Plant Profile | Orchids
The exceptional beauty and variety of orchids makes them a hugely popular houseplant, often given as a special gift. Orchids may be delicate in appearance, but they are also surprisingly hardy indoor plants. With tens of thousands of species available, below we highlight some of our favourites and how to care for yours.
Caring For Orchids
Orchids will reward you with striking blooms for a long time if you get a few simple things right.
Temperature
Most orchids are tropical plants and need a minimum night-time temperature of 15oC and daytime temperature between 20oC and 26oC. The difference between day and night temperature is important to get the best flowering.
Light Orchids bloom best in well-lit areas, which are protected from direct sunlight. Placed behind a thin curtain or Venetian blind on the windowsill is ideal.
Humidity Most orchids love a humid environment. Achieve this by misting the foliage and aerial roots once a day, or by placing the orchid on top of a bowl filled with decorative gravel and water to just below the gravel surface.
Watering Orchids need to have moist, but not wet, roots. Water about once a week in the spring and summer and every 10-14 days in winter when the plant is more dormant. The best way to water your orchid is to plunge it, pot and all, into a bucket of tepid rainwater and then let it drain out completely.
Feeding It is easy to over-fertilise orchids. Use a specifically designed orchid fertiliser and follow the instructions on the packet.
Repotting Repotting an orchid provides a good opportunity to refresh the compost and tidy it up a bit. There is no specific time of year that is best for this and it is not always necessary if it seems the plant has outgrown the pot, as it is important not to 'over-pot' an orchid into too big a pot. This is because, when the roots are restricted a bit, it encourages flowering.
Orchid Varieties
Phalaenopsis (‘Moth Orchid')
Origin – SE Asia
One of the most popular and well-known houseplants in the UK. Phalaenopsis means ‘like a moth’, derived from the Greek word ‘Phalaina’ (moth) and ‘opsis’ (resembling). There are small-flowered species, also known as multiflora, with a lot of small flowers; standard species and large-flowered species, also known as grandiflora, with flowers which are at least ten centimetres across. Phalaenopsis can be white, yellow, pink and purple and there are also species with unusually shaped and marked flowers.
Miltonia (‘Pansy Orchid’)

Cymbidium (‘Boat Orchid’)

Cattleya

Masdevallia

Brassia (‘Spider Orchid)

Cambria

Ludisia (‘Jewel Orchid’)

Oncidium (‘Dancing Lady Orchid’)

Paphiopedilum (‘Venus Slipper Orchid’)

Vanda

Enquire at your local Hillier Garden Centre if you are interested in orchids. Please be aware that all varieties are subject to availability, which may vary throughout the year. "