For much of the twentieth century, the perfect moth orchid was supposed to look as though someone had designed it with a compass, a ruler, and the unshakeable conviction that white was the last word in colour. Its flowers had to be large, round, flat, long-lasting, and flawless. The petals were to overlap without leaving…
Category: Information
General information about orchids, their biology, history and classification.
The Secret Life of a Leaf. Part I: The Night Shift
What happens inside a Phalaenopsis leaf when we switch off the lights? Evening settles over the house. The lights go out, the day’s small duties are done, and you plump up a pillow, leaving your orchid to its own devices. Watered, inspected from every angle and perhaps even congratulated on a new root, the moth…
The Cold Treatment
For years, one of the most trusted pieces of advice on getting moth orchids to flower sounded almost like a recipe: give the plant warm days, cooler nights and a difference of a few degrees between the two. A flower spike should then appear on cue, as though the orchid came with a thermometer in…
Invisible Army. Part IV. The Living Shield
The Invisible Army. Part IV. The Living Shield Over the first three parts, we met hunters, parasitoid wasps, predatory mites, ladybirds and nematodes. Each exploits a different weakness in a pest, and each belongs to a larger web of relationships. Yet the most important question remains: what can this extraordinary menagerie truly offer at home,…
Invisible Army. Part III: War Under Cover
Thrips, mealybugs and scale insects hide in flowers and crevices, beneath layers of wax and under shields of their own making. An army of predators and parasitoids can be deployed against them, but each unit has a different task, its own requirements and limits to what it can achieve. In this article The flower that…
The Root Trilogy, Part II: Touching Moisture. How Does a Root Know Where Water Is Waiting?
You lean over the orchid and notice a young root pushing its glossy green tip out from between the leaves and holding it just beyond the rim of the pot. There is no path laid out in front of it: dry air on one side, damper bark on the other, the outer pot below, a…