Orchids

In 1732, a tropical orchid from the Bahamas flowered in Britain. For years afterward, growers thought it a triumph if an imported orchid bloomed once before dying—so what finally taught them how to keep these astonishing flowers alive?

Writing after more than fifty years among orchids, James O’Brien looks back on the experiments that transformed their cultivation in nineteenth-century Britain, from plants crowded near hot flues to airy baskets and better-heated greenhouses. He insists orchids are not the impossible luxuries many imagine: the real challenge is learning to read each plant’s needs, from active growth to its season of rest, and to choose the right conditions rather than rely on old habits. With practical guidance on culture, flowers, and raising seedlings, O’Brien invites the amateur to test that claim for themselves. Can patience and close observation make the orchid grower of anyone?

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