All About Orchids

Do they really exist? Where is the black orchid? These questions and others have on orchid hobbyists minds for centuries.
Orchid growers and hobbyists have been trying to grow this orchid for a very long time. They have tried many different orchid plants and hybrid varieties to get to this orchid.
There seems to have been a fascination for black anything. You have people striving for black gladiolus, black canna- lillies and yes even black corn. (I'm not sure if they ever got the black corn.)
There are many other references to "black orchid" in detective mysteries, in names of clubs and restaurants as well as on the stage. In fact, go on to Amazon and look at the book "Black Orchid" by Dave McKean.
As far as I can judge from the reviews growers were close but still didn't accomplish what their goal was. Some of the orchids that do come close include the Laelicattleya Lc Mem. Robert Strait "Blue Hawaii" which has a black lip.
The Vanda David Gardner #1 has purplish areas under black speckles. There is a black tongued orchid, the Epigeneium amplum. Another example is the Liparis nervosa, a Japanese version of this orchid plant but when you look at it you can seen it is not really black.
There are still a lot of misconceptions about orchids. Some of the myths that still persist include that orchids are difficult to grow. This can't be further from the truth. In fact today orchids like the phalaenopsis or cattleyas are very easy to grow.
Another misconception is that all orchids need to grow in a greenhouse. Once again, some of the best places for orchid plants is in the home where there is bright light. Some of the orchids do well near a West facing window.
It seems that all the hard work by hybridization specialists still have been alluded them and the orchid has not really been developed. It remains a hope for any grower or hobbyist to get the crown that says, "I did it".
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Where did orchids originate? One may as well ask where man originated, for like man, the ubiquitous orchid is found on nearly every continent in nearly every climate. Also like man, the orchid has a myriad varieties and forms - so many that one botanist has stated, "There is no such thing as a typical orchid."
There are over 30,000 varieties of orchid not including manmade hybrids. Most people think of orchids as tropical plants, but there are mentions of orchids in Chinese writings as early as 500 B.C. In the Western world, the Greek botanist Theophrastus mentioned Orchis in manuscripts around 300 B.C. An Aztec herbal dating from the 1600s mentions vanilla, a type of orchid. From Egypt to the Americas, from the South Seas to the mountains of Switzerland, there are native varieties of orchids that grow in the woods, the rain forests, the mountains and even the seashore.
The modern day history of orchid cultivation, however, begins in the 1880s when William Cattley of England received a shipment of ornamental plants from the Brazilian jungles. The plants were packed in bulbs of another plant for protection, and out of curiosity, Cattley placed one of those plants into his glass house (what we now call a greenhouse). That plant was the Cattleya labiata orchid - the plant that most people think of as the 'orchid'.
Some of the most enchanting members of the orchid family are far less showy. The delicate lady slipper and brightly colored Calypso fairy slipper are found in the Northern woods from New England through Canada, and the Thai spider (bulbophyllum medusae) with its mane of 'hair' grows in the lowlands of Thailand. To learn more about orchids and other plants please visit www.orchidgeeks.com

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Orchids, despite their delicate appearance and reputation, are quite hardy plants that are resistant to diseases and pests - as long as they have the right growing conditions. Your best defense against the diseases and pests that affect orchids is to make sure that you keep humidity, light, temperature and ventilation levels within the optimal levels for the orchids you're growing.
Water problems are one of the key causes of problems that affect orchids. Standing water on the leaves or around the roots can encourage root rot and invite bacteria and fungi to attack the plant. Controlling the humidity level around your orchids can help prevent many of the most common pest infestations and diseases that damage and kill orchids.
Spider mites, mealy worms and scale are insect pests that are attracted to orchids. Many orchid enthusiasts recommend a monthly spraying with an insecticide like orthene or Malathion to discourage infestation. Carefully wiping leaves with a soft, soapy cloth will also help remove pests and bacteria that may cause orchid diseases and injury, orchid care
Bacteria and viral infections can take hold in one orchid and spread to others. If you notice black sooty fungus, brown or black spots of decay on leaves or flowers, or broken discoloration on leaves or stems of your orchids, they may be harboring a fungus, bacteria or virus. While most fungi and bacterial infections are treatable, an orchid infected with a virus can't be cured - and should be burned to prevent the spread of the virus to any other orchids in your home.
To prevent the spread of virus and bacteria, practice good plant hygiene. Sterilize any cutting blades or instruments between plants to avoid carrying disease from one plant to another.

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Orchids have an undeserved reputation for being difficult to grow and care for in the home. This probably stems from the early years of orchid cultivation when orchids imported from the tropics died so frequently in English greenhouses that botanist John Lindley referred to England as "a cemetery for orchids". While it is difficult to grow orchids from seed - it requires a specialized growing medium and 3-4 years worth of patience - once mature, most orchids are as easy to care for as any other houseplant - and easier than most.
Growing MediumMost orchids are epiphytic - that is, they take their nutrients from the air. They may grow on bark, sphagnum moss, cork plaques or in gravel or charcoal. With very rare exceptions, do NOT pot orchids in potting soil.
WateringThe best rule of thumb is to mist plants every few days with distilled water, and only water when the potting medium is nearly dry. Because there are so many varieties of orchids, it's important to consult an orchid book or follow the plant's watering directions.orchid care
LightA sunny windowsill is a good place for your orchids. In winter or in northern states, natural sunlight may need to be supplemented with gro-lights or other fluorescent lights to ensure that your orchids get enough light. In midsummer or in southern states, many orchids may require some protection from the bright sun. Watch leaves for signs of sunburn or lack of light and adjust accordingly.
Circulating Air is an often overlooked necessity for orchids. Because most orchids take their nutrients directly from the air, they do best when there is a steady, constant stream of air around them. A small fan or an open window will provide enough air flow to keep them happy.

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In the aftermath of 9/11, New Yorkers searched for their own ways to return to normalcy, the reassurance of the way things were. For artist Jane Kent, who joined UVMs Department of Art as an assistant professor last fall, this meant immersing herself in the creative process. From her Tribeca home, just five blocks from the World Trade Center, Kent would travel to her 39th Street studio and spend the day drawing orchids.
It was incredibly restorative, just to sit there in this very small universe drawing these orchids for hours and hours and hours, Kent says.
A printmaker and abstract painter, Kent found that the act of making these drawings was a critical step in adapting author Susan Orleans The Orchid Thief into an artists book titled The Orchid Thief Reimagined. Some 100 drawings emerged from the process, along with a sharpened strategy for the book.
This is why these projects are so great, because you actually get to figure it out, Kent says. It grew like a plant.
The completed piece consists of eight unbound screenprinted pages, which combine Kents art with Orleans words, and eight sheets of printed interleaving, all nestled in a silk-covered box. An edition of 35 was co-published by Grenfell Press and the Rhode Island School of Design, number six of which is at home in UVMs Special Collections.
Artist/AuthorThere are many approaches to artists books, Kent says. When she considered creating one, she drew inspiration from a Jasper Johns-Samuel Beckett book called Foirades/Fizzles.
It was a combination of text and image, Kent says, but it wasnt an illustrated text. It wasnt a case of words and pictures that would reiterate the words. That wasnt my interest.
Kent was a lecturer in printmaking at Princeton University in the late 1970s when she met writer Richard Ford, author of novels such as The Sportswriter and Independence Day. They discussed the possibility of doing an artists book together, but as they both pursued other directions that notion would take a long time to germinate. In the mid-1990s, Kent got serious about an artists book and got in touch with Ford. They collaborated in 2000 on a portofolio with seven Kent etchings complementing Fords story Privacy. Kent plans a future project with Ford working from a memoir of his mother.
The artist says she is always on the lookout for unusual or evocative writing and found it in the 1998 creative nonfiction book The Orchid Thief. She starts out with this story about a man on trial. From there she goes on to every subject in the universe and it just mutates and turns in on itself, Kent says. And that, I thought, was very compatible with my work. I always start out with a pretty singular form, and it mutates and mutates and mutates through the effort of working.
Orlean was immediately receptive to Kents proposal and took on the job of selecting the passages that would go into The Orchid Thief Reimagined. The project with Kent was evolving at the same time Orlean was working with movie producers on the film Adaptation, in which screenwriter Charlie Kaufman (with the authors blessing) takes outrageous liberties including depicting Orlean in ways unsavory and untrue. Not surprisingly given this, Kent found the writer generous and liberal in how she would allow her work to be reinterpreted. The art professor notes that sections Orlean selected for the artists book closely match passages spoken by Meryl Streep in the role of Orlean in Adaptation.
Picking through the densityIts worth a visit to Special Collections to fully appreciate The Orchid Thief Reimagined. Taken from their box and pieced together, the colorful screenprinted pages and sheets of interleaving, printed in black monotone, reunite as a whole. For the sheets of interleaving, a convention in artists books to protect the printed pages (something like that slip of tissue in a wedding invitation), Kent worked from an old engraving of an orchid-hunting scene. She had the image digitally enlarged, then interpreted it in arabesque shapes, not unlike the patterns on the screenprinted text sheets. Cut into eight separate sheets, the mystery of these pages deepens until they are pieced back together to reveal an image of thick jungle.
Though Kent didnt set out to reiterate words with pictures, she does capture both theme and mood with such techniques. Going through the swamp, looking for this thing in this density, says Kent. Its a way of dealing with the fact that you have to go through dense, muddy forest to come upon the jewel of the orchidif youre so lucky.

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