Beauty on the Sill: Tips for Growing Orchids
Two other orchids we covered in the print story are Phalaenopsis (the moth orchid) and Cattleya hybrids (the "corsage orchid"). These orchids prefer dry roots, so are vulnerable to being "loved to death" with too much watering, but are otherwise reasonably easy to grow. I should make a distinction here between pure unhybridized Cattleya orchids and Cattleya hybrids. The former are more difficult to grow. Fortunately, most of the Cattleya you find for sale are hybrids that are a bit more domesticated.
Another orchid worth noting is the Cymbidium. It's a great orchid for Northerners because, as McHatton told me, it responds to the short days of winter by flowering. In the South, with its relatively long winter days, it can be difficult to get to bloom. And like the other orchids we covered, Cymbidium can succeed in a home environment.
Continued on page 3: Watering Secrets
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