How to Tell Fact from Fiction- Part II

Last week I wrote about how hard it can be to find good orchid growing advice. With 'helpful' vloggers, YouTube creators and of course the ever present AI content, where do you start?

Why not go return to basics.  "Back in the day", we always had a list of orchid growing books (you know those things with letters printed on actual paper?) that we would recommend for new or hobby growers. The best books covered a broad variety of topics, in simple, clear language and didn't muddy things with gimmicks or growing hacks. Just enough to get you started on your orchid growing journey, and hopefully encourage success.

Those books are still a great place to start, though many are now out of print so finding them can be a challenge.  I have pulled together a list of my recommendations and links to currently available volumes.  

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Ortho's All About Orchids (Ortho's All About Gardening). 1999. Oh my goodness, I can not tell you how many of these we sold to visitors and catalog customers.  For years this was THE book to get you hooked on growing orchids.  It is still an excellent reference and great starter book.  Includes discussions on buying and selecting your plants, repotting, watering, fertilizing etc.  Plus an Orchid Gallery in the back of the most popular genus and their culture.

For those wanting a book that is a bit more in-depth, Ortho's Complete Guide to Orchids, 2005. It has everything that the previous book does with expanded areas on repotting and choosing media, knowing when to divide and more. Over half the book is a encyclopedia of various orchid species.  (In 2009, this book was discontinued by Ortho and reworked by a different company to become, Miracle Gro Complete Guide to Orchids.) 

When it comes to Beginner Orchid growing books, it doesn't get much more obvious than the infamous Orchids for Dummies by Steven Frowine, 2005. A little bit about a lot of things is a good way to describe this volume.  Enough to get started and help you stay out of trouble while you gain experience. 

Steven Frowine also wrote the extremely popular books Fragrant Orchids(2005) and Miniature Orchids(2007), which are a deeper dive on those two topics.  Definitely worth picking up but might be a bit harder to find.

For those interested in learning more about a wider variety of orchid species, there are more comprehensive encyclopedias available.  Some of our favorites are ones that discuss native habitats and climate in an effort to help you better understand their care requirements. Learning where your favorite orchid originates helps you better understand what you need to provide for a happy plant.

An oldie but a goodie is Alex Pridgeon's Illustrated Encyclopedia of Orchids, 1992.

While now considered 'vintage' when it comes to orchid books it has stood the test of time.  Every collection should have a volume like this.  Easy to read and comprehend with over a 1,000 photos to help with identification.

Another example would be The New Encyclopedia of Orchids: 1500 Species in Cultivation by Isobyl LA Croix, 2008.  A great reference for those wanting to learn about the habitats and culture on a number of popular genus. Incredibly researched with beautiful photos.

And while on the same subject, an excellent reference online would be www.orchidculture.com.  Margaret and Charles Baker researched and wrote, hundreds if not thousands of pages on orchid care for various genus and specific species.  Those care sheets are now available as a subscription where you can choose the ones that best meet your needs. 

Of course there are also books that focus on specific orchid alliances. Many of these not only contain treasure troves of useful information, but they are filled with pages of gorgeous photos.  Here are some notable ones.

Paphiopedilum Grower's Manual by Lance Birk, 2004.  If this Ladyslipper genus is of special interest than this is the book for you.  Sections on culture and care, plus propagating and the history of the different species.  Whether you find the first or second edition available, this is a must have book for slipper collectors.

Masdevallias: Gems of the Orchid World, written by  Mary E. Gerritsen, 2005.   This family of tiny orchids is definitely worthy of an entire volume. She covers temperature, watering, fertilizers as well as repotting and propagating these miniature jewels.

Grower and Collector Carl L. Withner wrote a number of books including a series on the Cattleya alliance. The Cattleyas and Their Relatives, Vol. 1: The Cattleyas as well as the other volumes hold invaluable information for Cattleya growers.

These books are only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to Orchid growing. Sadly, it seems after 2010 many new books stopped being published as more and more information went digital. However, nothing quite compares to having a real book in your hand.  We would love to hear if anyone has other suggestions for our list.

In addition to Amazon Marketplace, eBay.com, AbeBooks.com, and Thriftbooks.com are great places to find nice, clean copies of out of print volumes.

What's next on your to be read pile?

Happy Growing

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