Indoor Plant Focus – Orchids

The weather outdoors may be grey and dreary, but orchids are at their most beautiful in the winter months. Orchids flower from May to November, so this is an ideal time to spoil yourself with one of these elegant plants. Visit our three branches at Kenilworth, Bellville and Milnerton for a wide range of eye-catching beauties.

Here are a few tips to consider when buying and caring for your orchids :

• Buy plants that have all or at least half of the flowers closed.
• Place them in a position where they will receive bright indirect light, and where they will not stand in a draft.
• Keep the soil moist, but never soggy. Most orchids like humidity, so try placing them on trays filled with pebbles and water.
• Feed orchids with one teaspoon of Chemicult dissolved in 5 litres of water, every third watering.

Not sure which variety to choose? Here’s a quick guide :

• For an elegant, statement plant: Phalaenopsis
• For a long-flowering indoor plant: Cymbidium
• For flowers all year round: Dendrobium
• For large, fragrant blooms: Cattleya