Stalking The Beginnings Of Our Fascination With Orchids
Orchid cultivation is so widespread nowadays that it is hard to picture a world without these wonderful flowers. Yet, not so very long ago, the people of the so-called civilized world were completely ignorant of the overwhelming majority of species of orchids.
Europeans of course were familiar with their local orchid varieties, such as the much acclaimed Bee Orchid. But familiarity with of the thousands of lovely tropical orchids had to wait on the results of explorations of the jungles and mountains of South America and the East Indies. Even then, specimens were slow to make it back to lands such as England, Belgium or France.
Perhaps the first living orchid to be transported from the tropics to England was an Epidendrum cochleatum, one of the more showy of its family. It flowered in London in the year 1787. Another species from the same orchid family was brought in to England in the year 1778. It took a decade for its caregivers to bring forth flowers from it.
Admiral William Bligh, of Mutiny on the Bounty fame, transported 15 species of epiphytal orchids from the West Indies in the early 1790s. These were put on display at the famous Kew Gardens in London. For many years the West Indies, along with India, were the most important 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 some orchids from Uruguay.
By 1818, Brazil in partcular was contributing to what was becoming a steady flow of orchids back to England and other European lands. By 1830 the Royal Horticultural Society had collectors traveling throughout Brazil seeking out for rare species.
The orchid trade quickly evolved into a serious monkey-making enterprise, with businessmen in Brazil working out deals with their London counterparts to send plants to England to be resold there. William Harrison, a merchant 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 Mecca for orchid devotees who journeyed there to see the latest arrivals.
It was one thing to introduce orchids to Europe, but another thing altogether to cultivate orchids succesfully. For more than half a century England was known as the grave of tropical orchids. The plants that survived did so in spite of rather than because of the treatment they received. Growers kept experimenting and making mistakes until, by about 1850, they had mostly figured 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 increased during the intervening years and today we know so much more than did those Victorian enthusiasts. We also have, of course, better technology to assist us in the greenhouse and garden.
The most thorough guide to today’s orchid cultivation, many agree, is Orchid Care Expert by Nigel Howard, which may be downloaded online. Mr. Howard’s guide is a complete course, helpful for beginners as well as more experienced fanciers alike. Also, visit the Orchid Secrets web site, which has a growing database of information on all topics of orchid cultivation.
