Orchids: A Practical Guide for Gardeners: With Advice On Growing, A Directory Of 200 Orchids, and 600 Color Photographs

by Brian Rittershausen, Wilma Rittershausen

Flamboyant, intriguing, beautiful and exotic, orchids haveevolved to become the largest family of plants in the world.This classic book, written by two of the world's leadingorchid authorities and now updated, presents everythingyou need to know to identify, choose and display thesedelightful flowers successfully. It contains guidance ontools and equipment; feeding and watering; and dealingwith pests and diseases. A directory describes andillustrates a wide range of species and hybrids, providinginformation on habitat, size, flowering time and growingrequirements. With over 600 exquisite photographs, thisis the definitive guide to growing these well-loved plants.- An inspirational encyclopedia of orchids, with guidanceon the best orchids to choose.- Clear, practical advice on growing and displayingorchids indoors, under glass and outdoors.- Everything you need to know to grow orchidssuccessfully, with step-by-step information on pottingand mounting; propagation; feeding, watering and lightlevels; and dealing with common pests and diseases.- Features an easy-to-use directory of more than 200orchids, with photographs of each one and informationon habitat, size, flowering time and growing requirements.

256 pages, Hardcover

Published October 3, 2017

Reviews

[Sharon Aldahl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Would have been a 5 but when I looked up watering, nothing was said about keeping the pseudobulbs dry, not watering directly on them.

[Aidan · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book sometimes feels like it's been written by an interior decorator, rather than an orchid grower. The part on how to grow orchids indoors is dealing alot with advice for best colors to choose for your orchid collection, and how to show them off in your home! Ridiculous.

Scientific perspective is understated or minimal. The text is very simple-minded, pointing out things that are obvious by default.

The author keeps repeating that by 'compost' he means growing medium. All throughout the book it is repeated on almost every mention of the word 'compost'. It's annoying and unnecessary, because I heard you the first time already.

There are some passages that are better, but the overall quality of the text is superficial and pedestrian. Pictures are nice, but that doesn't really make up for the bad text.