February 1, 2010

A visit to my greenhouse to repot my orchids

Recently, Tom Purviance, co-owner of Parkside Orchid Nursery in Ottsville, Pennsylvania, was a guest on my television show.  He brought several beautiful specimens of unusual varieties of orchids that his nursery is known for.  We discussed how the orchid family is the most numerous in the plant kingdom, with 30 to 40 thousand known species.  There are two types of orchids - terrestrial, which grow on the ground and epiphytes, which establish themselves on trees.  The vast majority of orchids are epiphytes and to successfully grow them in containers, requires some special materials, such as orchid media and orchid pots or baskets.  On the show, Tom Purviance also demonstrated how to plant an orchid basket.

When Shaun Kass, my gardener, saw that episode, he became inspired to repot all the orchids in the greenhouse.  They had been growing in the same pots for many years and he felt they would benefit from the attention.  Shaun contacted Parkside Orchid Nursery and learned a great deal more about how orchids should be repotted and which potting media to use with which orchids.  When the supplies arrived the other day, Shaun and Wilmer got busy and started repotting all of my 250 plus orchids!  We can't wait to see how they grow!

Photo By Eliad Laskin