Alluring and alien at the same time, orchids have mesmerized botanists, explorers and kings for centuries. Once admired predominantly as rare specimens in botanical gardens, the orchid has morphed from a symbol of wealth to a lush flower for everyday use. There are now more than 30,000 known species and another 120,000 hybrids registered with the Royal Horticultural Society making orchids the largest group of flowering plants in nature. They’re second only to poinsettias in potted flowering plant sales, and have experienced double-digit sales growth rates in the United States for the past several years. With modern cultivation techniques, large commercial growers in Florida and California are now
able to produce and distribute huge volumes of quality plants, resulting in greater availability and lower prices. No doubt, this accounts for why orchids have topped the list for “in-style” wedding blooms according to the experts at “The Knot,” the popular bride’s resource on the web (theknot.com). Perhaps the most telling indicator of their popularity, however, is the ready availability of absolutely exquisite orchids in such mass-market outlets as Home Depot and Stop & Shop. Plants that might have sold for as much as $500 seven or eight years ago now sell at Stew Leonard’s and Trader Joe’s for as little as $20.

Tempted by more affordable prices, would-be orchid growers are bringing home orchids for their windowsill and discovering that they’re not as hard to grow as they had feared. According to Lee Cooke, Executive Director of the American Orchid Society, “People are increasingly learning that orchids are not the delicate plants that they were once perceived to be, but are hardy, easy-to-maintain plants that have the ability to bloom all year long.”

Such has been the case for Fairfield resident, Brenda Lamb, who bought her first orchid five or six years ago from Trader Joe’s. “Orchids are not as difficult as people think they are. They’ve survived on this earth for millions of years, so they must be pretty hardy,” she reasons.