At our Organic Garden Club Meeting, Bill Gunning, PhD, a master orchid grower, gave us this presentation on the wide world of orchids, the largest most diverse group of flowering plants on the planet. He earned notable awards for his plants at both the Santa Barbara Orchid Show and at the Huntington Orchid Show. He is the vice president of the Conejo Orchid Society, and orchid volunteer at The Huntington Botanical Gardens. Learning where and how they grow in the wild helps us to understand how best to care for them in our environment. Below is his beautiful presentation.

What are orchids?  They are an ancient plant that has flower symmetry with 3 petals – one is the lip.  They have microscopic seeds and the roots are covered with a layer that acts like a sponge.  There are two major types of orchids – the first is Pseudobulbs (rhizomes) which store water and nutrients; the other type s Monopodia that don’t store water. Some orchids are Epiphytes and grow in trees; Lithophytes grow on rocks; Terrestrial type of orchids grow on the ground. 

Orchids are the second oldest class of flowering plants on earth.  They are very primitive and there’s fossil evidence that they are at least 100 million years old.  There is DNA diversity that shows they may be 200 million years old.  There are 25,000 – 30,000 species.  There are over 200,000 registered hybrids.  Orchids represent 10% of all seeded plants on earth.  They are found on every continent except Antarctica and in every climate except the most arid deserts and high arctic areas.  They are even found in the wild in Thousand Oaks!

Orchids growing in your home need moving air; water with a low mineral content once a week; light from a south facing window that has some shade; and a weak (about half the recommended dosage) orchid fertilizer once a month. The roots need access to air and they need to be extremely well drained. If they do not bloom, change their location.

The types of orchids good for Southern California are Laelias, Cattleyas, Laeliciocattleyas, Australian Dendrobiums, and Cymbidiums.