Orchid culture is so widespread nowadays that it is hard to picture a world without these wonderful flowers. Yet, not very long ago, the inhabitantspopulace of the developed world were entirely in the dark about the vast majority of species of orchids.
Europeans naturally knew about their native orchid species, such as the lovely Bee Orchid. But familiarity with of the thousands of gorgeous 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 carried 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 ten years for its caretakers to bring forth flowers from the plant.
Admiral Bligh, of Bounty fame, carried 15 species of epiphytal orchids to England from the West Indies around the early 1790s. These were put on display at the well-known Kew Gardens in London. For many years the West Indies, along with India, were the main sources of tropical orchids to Europe. In 1793, though, a species of Oncidium was taken to England from Panama, followed several years later by some orchids from Uruguay.
By 1818, Brazil was at the forefront of was contributing to what had become a steady flow of orchids back to England and other European countries. By 1830 the Royal Horticultural Society had collectors traveling throughout Brazil looking for unusual species.
The orchid trade very soon became a serious moneymaking endeavor, with businessmen in Brazil working out arrangements with their opposite numbers in London to send plants to England for resale there. William Harrison, a stationed in Rio de Janeiro during the 1830s and 1840s, sent many beautiful orchids to his brother Richard in Liverpool. Richard's house soon became a Mecca for orchid enthusiasts who journeyed there to see the newest 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 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 mostly worked out the art of orchid cultivation. That's when the orchid craze really exploded, 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 devotees. We also have, of course, better technology to assist us in the greenhouse and garden.
The most thorough guide to today's orchid care, without a doubt, is Orchid Care Expert by Nigel Howard, which can be downloaded online. Howard's wonderful guide is a thorough education all by itself. And, it's appropriate for neophytes as well as more seasoned orchid growers. Also, be sure to visit the Orchid Secrets web site, which has an ever-growing library of articles on all facets of orchid cultivation.
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