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Bicolored Cattleya. Photo via Gardener’s Path.



Who are the orchid people​



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Published on Saturday, February 1, 2025





By Victoria Torley



It seems to me that there are several types oforchid people.”


But first, keep in mind that
Guaria Morada (Guarianthe skinneri), with frilly layers of purple petals and a delicate look, is a species that deserves to be in every orchid collection as Costa Rica's national flower.


First, there is the
orchid fancierand there are two varieties. The first type of fancier likes orchids for their shape and color and the bigger the better. Fanciers usually have a lot of Cattleya and Phalaenopsis orchids that they bought at the local supermarket or nursery which are reasonably easy to keep alive on a windowsill or in a picture window.


They bloom regularly and make a lovely display when someone visits the house. These orchids are easy to find as well, so if one
dies it is easily replaced.


The second type likes to collect orchids from the wild and re-home them on trees or baskets in the yard or in the ground. They like orchids, but never bother much with orchid names.


Then there is the
orchid enthusiastwho in addition to the Cattleya and Phalaenopsis – or even instead of –looks for the unusual orchid in farmer’s markets (if she lives in the tropics), from the wild (laws permitting) or from the catalogs and web pages of orchid growers.


The enthusiast wants to know the genus and species of the orchid, how it grows and how to care for it. If they get an unnamed orchid, they wait for it to bloom and then hunt up a name.


Enthusiasts head for orchid websites and have their own books on orchids and how to grow them. They know the value – in beauty – of mini-orchids and have a magnifying glass or two around somewhere.
Sometimes they have a deck crowded with hanging orchids, sometimes the orchids are hung outside, and sometimes they have a greenhouse. When you see an orchid in the enthusiast’s garden, it usually has a name tag.






Theaficionado(fan) is next, and very serious about orchids. Aficionados may specialize in a particular genus of orchids (check here for great pictures), collect orchids from associated genera, collect generic samples, or seek out the truly exotic. Sometimes fans travel to other countries to collect orchids and have an import license and some specialize in local orchids.


Other aficionados cross-pollinate and grow orchids, a very demanding project. If you find a fan, you will find a greenhouse or two (or more), usually quite large, and the proper tools for orchid care and propagation.


Next, we have
orchid growers,often aficionados whosehobbyhas become a business. Many times, growing is a family business and generational. Imagine cross-pollinating an orchid and waiting 4-7 years for it to bloom and you can understand the generational nature of the business.


Growers have acres of orchid yards
often under shade cloth and usually deal in the most popular orchid types. Specialty growers, on the other hand, usually concentrate on the rarest and most unusual orchids which can be worth tens of thousands of dollars.


And me? Metric Man says I am an
orchid maniacbut that doesn’t fit anywhere.




Plant of the week. It has to be the Guaria Morada, as it plays an important role in Costa Rican folk tradition. Orchids are protected in Costa Rica. Get yours at the local vivero or feria, not from the wild. I have a short pamphlet with a lot of pictures called Orchid Collecting in the Wildout on Amazon and Kindle.


 


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Find more interesting stories about gardening in Costa Rica on 
the AM Costa Rica Garden page. Questions on this article, Ms. Victoria Torley, gardener columnist, can be reached by emailing victoriatorley1@gmail.com

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