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HOBTICULTUBB 



May 24, 1913 



SOME USEFUL ORCHIDS FOR THE BEGINNER 



It is not necessary to have speeially ounstruoted oreliid 

 bouses in oi-der to grow a few orchids successfully. Any 

 kind of a house with a glass roof and ventilators will 

 do for some species, providing the temperature can he 

 kept a few degrees above the freezing point in cold 

 weather, and that the person in charge has made up his 

 mind to succeed. The collection of orchids here was 

 started on a very small scale some "35 years ago, with 

 some plants of Oncidium sphacelatuni and Laelia anceps 

 and a few other things and they are here today in the 

 best of health, producing their beautiful flowers each 

 season. 



The beginner, puzzled to know what varieties to grow, 

 jnust be guided by conditions. Should the house be 

 intended for cool growing plants, such as earnations. 

 primulas, cinerarias, azaleas and the like, where the 

 temperature is apt to be anything from 40 degrees to 

 50 degrees at night during cold weather, such plants 

 should be selected as will grow under similar condi- 

 tions in their native home. And fortunately there is a 

 great variety to choose from and some of the very best 

 and at the same time quite inexpensive species are to be 

 found in this section. I inay mention the ever popular 

 Cypripedium insigne, the beautiful odontoglossums 

 from the Central American Alps, the various oncidiums 

 from the Organ Mountains of Brazil and many species 

 from Mexico all of which will thrive in a place of this 

 kind. Amongst the latter I would mention particularly 

 the beautiful Odoutoglossum Eossii majus. Our plant 

 here has been in bloom for over a month and will be 

 good for another month at least. This is best grown in 

 small wooden baskets, suspended from the roof. It 

 should never be allowed to get very dry. even in winter 

 and only a little comjiost (osmunda fibre) is put around 

 the roots when potted. It will grow a number of years 

 in the same basket without lieing repotted. Cattleyas as 

 a rule require a higher temperature, but the lovely Cat- 

 tleya citrina, will thrive under the same conditions as 

 the one above, but instead of growing it in a basket, 

 this plant had better be fastened to a block of wood 

 or cork, or even a lum]3 of tough fernroot will do ; a 

 little fibre is first placed between the block and the plant 

 and all fastened securely together by means of tacks 

 and copperwire: suspend the plant from the roof witli 

 the leaves in a downward iiositioii. This is one of the 

 cheapest orchids to be obtained. 



One other inexpensive and very useful orchid which 

 will grow with the foregoing is Oncidium varicosum 

 liogersi. ft makes an elegant display in late summer 

 and early fall with its great panicles of canary yellow 

 flowers. It is one of the most free-flowering orchids I 

 know of; indeed, it will virtually flower itself to death 

 and it will be well to give it a good rest now and then, 

 by jnnching out the flowerspikes every two years or so. 

 Oncidium crispum is another one to grow under similar 

 conditions and which is quite sure to give satisfaction. 

 Coelogyne eristata, Chatsworth variety, will also to be 

 found easy to grow and sure to flower in a cool, house 

 of this kind aild the white flowers are very valuable for 



Oncidium sphacelatum 



l)i-idal work. The list may be enlarged very much, but 

 tliis might lead to confusion with the beginner. 



Those who have a little house or part of a house at 

 Iheir disposal where the night temperature can be kept 

 at from. 54 to 58 degrees in cold weather, may try a 

 few of the showy cattleyas, such as C. Trianaj, C. 

 labiata, C. Gaskilliana, etc., also some of the dendro- 

 biums, as for instance D. nobile. These can be grown 

 in shallow pots or baskets, suspended from the roof, 

 where they will get the full benefit of the light and 

 heat and where they will not interfere with the other 

 plants that happen to grow in the house. Here too, 

 the list could be increased indefinitely but my advice 

 would be to keep to a few good species at first and ex- 

 tend the list later as experience is gained. In such a 

 liouse most of the cypripediums could be grown success- 

 fully. Where bench room is scarce, most of these can be 

 grown in shallow pans, and suspended from the roof, 

 but they must be shaded more than the above mentioned 

 There are many species of orchids which require a still 

 higher temperature than the foregoing and some very 

 fine ones amongst them. Such conditions are usually 

 found in what is called the stove or East Indian house. 

 Here a place can be found for the beautiful genus 

 Tlial;eno|3sis, vanda.'*, rerides, the warmer growing 

 dendrobiums — such as D. Phalgenopsis, D. Dearii, D. 

 superi)um and a good many others. Indeed, the list 

 IS almost unlimited and there is no place in any green- 

 house, whether warm or cool, where one or another of 

 the thousands of species and hybrids of orchids could 

 not be successfully grown. Any of the firms advertising 

 in Horticulture will gladly give information as to 

 tlicir culture and general adaptability and should they 

 fail to do so. Horticulture's pages will always be 

 open for any questions pertaining to this subject. 



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