Who Started the Orchid Craze - and Why?
Sunday, November 16th, 2008 Subscribe To Our Feed
Orchid appreciation is so widespread today that it is hard to imagine a world without these marvelous flowers. However, not so long ago, the people of the so-called civilized world were utterly ignorant of the overwhelming majority of orchid species.
Europeans of course knew about their native orchid species, such as the lovely Bee Orchid. But knowledge of the many breath-taking tropical orchids had to await the results of explorations of the jungles and mountains of South America and the eastern Indies. Even then, specimens were slow to make it back to countries such as England, Belgium or France.
Perhaps the first living orchid to be carried from the tropics to England was an Epidendrum cochleatum, one of the more showy of its genus. It flowered in London in the year 1787. Another speciman from the same family was brought in to England in 1778. It took a decade for its caretakers to bring forth flowers from it.
Admiral Bligh, of Bounty fame, carried 15 species of epiphytal orchids to England from the West Indies some time in the early 1790s. These were put on display at the famous Kew Gardens in London. For many years thereafter the West Indies, along with India, were the main sources of tropical orchids to Europe. In 1793, however, a species of Oncidium was carried to England from Panama, followed a few years later by orchids from Uruguay.
By 1818, Brazil in partcular was contributing to what was becoming a steady stream of orchids back to England and other European countries. By 1830 collectors were combing throughout Brazil on behalf of the Royal Horticultural Society, seeking out rare orchid species.
The orchid exchange very soon turned into a serious monkey-making endeavor, with businessmen in Brazil making deals with their counterparts in London to ship plants to England for resale there. William Harrison, a merchant in Rio de Janeiro during the 1830s and 1840s, shipped many gorgeous orchids to his brother Richard in Liverpool. Richard’s house soon became a magnet for orchid fanatics who pilgrimaged there to see the newest arrivals.
It was one thing to introduce orchids to Europe, but another thing entirely 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 handling they received. Growers continuing experimenting and making mistakes until, by about 1850, they had mostly figured 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 enthusiasts. We also have, of course, better technology to assist us in the greenhouse and garden.
The most thorough guide to modern orchid cultivation, it is widely acknowedged, is Orchid Care Expert by Nigel Howard, which can be downloaded from the web. Howard’s wonderful guide constitutes a complete education all to itself. And, it’s appropriate for neophytes as well as more expeienced orchid cultivators. Also, check out the Orchid Secrets web site, which has an ever-growing library of articles on all facets of orchid cultivation.
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