TheMondayGarden.com

Raising orchids on the living room windowsill, especially if you don't know much about plants anyway, is strictly a matter of getting the right orchid. There's an orchid for every environment, including an orchid that likes, or at least is willing to tolerate, your growing conditions. Believe me, orchids are as stubborn as cats, and the orchid will not adjust to you. Likewise, if you're truly a beginner, it's tough to adjust your growing conditions for the orchid. So, it's best to get an orchid that likes you as you are.

The trials: In my search for the best house-easy orchid, over the past 10 years, I've tried dozens of different ones, killing many of them; and tossing most the others for failure to perform. Some plants have done well for a year or two, then petered out. Others refused to re-bloom even once, some flowered but got too many bugs (a sign of ill-health). The search has been for orchids that will bloom for several weeks at least twice a year, with only part-day sun, average house humidity, and an ordinary amount of care once or twice a week. So that you don't have to go through the same journey, here's what worked for me.

The best four for me: For me, the best of the best is the mini-cattleya Potinara Hoku Gem . In my growing conditions, it blooms almost 9-months of the year and has been so prolific that I've given away many off-spring. Potinara Hoku Gem has the added advantage of having foliage that looks good when the plant's not blooming. The dark green spiky leaves are a plus for any windowsill. Several reliable dealers are offering Potinara Hoku Gem cultivars on the web-- check with them by email for their best cultivars for the house. Some of the other household-rated cattleya that I've tried have stayed healthy but haven't produced enough flowers often enough to compete with the Potinara Hoku Gem for shelf space. Of those, the nicest ones, I think, is another Potinara that looks like a daffodil. CLICK HERE for more about Potinara 'Hoku Gem"

Picture: Here's a white cattleya from the Brooklyn Botanic Garden plant shop that did OK for a couple of years and one of the stalwart Potinara Hoku Gem which are very deep-colored when they open and which fade to a daffodil yellow.

My runners up are:

moth orchid (phalaenopsis) Get the plain vanilla kind -- plain white or fuchsia, and white with pink stripes. If you're going for the more unusual hybrids, they may be much fussier so ask the dealer. CLICK HERE for more about Phalaenopsis

dendrobium (the plain every-day varieties) especially the miniature ones. Reliable twice a year blooms PROVIDED that you do NOT fertilize when dormant!!!! There are over 1000 members of the dendrobium family, many of them very fussy, so make sure that you're getting the easy house household ones. CLICK HERE for more about Dendrobium orchids

Iwanagaara Apple Blossom is my forth choice. Gorgeous when it blooms and tough but often loses buds to low humidity, then you have to wait 6 months. I've tried several cultivars and like them all equally well. CLICK HERE for more about iwanagaara Apple Blossom

My moth, Apple Blossom and Hoku Gem orchids are all blooming now (March) and will bloom again in the fall. The mini-deneb will bloom in a month or two and then again in the fall.

Picture: phalaenopsis moth orchid (dubbed by me "Kevin's orchid") ready to burst into bloom March 2005

Notes on some other common orchids:

Cymbidium family: I drool over these at Stop & Shop but they're cool temperature orchids and I don't use air conditioning at home. I've seen them flourishing, even after several years, in filtered light in the homes of people who only have a handful of plants but who air condition in the summer and who can remember to water once a week.

Miltonia family (Pansy orchids): I love the pansy-faced orchids. Heart-breakingly beautiful and often sold as OK for the house but I've found them fussy, especially after 2 or 3 years.

Odontoglossum (Dancing Ladies): The clouds of yellow-spotted flowers are lovely to look at and often sold the house but I've never gotten one to re-bloom. They may need more sun than I have.

Lady slipper-like orchids: They are a couple of families of tropical orchids that look like the lady slipper wildflower (a temperate climate wild orchid). The tropical lady slipper types sold for the house aren't showy enough for me given my limited windowsill space, so I've never tried one. But it is purely a matter of taste -- if you like the subdued colors and delicate forms, try one.

General cultural notes:

The following applies to most "house" orchids. You also need to check a culture sheet for your specific orchid.

Where to buy : Stick with established orchid growers. Mass-market orchids are sometimes pushed into bloom too quickly and sometimes do OK, but are often not worth the work, particularly after a couple of years. You can often get a better plant from an established grower for almost the same price. Don't forget the smaller family businesses, many of which have Internet sites and they'll almost all answer your emails asking for recommendations.

Light: Orchids most need bright light but not burning sun so East, South or West exposures are good but shade the orchid in the summer from mid-day South sun and West late afternoon sun. Scotch marks or red leaf edges mean too much sun. Very pale, weak growth means not enough. Moth orchids tend to want less direct sun; the other "best" orchids mentioned above like full morning sun.

Water: Once a week, take the orchid to kitchen sink, soak in bucket of water for a few minutes then drain. Don't get water in the crown of phalaenopsis. Wash the others from head-to-toe -- this keeps off bugs and hydrates the leaves.

Air: Orchids must have circulating air. Your other plants will benefit as well. A fan that's just strong enough to very gently move the leaves is about right.

Pests: If you see bugs - usually scales or mealy bugs, sometimes spider mites -- spay with Safer Insecticidal soap or diluted rubbing alcohol. Don't use poisons -- they do not work any better on the bugs but they can hurt you, your companion animals, your children, and the environment. Make sure to wash the soap off well so the plants' pores aren't left clogged.

Humidity: Yes. More. Orchids like 50% or better but you don't, so do the best you can with a tray of pebbles under the plants, daily sprinkling etc. (See the December 15, 2002, Issue: Houseplant Guide: Humidity

Temperature: orchids need a 10-degree day-night differential to set buds. Generally, they'll get this if placed close to a window.

Fertilizer: use a quality brand for flowering plants (middle number will be highest) before flowering and a balanced organic afterward. Always dilute it more than the directions recommend -- half or quarter strength is good. Don't fertilize when the plant seems dormant.

Flowering: some orchids flower twice a year or more; some once. If you buy a blooming plant, you'll know it's an adult that should continue to flower on schedule. Sometimes it won't flower for a year while getting used to your house. If you buy a young plant, it could be 2 or 3 years before it's old enough to bloom. My rule : an adult plant with no flowers in 2 years -- toss.

Repotting: generally not needed the first year after purchase; then every other year after the plant flowers. Check a culture sheet for the plant to see how crowded it likes to be in the pot, what kind of potting medium works best for it, and what kind of pot it likes. Do not handle the potting medium except wearing rubber gloves --sphagnum moss in particular is often said to carry a very nasty skin virus. Off-season, when your local plant nursery isn't all that busy, they may be willing to do the repotting for you at a reason price.

Picture: Iwanagaara Apple Blossom just opening on my windowsill March 2004

CLICK HERE for more about Phalaenopsis CLICK HERE for more about orchids generally

Books to buy: If you want to buy book, here are some good choices:

(well liked, under $20)

(by one of my favorite horticultural writers and under $10)

(recommended by a number of professionals)