Costco Connection

Here’s lookingat you, orchid

degrees F, which is the range inside most homes. The plants are generally potted in sphagnum moss, although some growers use a bark-like medium. Moss holds moisture much longer than you might think, says Zachos.

PHOTOS COURTESY ROCKET FARMS

More of us kill orchids by overwatering
than by neglect, she adds. “Orchids are practi-
cally succulents, and they might not need
water for 14 days.”
When your plant is ready for a drink,
place the pot in a sink filled with water,

almost to the rim. “Make sure to get the moss
completely wet,” Dixler advises. After excess
water drains away, use a saucer or decora-
tive container to keep drips off your cof-
fee table. In your home, set the plants on
trays of gravel, partially filled with water,
to create a humid microclimate around the
orchid.
p-

A once-exclusive flower comes home
By Debra Prinzing

THE ORCHID WORLD used to be the exclusive domain of collectors who spent hundreds of dollars to acquire and maintain each rare floral specimen. Now, thanks to new breeding technologies, orchids are an accessible and affordable indulgence for everyone who wants to bring beauty into his or her home.

Orchids have intricate flowers that look as if a large spider, moth or butterfly has landed on the plant’s slender, arching stem. During the late 18th and early 19th centuries, explorers brought back orchids to Europe, where wealthy collectors displayed these botanical wonders in glass conservatories.

Today, according to experts, while orchids look delicate, many varieties are easy to grow.

“You can walk out of the store with an
orchid plant for $10 or $20,” says Ellen Zachos,
a New York–based indoor-plant expert and
author of Orchid Growing for Wimps. “It feels
like a luxury item, even though it isn’t.”
“Orchids come in all shapes, forms and
sizes,” points out award-winning orchid
enthusiast Joe Dixler. “There are ones you
have to use a magnifying glass to see, and
there are orchids that are quite large in size.”
The Phalaenopsis (fayl-eh-NOP-siss), or
moth, orchid is one of the best orchids for
beginners because it is inexpensive and unde-
manding. “It is an extremely easy orchid for
anyone to grow in their home,” Zachos says.

Intricate, alluring and uncommonly
beautiful, orchids might take over your
life, says Dixler, who tends to his orchids
in a 1,000-square-foot greenhouse in
Highland Park, Illinois.

What is an orchid?

Many orchids, including Phalaenopsis, are epiphytic, which means they draw moisture and nutrients from the air; others, such as Cymbidium, a winter-blooming orchid, are considered terrestrial, which means they grow in soil.

A number of today’s orchids are bred in state-of-the-art nurseries using tissue culture, a special genetic method. Thanks to these innovations, orchids are less costly and more dazzling than ever before. The Phalaenopsis palette is almost infinite in scope, with spots, speckles and a kaleidoscope of colors, including yellow, pink, purple, white, peach and orange.

Help orchids rebloom

There are several ways to encourage orchids to flower again. Most experts advise cutting back the stem to about 1 inch from where it emerges from the base leaves and placing the plant in a bright, north-facing window. Temperatures near the window will be lower, tricking the orchid into a dormant period. Eventually, a new spike will form, followed by buds. Well-grown plants can flower often, but orchids generally bloom in late winter through spring.

Dixler feeds his plants with a half-strength orchid fertilizer each time they are watered. But if you forget to add fertilizer, don’t worry, Zachos says. “I know you’re supposed to, but I get good reblooms even if I don’t fertilize,” she reports.

“If you give your orchid the light it needs and repot it every two to three years, it will do its job and bloom.”

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lowed by buds. Well-grown plants can flower
Di
h
i
i
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blooms even if I don’t fertilize,” she reports.

How to choose an orchid

When selecting a Phalaenopsis, look for one or two open flowers at the stem’s tip, with several tighter buds arranged farther down that stem. “I never buy an orchid that has all of its flowers open,” Zachos says. “I like knowing those buds hold the potential for a really long bloom period.” Some orchids have double spikes (stems). This means twice as many flowers on one plant.

A growing passion

When you bring an orchid home, be prepared for the possibility that you will soon want more than one, warns Dixler. He should know. He owns 3,500 varieties. “It just becomes rather addictive,” he jokes. “Once you get six orchids, you’re hooked.” C

Costco member Debra Prinzing, www.debra prinzing.com, is a Seattle-based outdoor-living expert and author.

The Costco Connection Costco members will find a variety of potted orchids as well as cut flowers at their local Costco. Cut and potted flowers are also available at Costco.com.