Roses England

Victorians Were The First To Go Orchid Crazy

Since the famouse mania for tulips (or “tulipomania”) reached its height in the Netherlands until the present, no single family of plants has achieved such a firm grip on popular fancy as the orchids. Believe it or not, though, today’s orchid craze hardly compares to the excited devotion that these plants inspired in our Victorian forebears, especially in England and America.

Of course, other plants had a degree of celebrity in the Anglo-Saxon sphere during the mid- to late 19th century.Among these were ferns, cacti, chrysanthemums, palms and roses. But it was the orchids that represented the height of horticultural attainment to 19th century gardeners. So highly were the tropical epiphytes esteemed that in May of 1885 the first general conference on orchids was held in London. The gala event brought together amateur as well as commercial growers to show off their prized specimens and to discuss important issues, including the culture and nomenclature of these marvelous flowers.

At the time of that landmark London conference, the more exotic orchids of the tropics had been known to the world in general for only about a hundred years. The Spanish botanist Francisco Hernandez casually mentioned a few orchids as curiosities in his account of his 16th-century voyage to Spanish America. Some 200 years later, naturalist Engelbert Kaempfer and botanist Georg Eberhard Rumphius, employed by the Dutch East Indies Company, described several of the Asian orchids. But it wasn’t until just before the beginning of the 19th century that Europeans in general became aware of these mysterious and exciting plants.

By the early 1800s, botanists were working on cultivating a few specimens at such places as Kew Gardens in London. Until 1820 orchids were looked upon as curiosities in botanical gardens, but about that time some showy Cattleyas and other species produced some stunning flowers, piqueing greater interest among the public. By the 1850s new specimens of orchids were pouring into Europe from all over the world and more and more people were trying to cultivate them at home.

The first great orchid craze was going full throttle by the late 1800s and continued undiminished for many years to come. Somewhat suprisingly, a solid scientific understanding of orchid botany and what was needed to be consistently successful in growing orchids did not arrive until the 1920s.

Nowadays, of course, we have an abundance of good information on the proper way to grow orchids. The most thorough guidebook to contemporary orchid growing, many people are finding, is Orchid Care Expert by Nigel Howard, which is available to be downloaded online. Mr. Howard’s ebook is a comprehensive course, immensely practical for beginners and the more seasoned cultivators alike. Also, check out the Orchid Secrets website, which has a growing database of entries on all facets of orchid care.

Chris de Burgh – Rose of England

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