The orchid – unique, enchanting, vibrant, prized for their idiosyncratic beauty, and commonly associated with exotic locations.
Having visited Kew Gardens’ 23rd Orchid Festival – a tropical greenhouse bursting with a diversity of species and designs in celebration of the landscape of Thailand: its rich colours, vibrant culture, and exotic plant life – we felt inspired to feature the orchid as our Flower Of The Month.
![Floom Orchid Green 2](https://floom.imgix.net/products/floom-orchid-green-2.jpg?auto=format&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fm=pjpg&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=900&ixlib=php-1.1.0&q=65&w=1440&s=534e9ba269eed97ff4b3c3b0f78f1623 1440w, https://floom.imgix.net/products/floom-orchid-green-2.jpg?auto=format&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fm=pjpg&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=625&ixlib=php-1.1.0&q=65&w=1000&s=a8ea0b7832a4fc3cb2df077fa7955877 1000w, https://floom.imgix.net/products/floom-orchid-green-2.jpg?auto=format&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fm=pjpg&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=375&ixlib=php-1.1.0&q=65&w=600&s=da23e3db2f9b31633ad5815f17494814 600w, https://floom.imgix.net/products/floom-orchid-green-2.jpg?auto=format&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fm=pjpg&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=250&ixlib=php-1.1.0&q=65&w=400&s=8b4260c5b7ee4d3a720c83d57706b5ca 400w)
It’s been over 250 years since the first orchid was named – with Kew acting as a world leader – and now there are over 30,000 species (of which 1,100 reside in Thailand) thus deeming the orchid the most biodiverse of the flowering plants. While in traditional Chinese medicine and ancient Greek history the orchid has been said to possess notable medicinal properties, on the whole they are renowned the world over for their enchanting appearance. But as you might expect for a flower that’s sought after for its innate beauty, its history is a lucrative one that most famously started in Victorian England.
...its history is a lucrative one that most famously started in Victorian England.
![Floom Orchid Blue](https://floom.imgix.net/products/floom-orchid-blue.jpg?auto=format&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fm=pjpg&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=900&ixlib=php-1.1.0&q=65&w=1440&s=6d57a712c8142bba7a77ca84e27ea5b7 1440w, https://floom.imgix.net/products/floom-orchid-blue.jpg?auto=format&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fm=pjpg&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=625&ixlib=php-1.1.0&q=65&w=1000&s=ba10f437ac3ae1bac51831d3f4c7ea97 1000w, https://floom.imgix.net/products/floom-orchid-blue.jpg?auto=format&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fm=pjpg&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=375&ixlib=php-1.1.0&q=65&w=600&s=9232ffbd9989e1259139dcc4ec4cc603 600w, https://floom.imgix.net/products/floom-orchid-blue.jpg?auto=format&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fm=pjpg&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=250&ixlib=php-1.1.0&q=65&w=400&s=022534323f202a1652054d30513e9fab 400w)
In the nineteenth-century, 'Orchidelirium' or the act of collecting orchids was considered to be a sign of wealth – a movement started by William Spencer Cavendish, the Duke of Devonshire, in 1833 when he first laid his eyes on an Oncidium orchid in London and decided to start his personal collection. And so the Duke’s gardener spent years travelling Asia and the Amazon in search of rare species of the flower to bring back to Europe for the first time, in turn the orchid became an emblem of wealth in the upper echelons of European society. The lucrative activity of orchid hunting became the sport du jour – which entailed conquering dangerous unchartered territories in the process – and the prized stems could earn an explorer a fee of over 100 guineas – around £10,000.
...the prized stems could earn an explorer a fee of over 100 guineas – around £10,000.
![Floom Orchid Green 1](https://floom.imgix.net/products/floom-orchid-green-1.jpg?auto=format&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fm=pjpg&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=900&ixlib=php-1.1.0&q=65&w=1440&s=2fb50d592f2ffbd67b4a1586f2f4f610 1440w, https://floom.imgix.net/products/floom-orchid-green-1.jpg?auto=format&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fm=pjpg&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=625&ixlib=php-1.1.0&q=65&w=1000&s=fe14f9d544618866b8c222f6ee30f8a4 1000w, https://floom.imgix.net/products/floom-orchid-green-1.jpg?auto=format&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fm=pjpg&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=375&ixlib=php-1.1.0&q=65&w=600&s=1e7bc8d4ee6f6edb08b214a8c19b1217 600w, https://floom.imgix.net/products/floom-orchid-green-1.jpg?auto=format&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fm=pjpg&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=250&ixlib=php-1.1.0&q=65&w=400&s=0f49548ebf63abdd97ac6737fa8531e3 400w)
It’s the orchid’s ability to adapt in various ecosystems in order to survive in the wild – via 'pseudo-antagonism' and `pseudocopulation’ tactics – that’s resulted in such a diversity of shapes, sizes and in turn, hybrids. The first artificial orchid hybrid of which is cited as the Vanda Miss Joaquim, Singapore’s National Flower – a cross between the Burmese Vanda teres and the Malayan Vanda hookeriana – bred by Ashkhen Hovakimian and bird like in its composition. Scientists the world over have been inventing hybrids to satisfy our desire for the most colourful, unique and mesmerising stems since.
Unsurprisingly, the orchid’s thrilling history has seen the stem long associated with rarity, luxury, beauty and strength – something to consider when you’re selecting the perfect bouquet for that powerful, independent, and truly unique person in your life.