rule for growing orchids is the same as buying real estate: location, location, location. Orchids love filtered sun, which provides them
with just enough energy to nourish themselves and bloom. Direct sunlight, especially the hot afternoon sun, will scorch most orchids quickly, while too much shade will produce deep green leaves but no flowers.
"Once you find the right spot, it's practically maintenance-free. If the leaves are an olive green, you've got the right light. If they are deep lush green, it's too much shade. If it's an anemic light green, it's too much sun," explains Polen, a featured speaker and vendor at Sunday's Sunken Gardens Orchid Festival in St. Petersburg, which typically draws close to 2,000 visitors each year.
Polen says to err on the side of more rather than less sun; otherwise, your plant won't bless your garden with its exotic and often aromatic blooms. Though orchids have many varieties, Polen says most bloom at least once a year, although some may do so up to three times annually. Common orchid varieties will hold their blooms for up to three months.
According to the American Orchid Society in Delray Beach, the orchids easiest to grow include the ones you'll find most often at the garden center: corsage orchid (Cattleya), Cymbidium, spray orchid (Dendrobium), lady's slipper (Paphiopedilum) and moth orchid (Phalaenopsis), which is the most popular and simplest to grow indoors. Visit the society's Web site at www.aos.org for excellent information on selecting and caring for orchids.
It's easy to kill a plant with kindness, especially orchids. Don't overwater. The AOS recommends allowing your orchid to approach dryness, then giving it enough water to run freely through the wooden crate or pot, which should have plenty of holes so roots never sit in water. In most cases, flowering orchids require more water than those not in bloom. Dendrobiums and Cattleyas like to dry out more between waterings more than Phalaenopsis.
"Orchids like the roller coaster ride of being wet, dry, wet, dry. We have to hold back and not overwater them," says Polen. If your plant's leaves appear limp and leathery, the oxygen-starved roots could be rotting from too much water.
Polen recommends applying a balanced fertilizer twice each month in spring and summer and once a month in the fall and winter.
Another option is using a diluted solution every time you water if that's an easier way to keep track of feedings.
When your orchid is in glorious full bloom, keep it outdoors or bring it inside to show off its exotic flowers for weeks.
Yvonne Swanson is a freelance writer in St. Petersburg and a master gardener for Pinellas County.