I have to say that I love all plants, and I find all flowers interesting in their own way; however, Orchids have to be one plant that is the Spear and Jackson of the plant world. They are definately a plant to be proud of.

They flower profusely, and they stay in flower for a very long time; unlike many other plants, that have lovely but, somewhat, transient flowers.

At the moment, I have two Phalenopsis (Moth Orchids). One of them has white flowers, and the other one has yellow flowers. They are a great plant that can match almost any surrounding, and the Moth Orchids come in lots of beautiful colours. They can be postitioned almost anywhere indoors, so long as they get enough light, and are kept at a moderate temperature.

Requirements:
--------------------

They require a daily misting, that is always best done, in the morning, so that the water never has time to soak the centre part of the plant. If a plant is watered at night, whether by means of a direct misting session, or an over the top watering, it is likely that the plant will not dry out in time, and all the water will not be used up by the plant, thus forcing the plants roots and the base of the plant to become waterlogged. If this happens, all to often the plant will develop root rot, and will loose all its roots, and maybe its leaves. The plant will probably look very dead if this happens; however, it is a mistake made by alot of people that have managed to overwater their Orchid, that they throw the plant away. The plant may look dead, but it can recover from this, as long as it is kept misted slighty each day, to help stop the plant from becoming dehydrated. As you may well know, the orchid plant takes its water and nutrients etc, up through its roots, and if it has no roots, due to root rot, it is unable to sustain itself, without they daily misting that you can provide for it.
After a while the plant will develop new roots, and should in time become like it former self.

Orchids need to fertilised about every 2 weeks during the summer months, and this can be dramatically reduced during the winter months. Contrary to popluar belief, Orhcids do not need to be overfed with nutrients they can survive pretty well on a limited amount of feeding.

When you get your orchid, it may well come in a plastic pot in a growing medium of either shredded bark, or Rockwool and various other types of compost replacing medium. Orhcid roots should not be clogged up, and by way of using bark of various grades, it can be achieved that the orchid has the best chance of living a long healthy existence. The Phalenopsis (Moth Orchid) will do well in larger grades of shredded bark, due to the fact that is has large broadesh roots, and they are not as easily damaged as some orchids, whose roots are very thin, and need a bark of a slight grade, so as not to damage its roots. Orchid roots tend to cling to most types of container that they are housed in, and in the wild they can live high up on trees, their roots wrapped securely around a branch of the tree. They are not parasitic, and do not gain anything from the tree itself. They probably grow in trees at one of the highest points so that they are closer to the light, and have a more competive chance of survival.

Your orchid at some stage may need to be re-potted, and this is usually the case, when you lift up the pot to find that the roots are very cramped up, and in profusion, so much so that they give the impression that they are trying to break out of the pot. The best thing to do when re-potting is necessary, is to buy a pot that is the next size up, and when repotting, push the old growth towards the inside edge of the pot, and leave a biggesh gap, so that the new growth can have chance to spread out. Carefully add the suitable size of shredded bark or whatever type of medium you prefer.

Displaying your Orchid
------------------------------

Some people choose to house there orchids in conventional pots which look really nice, and can be positioned in a window sill or on a table of your choice. They can be kept in conservatories, bedrooms and bathrooms as well as the obvoius choice of lounge.

You can keep your orchids in an unused fishtank, where they can look really stunning, and there are all other places where they can look extremely beautiful, for example, they look great in hanging baskets, and minature orchids can look fantastic in small display glass tanks. Your imagination really is your limit on this.

It is a true fact, that if someone buys one orchid, you can almost guarantee, that they will want more of them. There are so many different types of orchids to choose from, and they all have there own appeal. You can find some nice orhids on Ebay, and sometimes if you are lucky your local florist might stock them. The average cost of a really nice healthy specimen plant will set you back about £10 - £15.

Good luck, and Happy Orchid Growing!