An Orchid History Lesson

Orchid cultivation is so widespread today that it is hard to picture a world without these marvelous flowers. Yet, not so very long ago, the inhabitantspopulace of the so-called civilized world were totally ignorant of the overwhelming majority of species of orchids.

Europeans naturally knew about their native orchid varieties, such as the extravagant Bee Orchid. But knowledge of the many amazing tropical orchids had to await the results of explorations of the jungles and mountains of South America and the eastern Indies. Even then, orchid specimens were slow to make their way back to England and other European countries.

Possibly the first living orchid to be transported from the tropics to England was an Epidendrum cochleatum, one of the more showy of its genus. It flowered in London in 1787. Another species from the same orchid family was brought in to England in the year 1778. It took ten years for its caregivers to bring forth flowers from the plant.

Admiral Bligh, of Bounty fame, brought 15 species of epiphytal orchids to England from the West Indies around the early 1790s. These were planted at the famous Kew Gardens in London. For many years thereafter the West Indies, along with India, were the central sources of tropical orchids for Europe. In 1793, however, a species of Oncidium was carried to England from Panama, followed a few years later by orchids from Uruguay.

By 1818, Brazil in partcular was contributing to what was becoming 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, seeking out never-before-seen orchid varieties.

The orchid exchange soon became a serious profit making enterprise, with businessmen in Brazil working out agreements with their opposite numbers in London to ship plants to England for resale there. William Harrison, a merchant in Rio de Janeiro in the 1830s and 1840s, sent many wonderful orchids to his brother Richard in Liverpool. Richard's house quickly became a magnet for orchid enthusiasts who pilgrimaged there to see the latest arrivals.

It was one thing to introduce orchids to Europe, but another thing completely to cultivate orchids succesfully. For more than half a century, England indeed was the graveyard for tropical orchids. The plants that survived did so in spite of rather than because of the treatment they received. Growers continuing experimenting and making mistakes until, by about 1850, they had largely worked out the art of orchid cultivation. That is when the orchid craze really took off, 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 today we know so much more than did those Victorian devotees. We also have, of course, better technology to assist us in the greenhouse and garden.

The most complete guide to today's orchid cultivation, it is widely acknowedged, is Orchid Care Expert by Nigel Howard, which can be downloaded online. Mr. Howard's ebook is a thorough course of study, helpful for novices as well as the more experienced growers alike. Also, check out the Orchid Secrets web site, which has a growing library of articles on all aspects of orchid cultivation.