Orchid appreciation is so widespread these days that it is diffcult to picture a world without these marvelous flowers. Yet, not so long ago, the people of the developed world were entirely ignorant of the overwhelming majority of species of orchids.
Europeans of course were familiar with their native orchid varieties, such as the extravagant Bee Orchid. But knowledge of the many breath-taking tropical orchids had to wait on the results of explorations into the jungles and mountains of South America and the eastern Indies. Even then, specimens were slow to make it back to places such as England, Germany or Spain.
Possibly the first living orchid to find its way 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 family was brought in to England in 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 planted at the famous Kew Gardens in London. For many years thereafter the West Indies, along with India, were the principal sources of tropical orchids in Europe. In 1793, though, a species of Oncidium was transported to England from Panama, followed several years later by orchids from Uruguay.
By 1818, Brazil was at the forefront of was contributing to what was becoming a steady stream of orchids back to England and other European countries. By 1830 the Royal Horticultural Society had sent representatives traveling throughout Brazil searching for for unusual species.
The orchid exchange quickly turned into a serious money making endeavor, with businessmen in Brazil entering in to agreements with their counterparts in London to ship plants to England for resale there. William Harrison, a merchant living in Rio de Janeiro during the 1830s and 1840s, sent many wonderful orchids to his brother Richard in Liverpool. Richard's house quickly became a Mecca for orchid enthusiasts who pilgrimaged there to see the latest arrivals.
Introducing orchids to Europe was one thing, but cultivating them successfully proved quite another. It has truly been said that for more than half a century, England was the graveyard of tropical orchids. The plants that survived did so in spite of rather than because of the treatment they received. Growers kept experimenting and making mistakes until, by about 1850, they had largely figured out the art of orchid cultivation. That is when the orchid craze really took off, 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 aid us in the greenhouse and garden.
The most up-to-date guide to today's orchid growing, many growers agree, is Orchid Care Expert by Nigel Howard, which may be downloaded online. Mr. Howard's guide is a complete course in itself, appropriate for beginners as well as the more experienced. Also, visit the Orchid Secrets web site, which has an ever-growing library of postings on all facets of orchid cultivation.
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