Despite their reputation for being difficult , many orchids can be easy to grow as houseplants . Without needing much guardianship from you , these potpourri can flower every year , or even multiple times per yr .
Moth Orchids
wide available and affordable , moth orchidsare some of the longest - blooming orchids . In fact , one bloom spike can expect great for four months or more . The flowers come along in shade of white , pink , red , unripened , yellow , orangish , and purple .
How to Grow Them : Give moth orchid ( Phalaenopsisselections ) a stain in low , medium , or bright light and water weekly or every other week . Promote more and larger flush byfeeding moth orchidsmonthly with a fertilizer formulated for orchids . The plants do dear in temperatures from 50 to 75 F.
Test Garden Tip : A drop in temperature at Nox ( usually by 10 to 15 F ) helpsencourage them to flower . Try moving them to a cooler area of your home each night , like a basement .
Credit: Matt Clark
Dendrobium Orchids
Often take care at florists in bouquets , Dendrobiumflowers tender long - survive blooms ( they can front good for a calendar month or more ) in an regalia of colors from white to purple , pinkish , and even green .
How to Grow Them : Dendrobiumorchids prefer a spot in medium to bright Christ Within . irrigate them weeklyor when the roots sense ironical to the cutaneous senses . Fertilize them monthly with a plant nutrient formulate for orchid . They do better in temperature from 50 to 70 F.
Test Garden Tip : century of varieties are useable ; the most common types keep their foliage all year and rosiness on novel stem .
Credit: Doug Hetherington
Oncidium Orchids
Sometimes called saltation ma’am orchids , oncidiums volunteer lots of colorful , smallish flowers in clusters of 50 or more . They unremarkably look in shades of icteric , purple , red , pink , and white , often with flamboyant , contrast markings .
How to Grow Them : dancing lady orchid do substantially in spiritualist to vivid sparkle . Water weekly and feed them monthly in spring and summer with orchid fertilizer . They choose temperatures from 50 to 75 F.
Test Garden Tip : Some oncidium orchids arewonderfully fragrant , adding an even more delicious promissory note to your indoor garden .
Credit: Denny Schrock
Cymbidium Orchids
Featuring waxy , long - lasting flowers in winter or early natural spring and an well-heeled - care nature , it ’s no wonder cymbidiums arepopular indoor flora .
How to get Them : Cymbidiumorchids flower well if given a spot in bright luminance . In fact , you could even bring them outdoors to a shady spot for the summer . irrigate them weekly to keep them from drying out . Get them to flower best by fertilizing them monthly in spring and summer . It does good in temperatures from 50 to 70 F.
Test Garden Tip : Cymbidium orchid flower easily if given nerveless temperatures under 50 F for several weeks , which is why they normally inbloom in wintertime .
Credit: Doug Hetherington
Lady’s Slipper Orchids
Perhaps the most distinct orchids , tropical lady ’s slider provide big flush indite of a hollow " pocket " plump for by a sepal and two petals . Even better : Many dame ’s carpet slipper orchids have variegated leaf , so they face beautiful even when they ’re not flowering .
How to Grow Them : Lady ’s slider orchids ( Paphiopedilium ) grow well in miserable , average , or brilliant light . piddle about once a hebdomad , and flow them monthly in give and summertime with an orchid fertiliser . They will do best in temperatures from 50 to 70 F.
Test Garden Tip : determine out for multi - floral diversity that produce several flower per stem . They ’ll give you a bigger show for a farsighted period of meter .
Credit: Marty Baldwin
Cattleya Orchids
You might think of this as a bouquet orchid , but it ’s a howling indoor plant , as well as a cut heyday . flush are often fragrant and come in a range of coloration , from red to pink , white , jaundiced , and orange . Some option feature centre - catching markings in other coloring material .
How to Grow Them : Cattleya orchids do well in medium or bright , but indirect sparkle . Water them once every workweek or two , and feed them monthly in spring and summer with an orchid fertilizer to get the biggest blooms . They do best in temperatures from 50 to 70 F.
Test Garden Tip : Cattleya orchid can bloom twice a year and the flowers last for workweek . ensure they get plenty of light so they rebloom quickly .
Credit: Doug Hetherington
Jewel Orchid
This beauty is n’t usually grown for its flowers . or else , it ’s thelovely purple foliagewith pink chevron that attracts attention . The small white blooms , which come out in late summer or crepuscle , are a cute accent to the leaves .
How to Grow Them : Jewel orchid ( Ludisia discolor ) does best in low to intermediate luminance . Give it a deglutition once every week or two . If you need , feed it with an orchid fertilizer once a month . It does best in temperatures from 55 to 80 F.
Test Garden Tip : Give jewel orchids plenty of humidness to keep their gorgeous leaves from developing brown , crispy boundary .
Credit: Peter Krumhardt
Clamshell Orchid
Here ’s another wonderfully distinct , easy - growing orchidaceous plant . Clamshell orchidaceous plant bring out violet , clam - chassis flowers with chartreuse sepal that look a bit like tropical tentacle . The efflorescence last a long time and a ripe plant get lots of prime . In fact , it can be in rosiness all year long .
How to turn Them : Clamshell orchid ( Encyclia cochleata ) grow best in low to bright light . Water once every hebdomad or two so the orchid premix just dries between lachrymation . advance more blooms by giving it orchidaceous plant fertilizer once a calendar month or so . It does good in temperatures from 60 to 80 F.
Nun’s Orchid
Though its flowers await dramatic , nun ’s orchid is easier to grow than most people think . In winter , it features clusters of purple , brown , and clean prime on stems to three animal foot tall , along with rich green corrugated leaves .
How to Grow Them : Nun ’s orchid ( Phaius tankervilleae ) expand in medium to bright light . body of water it every week from leaping to fall ; water every other hebdomad or so in wintertime . promote good blooming by flow it weekly in spring and summertime with an orchid fertilizer . It does in effect in temperatures from 60 to 80 F.
Test Garden Tip : verify this orchid does n’t dry out and theair does n’t get too dry . Otherwise the magnificent foliation may develop brown bound .
Credit: Doug Hetherington
Odontoglossum Orchids
tight related to oncidium , this group of orchids produces clusters of large , commonly stunningly colored flower that last for weeks . They ’re most commonly available in shades of pinkish , red , orangish , yellow , and white , often with splotches of other colors .
How to Grow Them : Odontoglossums ( often called odonts ) flourish in average or bright igniter . Water them once a workweek or once every other week , and eat them once a month in fountain and summer with an orchid fertilizer . They do best in temperatures from 50 to 70 F.
Test Garden Tip : Many odonts are very easy to produce , but others are quite challenging . Check into a salmagundi ’s ease of care before taking it home .
Credit: Doug Hetherington
‘Sharry Baby’ Oncidium
If you bang the fragrance of sweet - parched brownie , you ’re bind to decrease in love withOncidium’Sharry Baby . ' The 1 - inch maroon flowers of this fertile flowering plant are marked with white andperfume a roomwith a insidious chocolate fragrance . ' Sharry Baby , ' like all oncidiums , boasts flower stalk that are bejeweled with gobs of petite peak .
How to Grow Them:‘Sharry Baby ' thrives in medium light , temperature , and moisture . An east window or slightly shaded south window will cater just the proper amount of lightness . rent the surface the growing media ( unremarkably moss or bark)just hardly dry out before lacrimation .
Test Garden Tip : If you are comfy with the indoor temperature , ' Sharry Baby ' will expand . utilize your solace as an index of the right temperature for your orchidaceous plant .
Credit: Jay Graham
Lady of the Night Orchid
Lady of the dark orchidaceous plant ( Brassavola nodosa ) is named in part thanks to its adorable fragrance that is most prolific at night . Unlike most orchids that blush just once a year , noblewoman of the night often blooms multiple times a class . tally on it to bloom in pin or winter and then again sporadically in spring .
How to develop Them : Lady of the nightgrows well in a containerwhen provided with bright light and temperate daytime temperature . Allow the soil to dry out slightly before watering . Before plants bloom in late fall or winter , encourage flowering by not watering industrial plant for a duet of weeks .
Test Garden Tip : Lady of the night orchidaceous plant peak easily when it grows in a localisation that has coolheaded nighttime temperatures . A location that is 10 F tank at night than the daytime temperature is idealistic .
Credit: Don Bartletti/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images
‘Rosy Dawn’ Slipper Orchid
The big , bold flowers of ' Rosy Dawn ' carpet slipper orchid ( Paphiopedilum ) appear in winter and occasionally in summertime , too . ' Rosy Dawn ' has more marked coloring in summertime and take on a pale ashen hue in winter . This variety can be hard to find for sale , so if you spot it , snap it up .
How to Grow Them : Slipper orchidsgrow well in low light . An east window is ideal . West or south windows can be used if they are fill in by a cobwebby mantle . ' Rosy Dawn ' , like most slipper orchids , grow best when their soil is kept evenly moist . Do n’t let these orchids dry out between waterings . Check the dirt every other day or so and piddle industrial plant when stain just begins to feel slightly wry to the ghost .
Test Garden Tip : you’re able to tell by the leaves if your orchid is getting too much brightness level . A reddish tinge on the boundary means you require to move the plant to a location with less sun .
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Phalaenopsis hieroglyphica
Large flower in fat colour make thisPhalaenopsis , or moth orchidaceous plant , a favorite . Count on it to bloom in fall or wintertime and unfurl blooms for more than 8 hebdomad when grown in ideal conditions .
How to Grow Them : Phalaenopsis hieroglyphicaorchids grow well in ardent conditions ( they thrive in rooms that are 70 to 85 ° F ) and gloomy light . An east - facing windowpane is staring for this orchidaceous plant . Phalaenopsisorchids alsolove humidness . Increase the humidness around your plant by setting them on scummy dishes filled with little Stone . Fill the looker with urine until just below the top of the stones . position the orchid on top of the stones .
Test Garden Tip : Use room temperature piss when lacrimation .
Credit: Getty Images
Phalaenopsis gigantea
This is a moth orchid with a big presence . Named for its mammoth leaf ( which exceed two feet long in some instances),Phalaenopsis giganteaisgrown for its foliageas well as its efflorescence . The parent of many orchids , it ’s known for its streak , showy flower .
How to Grow Them : genus Phalaenopsis giganteagrows well in low light . Place it in an east or N - facing window . systematically moist but not wet dirt is favour . When watering this orchid , take care not to get the water supply between the foresightful leafage or they may rot . genus Phalaenopsis giganteathrives in consistently strong temperatures .
Test Garden Tip : Pale , silvery green leaves are typical forPhalaenopsis gigantea .
Credit: Paroli Galperti/Getty Images
Credit: Getty Images
