This is my beautiful, but simple, orchid exhibition at home – just the two phalaenopsis (moth) orchids. I’m prompted to photograph them given the imminent opening, next weekend, of the annual orchid display at Kew Gardens, transporting an already tropical Princess of Wales Conservatory into a technicolour paradise. I urge you to go if you can. Check out the Kew website for more details.
For me, in between cycles of clutter and attempts at minimalism, house plants have come and gone. At the moment, I have several cacti (large and small), a tenacious and spiny aloe, a determinedly green-fruited calamondin citrus, stephanotis, a now-just-leafy amaryllis, a grove of bonsai Buddhist Pine (Podocarpus) and a Mother-in-Law’s tongue (Sansevieria), so I guess clear surfaces are not à la mode, at the moment
Orchids, particularly these Moth orchids – they now come in a bewildering range of colour and pattern – are some of the easiest orchids to look after and can be reliably in flower for many months at a time. The care of Phalaenopsis and the very many types of orchids available will vary – a little reading will ensure years of pleasure.
http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/gardening-blog/2009/nov/03/orchid-care-beginners
http://www.gardenersworld.com/how-to/projects/creative-projects/how-to-care-for-orchids/225.html
https://apps.rhs.org.uk/advicesearch/Profile.aspx?pid=333
The real deal will be on at Kew – it runs for a month and is sure to be an exciting show. I’ll be there with my camera, just in case you can’t make it.
http://www.kew.org/visit-kew-gardens/whats-on/orchids/
From my own back catalogue –
https://teddingtongardener.com/2013/02/02/kew-gardens-orchid-festival-2012/
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The Teddington Gardener 