Fresh Cut Flower of the Month Club is proud to send you a very special spray of 10 Orchid stems to brighten your day. In fact these two species of Orchids have many remarkable qualities…and they will live up to three weeks with the proper care!

Both the Jonas and the Julia Orchids are grown in Thailand, and the complementing greens, Israeli Ruscus, are grown in California… they will even outlive the orchids!

We can trace orchids back to the Early Greeks who regarded their delicately constructed blossoms as an icon representing beauty and love… exceptionally appropriate for your Valentine’s Day!

I always thought that most Orchids were very fragile and very similar, but no plant family is more diverse, so they must be hardy as well. Actually, the Orchid family is the largest plant family we know about, and Orchids can be grown in almost all possible environments! They actually grow wild on every continent except Antarctica. (No surprise to me… does anything grow there beside algae?)

This family is amazingly diverse… from the tiny Mystacidium caffrum to the 20-foot-tall Renanthera storei! The different species have different shapes, forms and growth habits. (No wonder people grow Orchids for a hobby… they are so interesting.)

Some Orchids produce blossoms no larger than a mosquito, while others are as large as a 12" dinner plate. And our Twenty First Century propagation methods and current hybridizing trends are offering us more choices than ever before.

Many people, including myself, regard Orchids to be the most enchanting and coveted of all flowers. Each tall stem bears an abundance of delicate flowers with captivating colors… ranging from pale green, white or yellow to bronze, deep burgundy, and royal violet.

Cymbidiums are native to the foothills of the Himalayas and are accustomed to cool conditions. Their tall spikes have from 10-25 flowers ranging from 2 ½" to 6" which last from one to three months when planted. Many are fragrant and their long leaves make them attractive indoor plants.

These orchids grow at fairly high altitudes in many areas of the world e.g. China, India, Burma, Taiwan, and parts of Australia. We need to emulate their natural habitat if we are to grow these orchids successfully at home. They are among the easier orchids for beginners and their spectacular long lasting flowers makes the effort really worthwhile… just turn the page to find out how to grow these beauties like a pro.

HUMIDITY - All orchids need humidity so stand pots on upturned saucers and stand on trays or in larger pots containing hortag, small pebbles or chippings and add water. In hot summer weather mist the plants regularly every day. This is not desirable in the winter

TEMPERATURE - In summer the plants will tolerate temperatures up to about 85'F (30'C) and in winter they are happiest with a night temperature of 5O'F(IO'C).

WATER - The plants require quite a lot of water in summer, roughly about a pint a week and in exceptionally hot weather even two pints twice a week (providing the plants are in open bark which will drain immediately). In winter they need much less - about a half a pint every week to 10 days. The large amount of water is necessary in the summer to maintain very large pseudobulbs and to help with new growth.

FEEDING - These plants are quite hungry for orchids and need to be fed all the year round. The should be fed about every week to tend days and on the fourth feed plain water can be given to avoid any build up of undesirable chemicals around the roots.

The plants seem to thrive on foliar feeding, and if using this method both sides of all leaves need to be sprayed. Any suitable half strength feed with do such as Tomarite, or orchid feed (in little yellow tubs obtainable from Nurseries or Garden Centres). They will benefit more by giving a higher nitrogen feed early in Spring to help with the growth of new pseudobulbs. By giving a feed such as Tomarite or Phostrogen from late June or beginning of July you will help to ensure that flower spikes are formed. These usually peep through sometime in August or September.

Standard Cymbidiums can become very large and take up lots of room but they are very beautiful and their flowers last for many weeks even when cut. The flowers are sometimes used in wedding bouquets or in a corsage. The plants are well worth a little tender loving care. Miniature Cymbidiums are now available which take up a little less room. When large enough both types can be divided to provide new plants.

Backbulbs may be left on the division to add strength, or removed to propagate. Take single backbulbs, and bury halfway in a bark or peat/sand mix. Keep shaded and warm until new growth sprouts, and pot as above. It may take up to three years to produce a blooming-size plant from this method.

But we can celebrate Love, any and every day that we want to! This legendary holiday that traditionally combines love and chocolate will be past by the time you get your featured selection, but I thought that all chocolate aficionados would want to be aware of just how Valentine’s Day came about. And of course there is more than one version.

In ancient Rome, February 14^th was a holiday to honor Juno, the Queen of the Roman Gods and Goddesses… the Romans also knew her as the Goddess of women and marriage. The following day, February 15th, began the Feast of Lupercalia. Ancient Roman culture dictated that young boys and girls should grow up strictly separated. Nevertheless on the eve of the festival of Lupercalia, the names of Roman girls were written on slips of paper and placed into water jars. Each young man would draw a girl's name from the jar and then he and the young lady he chose would be partners for the duration of the festival. Sometimes the pairing lasted an entire year, and often, they would fall in love and would later marry.

Why does there always have to be a bad guy in every story? Under the rule of Emperor Claudius II, Rome was involved in many bloody and detested campaigns. Claudius the Cruel was having a difficult time getting soldiers to join his military leagues. He believed that the reason was that Roman men did not want to leave their loves or families. (Makes sense to me.) As a result, Claudius cancelled all marriages and engagements in Rome. Can you even begin to imagine what that must have been like! (I suppose some probably thought it was a great idea.)

Now remember, that at that time it was the custom in Rome, a very ancient custom, indeed, to celebrate the Feast of Lupercalia in honor of a Heathen God. And the priests of the early Christian Church in Rome were making every effort to do away with all pagan elements in this feast, and any other pagan feasts as well. One of their strategies was to substitute the names of Saints for those of goddesses.

Apparently Christian priests lobbied to rename the Feast of Lupercalia, Saint Valentine's Day, since Lupercalia began the day after Father Valentine's martyrdom. The Christian priests chose his name to celebrate the love that Saint Valentine demonstrated for many others by his noble actions. And in 496 A.D. Pope Gelasius formally set aside February 14^th to honor St. Valentine.