I started my cymbidium orchid collection from buying orphan orchid plants from Lowe's and Home Depot. You know - the types of plants that nobody wants because they are past their bloom, but the plant is still green, fresh and alive. I wanted to learn more about the easier to grow orchid species. My mom had a gorgeous garden of cymbidium orchids in her backyard. It all started innocently enough - someone gave her a cymbidium orchid as a gift. She loved the huge, long-lasting sprays of orchids that the plant put out, and once it was past it's bloom, she didn't just chuck the plant into the garbage.
She was patient. She put it out under a tree, atop an old wood stump. She watered it and fed it with the special hot-pink orchid food she found at the grocery store. She pretty much ignored it except to water it every day. When she was too tired after a long day at work, I would water it for her. Not expecting anything to happen at all. But then one day - the dormant orchid plant sprouted three or four long spikes, and within days, those spikes exploded into an amazing spray of about 20 yellow cymbidium flowers!!!
It was a sight to see!
Me and my maw enjoyed those blooms for about 6 months, and the plant went dormant again. But this time, the bulbs of the orchid plant filled the terra cotta pot, so she divided the plant very carefully into two halves. She was careful to use special orchid soil for the plant, which contained alot of bark in it. She watered it pretty much every day. Wouldn't you know it? By the next bloom cycle, the two orchid plants grew 12 or 13 stalks between them, each stalk supporting 12 to 15 orchid flowers! Her garden was abloom with these exotic blossoms, and she was the talk of the block.
She sure had a green thumb!
At the time of her passing, she had about 20 cymbidium orchid plants in the yard - and my older sister took them all to her place. I wonder whatever happened to them? Alas - they are gone from this beautiful Earth!
Now I am raising my own brood of cymbidiums. I got bit by the gardening bug pretty bad a few years ago. At first it was with roses. I planted as many rose plants as I could find, mostly I bought them from the plant orphanages of Lowe's and Home Depot. It only takes about 2 months to get a plant turned around back to healthy. Then I went onto my new cymbidium orchid obsession.
I read all that I could about orchids in general, and that's what led me to this book; (copyright 1998.)
When I found this book, the Orchid Thief, I was amazed to learn it's a true story!
Author Susan Orlean is quite the wordsmith; she can weave such an intricate and unique story out of the Florida Swamp; in a real place known as the Fakahatchee Strand. She heard stories about this master orchid whisperer - a shady man who poached orchids from the Fakahatchee Swamp to clone and sell to the masses, and to make himself richer beyond all imagination. She traveled down to Florida in order to meet this outrageous man, named John Laroche. She wanted to do her own investigation, and she was familiar with Florida herself, having been raised there as a little girl. Laroche was a colorful, but unethical type of person. He had a different set of morals and values than the rest of society. But on the other hand - she found him to be as refreshing as a tall glass of sarsaparilla. He deeply loved all orchids; the pretty ones, the ugly ones, the hard- to -grow- ones he loved the most. He was a walking encyclopedia when it came to orchids, and he knew every person in the business of raising and selling orchids. He went to all the orchid shows. He was once a rising star in the orchid world, but then he exploited native american laws and some Seminole Indians in one of his schemes. She became obsessed a bit herself during this journey of writing her book. Orchids have a weird draw on people. They are mesmerizing, and spellbinding in beauty and unexpected shapes and colors. She was driven to tramp around the hot swamps of Florida to witness for herself one of the rarest orchids on Earth; the Polyrrhiza Lindenii, otherwise known as the Ghost Orchid. This orchid plant is not a standard plant at all; having no leaves. It is all roots and it attaches itself to a particular swamp tree for nourishment. It is not a parasite: it is a hanger-oner sort. It is very white, pure white, with four petals and a large lower lip, that has lateral attachments to the lip that flutter in the weakest of swamp breezes. It blooms for a short while, and it opens at night. I hear it has a beautiful, intoxicating fragrance to it.
People call it a ghost because it likes to grow in the darkest, shadiest parts of the swamp, and the stark white contrasting coloring of the orchid flower makes it stand out - ghost-like, in the middle of the fauna, moss and murky waters.
People go crazy for the wilder, rarest flowers!
Even this author went a bit crazy over orchids - she hiked into the deep and dangerous swamp to see a Ghost Orchid in bloom for herself, but alas - it was not to be.
I read this book and it ignited more of an obsession with orchids for me. I am going to stick with raising cymbidiums for now, but I also want to try a phalaenopsis orchid, (moth orchid), a cattelaya orchid, (corsage orchid), and maybe I'll even stick my neck out and try to grow a Oncidium orchid. But the last thing that I want to do is kill any orchid for my own selfish enjoyment.
I learned something valuable from this book, and that is never to waste anything that is precious from this earth. Orchids are mesmerizing; they are extremely diverse and very delicate flowers. None of them should be bought for ego, or for the sake of ownership.
Orchids should be brought into one's home for nurturing and enjoyment, and if treated properly, orchid plants will outlive their human owners!
I loved reading this book because I learned so much about shade houses, green houses and orchid collectors world-wide! It's easy to catch an orchid obsession, so reader beware!
After you get close to these exotic and impossibly fragile orchid plants, you will want to have a few in your home or your yard.
Start with the easy ones. See how you do with them.
And be sure to have an orchid sitter watch over them and water them if you plan on leaving your home on vacation.
I LOVED this book, and I want to keep learning more!!!!
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Reviews with images
Wonderful historical romp about orchids and collectors
This is quite an exciting romp through the swamps, forests and mountains of the world...I learned a lot about the the history of orchid collecting...yet I hope I never develop this kind of orchid mania...Thoroughly enjoyed the history of the Floridian Seminole Indians, their lucrative gambling, farming, orchid industries, and how some wily US citizens tried to exploit them (but could not outsmart them!) The Seminole Indians rock! Great read for all orchid lovers -- the things you will learn...LOL...this story makes me wonder, are we simply eccentric, passionate or really crazy with our love of orchids?
Top reviews from other countries
Safia
Recommended
Reviewed in Sweden on September 1, 2023
Safia
Reviewed in Sweden on September 1, 2023
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Oz Tuppy
Everything you wanted to know about orchid hunters and their prey
Reviewed in Australia on May 23, 2015