Phalaenopsis Orchids 
These are now some of the most popular orchids on sale as Houseplants, they have overtaken the Cymbidium in recent years as easy to grow and ready to flower pot plants.

This Orchid Genera has been the subject of many years of hybridisation, both by specialist orchid nurseries and those nurseries who market to the massive demands or the House Plant sellers such as the High Street Stores and Garden centres. 

It comes in stripes, spots blushes and plain colours, with many miniature varieties, especially the white ones being introduced.

Providing the right conditions are maintained it is not difficult, requiring watering around once a week, and feeding very weakly about once a month or so, it also does best in a temperature which does not go below 58 deg at night, nor climb above 85 deg during the day.
On sunny days it will not tolerate full exposure to the heat and light of the sun, and requires a shady but bright position to maintain it in a healthy condition. Generally if you could sit comfortably all day in the position where the plant has been put, then the plant too will be happy.
Like all orchids nature never intended it to be contained within a pot, in the wild it grows on trees as an epiphytic plant, its roots wandering over the branches, where it will obtain nutrients and water from the rain which runs down the tree trunks and drips through the foliage, which gives it the shade in needs from the intense sunlight which would otherwise scorch its fleshy leaves; to maintain a healthy plant, we therefore must provide similar conditions ourselves, and give it a potting medium, which will encourage its roots to grow healthily in the plant pot which we find easier to maintain than a jungle tree!
The potting material must be capable of holding water, yet be well aerated and drained so that the root system does not rot, and most good orchid nurseries will provide a ready mixed suitable compost, usually comprising of perlite, foam lumps, orchid quality bark chippings and sometimes a little charcoal, which helps to keep the compost “sweet” . Sometimes the roots can become adventitious, and will grow above the level of the compost, trying to emulate the wandering nature of the roots in a natural habitat.

When the plant has nearly finished flowering, a neat trick to encourage more flowers to be produced quickly once again is to look down the main stem of the flower spike, there you will find a small leaf covered node, just below where the first flower formed, if you remove the dying spike above this node, the plant may well produce another flowering stem from that point.

If you just want a pot plant, then they can be found throughout the high streets and Garden Centres as mentioned before, but if you want the best quality, which comes named and quite often a lot cheaper, buy at one of our shows, where Phalaenopsis are pretty much always on sale from specialist orchid nurseries.

Cattleya Orchids
Whilst not too readily available in the High Street or Garden Centre these showy orchid come in a wide range of size and colour, some may have a pleasant smell as a bonus.

Cattleya Species have been hybridised for at least 150 years and there are now many varieties to choose from in a multitude of colour and from, from small Leila types to the large and blousy Brassia forms.

Providing the right conditions are met they will do well as a pot plant in the home, they require night time temperatures of not less than 55 deg and a day time temperature which climbs well into the 80's - always provide some light shade to avoid the leaves getting sun burned.

In nature they sit amongst and along the branches of trees etc., where they can obtain nourishment from the detritus which accumulates  there, and getting all the moisture they require from the rainwater which runs through the jungle canopy.

Water once a week or so and give fertiliser sparingly about every third watering making sure that the plant is thoroughly flushed with clean water in between to avoid root damage from a build up of salts.

The orchids produce a new growth from the base of the previous growth, which will bear the flowing stem for the current year, do not be tempted to divide them until you have at least enough old growths to make plants of a minimum of 5 pseudobulbs, less than  that will impact on their ability to flower until the plant has regenerated itself.

Potting medium must be well drained, and consist of orchid grade bark, mixed with some perlite and charcoal, repot when the old compost has begun to break down, or when the plant is beginning to grow over the periphery of its pot.

 A good range of Cattleyas can usually be found on the trade benches of our monthly shows.