People Have Been Nuts over Orchids for A Long Time
Orchid appreciation is so widespread these days that it is hard to picture a world without these marvelous flowers. But, not so long ago, the people of the developed world were utterly ignorant of the vast majority of species of orchids.
Europeans of course were familiar with their native orchid varieties, such as the much acclaimed Bee Orchid. But familiarity with of the many splendid tropical orchids had to wait on the results of explorations into the jungles and mountains of South America and the eastern Indies. Even then, specimens only slowly found their way to England and the rest of Europe.
Possibly the first living orchid to find its way from the tropics to England was an Epidendrum cochleatum, one of the more showy of its genus. It flowered in London in 1787. Another speciman from the same family was brought to England in the year 1778. It took 10 years for its caretakers to bring forth flowers from it.
Admiral William Bligh, of Mutiny on the Bounty fame, brought back 15 species of epiphytal orchids native to West Indies in the early 1790s. These were planted at the famous Kew Gardens in London. For many years the West Indies, along with India, were the principal sources of tropical orchids in Europe. In 1793, though, a species of Oncidium was transported to England from Panama, followed a few years later by orchids from Uruguay.
By 1818, Brazil in partcular was contributing to what had become a steady stream of orchids back to England and other European lands. By 1830 collectors were traveling throughout Brazil on behalf of the Royal Horticultural Society, on the lookout for never-before-seen orchid varieties.
The orchid exchange very soon evolved into a serious money making effort, with businessmen in Brazil entering in to contracts with their counterparts in London to ship plants to England for resale there. William Harrison, a stationed in Rio de Janeiro in the 1830s and 1840s, shipped many beautiful orchids to his brother Richard in Liverpool. Richard’s house quickly became a magnet for orchid enthusiasts who journeyed there to see the latest arrivals.
Of course, it was one thing to import orchids into Europe, but another thing to get them to thrive and reproduce. It has truly been said that for more than half a century, England was the graveyard of tropical orchids. The plants that survived did so in spite of rather than because of the handling they received. Growers continuing experimenting and making mistakes until, by about 1850, they had largely figured out the art of orchid cultivation. That’s when the orchid craze really exploded, because now the knowledge was available by which even non-botanists could grow these stunning plants.
Knowledge of successfully growing orchids has greatly expanded during the intervening years and now we know so much more than did those Victorian devotees. We also have, of course, better technology to aid us in the greenhouse and garden.
The most complete guide to modern orchid care, many growers agree, is Orchid Care Expert by Nigel Howard, which is available to be downloaded online. Howard’s well-written guide is a complete education all to itself. And, it’s appropriate for beginning gardeners as well as more expeienced orchid growers. Also, visit the Orchid Secrets web site, which has an ever-growing library of postings on all topics of orchid cultivation.
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