People expect beautiful flowers to smell good. The truth is, the primary role of fragrance in flowers is to attract pollinators. This is as true of orchids as it is of any other family of plants. Some of these pollinators (flies, for example) prefer very strange odors. Others don’t even have much sense of smell (birds), relying instead on visual cues to zero in on a flower. In addition, many of the artifical orchid hybrids have had the fragrance bred right out of them in the quest for ever larger more colorful blooms.

The upshot of this is that people are sometimes disappointed and even surprised by what does or doesn’t emanate from a gorgeous orchid blossom. "Catnip" and "socks" might be the verdict when someone gets a whiff of certain Oncidiums. "Nothing" might be the baffled response after a deep sniff at a stunning purple Phalaenopsis.

There is certainly no reason to stop sniffing, however. A vast number of orchids still exude the sweet, spicy fragrances that people can’t get enough of.

Cattleya, Rhyncostylis, Zygopetalum, many of the Oncidium genus, certain Cymbidiums and Miltassias - the names sound like something out of Roman military history, but the aromas are as fresh and delightful as a stroll through the Garden of Eden.

Funny footnote: If you look into the center of almost any orchid flower, you will see a small light-colored structure called the column. The column always looks to me like a human nose! It’s a silly coincidence, but it makes me laugh whenever I notice it.

It’s a shower of eye candy, an exclusive perfumery full of rare fragrances, an Aladdin’s cave of delicate. fleeting jewels. It’s Orchid Mania, again, (thank goodness!) and my favorite way to capture it before it melts away like a beautiful dream?

Ever since I got a digital camera I’ve been collecting and hoarding orchid images like a magpie, a packrat, a squirrel saving acorns. All through the year I can call them up on screen and revel in the colors, the textures, the marvelous variety of forms. And yes, sometimes even the memory of a luxurious scent will seem to float off the screen.

The anticipation of these things really does enliven the bleak February days. As if that weren’t enough, this year there is even more incentive to bring a camera along to see Orchid Mania 2010. Check out the Garden’s Orchid Mania Photography Contest, as well as the Cleveland Botanical Garden Photography Club, both new this year. And even after the show is over, look forward to a year’s worth of beautiful screensavers!

Even in the darkest days of winter – especially in the darkest days of winter- there are orchids to be found in the Eleanor Armstrong Smith Glasshouse. The past few weeks saw the annual flowering of the "Darwin Orchid," Angraecum sesquipedale (left). This immense white orchid is a native of Madgascar.

This week and for weeks to come, more and more orchids will be opening their buds in the Costa Rican biome.

This substantial Brazilian species, Oncidium ampliatum (right) , has branched flower spikes more than 2 feet long. A single plant can produce more than a hundred bright yellow flowers. 

Many of the most popular domesticated orchids bloom during the gloomy winter months – one reason why the Orchid Mania 2010 is always such a spectacular and

welcome event.

That’s a question I’ve been presented with quite often lately. As Phalaenopsis orchids become ever more popular and available just about anywhere plants are sold, I’ve noticed that most are tagged with information to ‘just add ice’. For those who have grown orchids for awhile, this advice seems to defy all logic. Phalaenopsis orchids are tropical! Do they get ice cold water on their roots in south-east Asian jungles where they originate? Hardly! So, why ice? One possible reason is that many of us who have Phalaenopsis grow them in fairly consistent temperatures inside our houses. To grow a new flower spike, these orchids (as with many other varieties) require a cooling period where the temperatures fluctuate from the high 50’s, low 60’s to the low 80’s. Most of our houses rarely see those temperature variations in the winter so setting a new flower spike can be challenging. I grow my orchids in a greenhouse and usually have no problems initiating a new flower spike each winter. What’s the solution- ice? Why not? Cold, dripping water directly on the roots may just simulate the temperature drop that Phalaenopsis needs. I’ve heard from many people both believers and non-believers in the ice conundrum. Do you have a Phalaenopsis at home that hasn’t produced a new flower spike this year? Try ice and let us know what happens.

Phalaenopsis bellina

  Orchids, Part 2: Light 

 Following up on my last post about properly watering orchids, I would like to offer some advice on providing orchids with adequate light. While proper watering is the most critical step in keeping your new orchid alive and growing, proper lighting is a key part of getting your orchid to rebloom. If you give an orchid too little light, it will bloom poorly or not at all. Give it too much light and you may end up with yellow, sun scorched leaves. 

    Examine the amount of light coming in through your windows when considering where to place your orchids. Unobstructed south to west facing windows provide the best range of light conditions for growing any type of orchid. High light levels can be toned down with blinds or sheer curtains, or orchids can be moved closer or further away from the window.  I grow my orchids, a mix of dendrobiums and oncidiums, quite well on a southwest windowsill  with the blinds slightly open. Orchid leaves should be a light green color. Dark green leaves are typically a sign that an orchid is not receiving enough light.

 Phalaenopsis, Miltonias, Paphiopedilums, and Phragmipediums grow and flower best in bright indirect sunlight with cooler temps. This means that they should be grown near a brightly lit window but without any hot midday sun shining directly on the foliage. These are some of the best orchids if your only option is an unobstructed northern or northeastern exposure.

 Laelias, Oncidiums, and Brassias enjoy moderate light but without long periods of direct sunlight. Filter direct sunlight with sheer curtains or blinds or place them a bit further from the window.

 Dendrobiums, Vandas, and Cattleyas need the brightest light. Ample direct sun from the morning or evening light of a western or eastern exposure should be adequate or a southern exposure with light shading as protection from the midday sun.  

Part 1: Water

Most of the orchids that were on display during Orchid Mania now have a new home. This last Sunday we held our orchid sale where the public had a chance to buy leftover orchids from the show.  For my next two blog posts, I am going to be sharing some orchid care tips for beginners, in case any of you have purchased an orchid recently and are wondering what to do with it.

 It is understandable to assume that since most orchids are from tropical rainforests that orchids will need a lot of water, but this is rarely the case. Most orchids are epiphytes and grow in little or no soil with roots that are often exposed. Epiphytic orchids will dry out much quicker than terrestrial plants in their native habitat and have adapted to hold moisture between rainfalls. Placing an orchid in a pot with medium that is constantly wet will rot the roots and cause the plant to shrivel up just as easily as giving it too little water.

You should check your orchid one to two times a week for water. Research your species of orchid to see how much moisture it prefers. Orchids such as Cymbidiums, Miltonias, Phragmipediums and Paphiopedilums like to remain evenly moist but not soggy at all times. They should not be allowed to dry out completely.  Phaleonopsis, and Vandas should be allowed to dry out approximately 80-90% between waterings without ever becoming completely dry. Cattleyas, Laelias, Dendrobiums, Oncidiums, and Brassias should also be allowed to dry between waterings except when actively growing. 

It is often better to error in favor of underwatering your orchid than overwatering. It is easier to revive an underwatered orchid than one that has lost its entire root system to rot. Lift the pot before and after watering so that you get an idea of how heavy the orchid should feel if it is dry or moist. Don’t be afraid to dig into the medium a little bit to feel if it is moist. The medium surface may appear dry even when there is plenty of moisture in the pot.  

Most orchids enjoy higher humidity than in the average home. If humidity is too low, emerging leaves and flower buds may not develop correctly. You may notice newly emerged leaves that are wrinkled like an accordian.  You can raise the humidity in the area surrounding you orchid with light morning misting, or by using a humidity tray. If the humidity in your home is especially low, you may want to consider using a humdifier. Watering more frequently is not a substitute for higher humidity.

My next post will focus on providing orchids with the appropriate amount of light to grow and bloom. Do you have any specific questions about watering your orchid? Leave me a comment and I will respond as soon as possible!

Here’s another one of my favorite orchids: the jewel orchid, specifically, Macodes species. I was first introduced to these little lovlies in 2004 when one of our orchid suppliers brought in several to display here at Orchid Mania. They are not your typical orchid grown for its flowers. Instead, the leaves of Macodes are patterned with gold veins that are brilliantly iridescent. I couldn’t stop staring at the leaves especially when sunlight hits them. They really sparkle! I tried growing one in our greenhouse at home. I learned they they really don’t like bright light and that my greenhouse was just too bright. They are originally from the forest floors of South East Asia and therefore need only 500-1000 foot candles of light, otherwise, they’ll turn yellow and the gold veins will fade a bit. Success with these orchids includes offering them high humidty and a fairly moist medium like sphagnum moss. You can still see the Macodes here at the Garden until this Sunday, March 29th. We’re displaying them in the wardian cases in the Glasshouse to ensure the highest humidity. Unfortunately, we lost one to an evil slug who literally decapitated the poor orchid. Needless to say, that slug is no more. Slug control- that’s a subject for another blog coming soon.

    One of the highlights of this year’s Orchid Mania show are the three arches stuffed with orchids surrounding the large bridge in the Costa Rica biome. As beautiful as the arches are you might be surprised at how inexpensive the structures them-selves were to put together sans orchids. The arches were built entirely in-house, and most of the materials were extra supplies that we had on hand. When facing a project big or small, it pays to be creative with the resources you already have.

    The main supports of the arches are six long pieces of rebar that were left over from some long forgotten project. The rebar was fairly easy to bend by hand into six halves of an arch. Attached to the rebar in a cylinder shape are lengths of vinyl coated wire fencing, also left over from past projects. The fencing is double wrapped in plastic deer fencing (left over from the construction of our chameleon enclosures) and stuffed with packing peanuts in order to support the orchids that will eventually be stuffed inside. Finally, surrounding the outside of the arches, stuffed between the deer fencing, is a thin layer of inexpensive and renewable long-fibered sphagnum.

 There’s so much variety in the orchid family, with more than 25,000 naturally-ocurring species and over 100,000 hybrid varieties. Orchids run the gamut from breathtakingly colorful and sweetly fragrant, to downright peculiar. We’ve got the whole range represented in this year’s Orchidmania exhibit. Paphiopedilum, or "slipper orchids" are some of my favorites in the peculiar category:

This group of exotic-looking flowers has some unusual features: a prominent pouch-like lip and a habit of deceiving and waylaying pollinating insects. Flies are attracted by the shiny callus in the center, which resembles nectar or other moist food material. Also irrestible to flies:  foul scents of rot, furry warts that look like other feeding insects, and brown, maroon and yellow colors. Once enticed to land, the insects slip into the pouch and must struggle out past the pollen-bearing parts of the flower. Loaded with pollen, they fly off to the next waiting orchid. 

Right outside my office window, I’m lucky to have the Chinese Ground Orchid, Beltilla striata, poking its pretty pink head out of the lush foliage. This particular orchid is unlike the orchids you see at different retailers in that it is terrestrial (it grows in the ground) rather than an epiphyte (one that grows on trees) as most orchids are. The flower, which can be pink or white (variety ‘alba’) is very similar to a miniature Cattleya flower.

Chinese Ground Orchids have a light, pleasant fragrance and can naturalize if given the right growing conditions. We grow them in a protected valley-like area here where they are in part shade almost all day. Because zone 5 is the border of their natural growing climate, you’ll need to mulch them in for the winter to protect them from the extreme cold. They like rich, organic soil and need to be fairly moist throughout the summer. Given these conditions, you’ll be rewarded with a over a month of blooms in the early summer! Enjoy!

Posted by Cynthia Druckenbrod