Growing Wild Orchids Tips

The song Blue Orchid by White Stripes is on their album Get Behind Me Satan and this seems to be a good album title for a song that is talking about “getting a reaction” by turning a white orchid blue. The lyrics of the song would seem to be talking about taking something that is beautiful and pure and changing it for no other reason than wanting attention. This would seem to be a statement of the modern era with many people looking for some type of reaction in life.

Blue Orchid by White Stripes lyrics are quite popular with the younger generation who find the words both catchy and meaningful in a way that a young person can only understand. The lyrics talk of dissatisfaction, hiding the truth, and a lack of maturity. Many people can find a personal connection in the lyrics and will find themselves repeating the phrases often.

The Music of White Stripes in Blue Orchid

The song Blue Orchid by White Stripes has a very catchy tune. The lilting notes trip over the scales quickly drawing the listener in. Though the tune is somewhat repetitive, it is a sound that makes a person move with it and quickly find they are humming along. The talent of the group White Stripes is clearly seen and heard in this music and is alluring to all who hear it. The quick rock tempo with the beat of the drum and talented guitar blend with the lyrics to create a light tune with deep meaning. Young and old alike will enjoy the sound.

Blue Orchid White Stripes Music Video

This music video, which can be seen on MTV or can be found on internet sites such as YouTube, is art in itself. The video is done in black and white which seems to emphasize the basic meaning of the lyrics. The young woman in the video seems to be struggling with her life as she tries to walk in stiletto heels and then further complicates the issue by trying to go down the stairs of the cluttered home she is in. There is a small, cute toddler in the corner who must represent innocence that has been lost by the young woman.

At some point the woman falls to the ground and in a somewhat Biblical reference the musician Jack White throws down a stick which turns into a snake and crawls towards the woman. The danger increases with the appearance of several snakes. The end of the video comes as a white stallion stands over the woman and rears up. Blue Orchid by White Stripes music video leaves the watcher considering the outcome of the situation.

Orchids have become a popular pastime for many gardening enthusiasts today. Thanks to the large number of these plants that are grown each year, orchids are not only the rich man’s hobby of the past. However, there are still orchid experts who are still interested in raising the highest qualities of plants possible, and this is where the Eric Young Orchid Foundation comes in. This foundation has made a name for itself in the field of orchids, due to the high standards with which the various species are developed and grown. Evidence of these standards can be seen in the many awards that flowers from this foundation have earned since the beginning of the organization.

The History of the Eric Young Orchid Foundation

The Eric Young Orchid Foundation was started in 1958 by a scientist and horticulturist, Eric Young. This man’s love for this particular flower is showcased at the foundation even today, with the many beautiful blooms that you can enjoy there. Part of the purpose of the Eric Young Orchid Foundation is to serve as a hothouse that is home to a huge variety of orchid flowers – the primary reason that this foundation has become a large tourist attraction at the Channel Islands, where the foundation is located. Another function of the foundation is to act as a research and breeding center that is completely dedicated to the development of the highest quality of orchids in the world.

In 2001, the Eric Young Orchid Foundation opened its exhibition complex, where orchid enthusiasts from around the globe could come and appreciate the amazing array of flowers that this foundation has been responsible for. You can also find representatives of the Eric Young Orchid Foundation at numerous exhibits worldwide, making this name synonymous with these beautiful flower species. The awards and medals that have been won by this foundation are plentiful, and many gardening experts search for the Eric Young orchids that will mean quality plants and beautiful blooms.

If you are interested in learning more about the glorious flowers from the Eric Young Orchid Foundation, you can check out their website at http://www.ericyoungorchidfoundation.co.uk/. Here you can find more information about the foundation, as well as photos of their most recent award-winning plants. To visit the foundation in person, you will need to travel to the Victoria Village in Trinity, Jersey on the Channel Islands. Here you will find the most amazing collection of orchids that you could ever hope to see and enjoy. If you are a lover of fine orchids, the display that you will find here will be well worth the trip.

When you get to see a ghost orchid up close, it is not overtly pretty as most orchid varieties usually are. Physically, it looks fragile; it’s an epiphyte which means that it’s found anchored on trees where it gets its nutrients. The ghost orchid is found in areas of Cuba, the Bahamas and Florida where its habitat flourishes in relatively moist and humid swamp lands.

Unlike other monocotyledons, it doesn’t have stems and its leaves look more like scales than leaves. A ghost orchid is almost all roots which are flat and create this wild tangle on tree trunks where they get moisture. Its outer layer called the velamen is what it uses to absorb nutrients.

The ghost orchid flowers between the months of June and August are white and are held upwards from spikes emanating from the roots to give it the illusion of floating like a white apparition, hence its name.

Why the Ghost Orchid is Valuable

Unlike its more gorgeous sisters who bank on their beauty to be commercially saleable, the ghost orchid relies on its extreme rarity for its intrinsic value. This rarity has classified it as being endangered. In fact, taking one of the Florida Everglades is punishable under state and federal laws. Adding to this rarity is the fact that the ghost orchid is notoriously difficult to breed in an environment outside its own natural habitat. Breeders who must attempt to cultivate the said orchid must replicate the orchid’s growing conditions as close as possible.

In its natural habitat, pollination of the ghost orchid is equally daunting and unique. Only one insect, the giant sphinx moth is up to this task as it is the only one with a proboscis long enough to reach into the flower.

Even its mycorrhizal symbiosis is unique. If conditions are not right such as when the fungus that symbiosis interacts with is not present, the ghost orchid could actually die, effectively reducing its numbers.

Moreover, setting a price for a ghost orchid (if it is ever put on sale under legal circumstances) is quite prohibitive. Yet there’s no need to buy the flower in order to appreciate it. Recent sightings of specimen in many areas of Florida’s Everglades mean that there’s more than a ghost of a chance to actually see a ghost orchid.

All it takes really is a wilderness tour and just maybe, you get lucky to catch a glimpse of this delicate and rare natural apparition.

When one brings up the topic of caring for an orchid, typically the average person is referring to the cut flower. Perhaps the cut flower was on the corsage you received or the orchid you were given as a token of love and respect. The orchid is used in such a broad variety of ways as a cut flower.

However, any thorough discussion of caring for an orchid should look at it from a number of perspectives. From the origins of the plant, to its most likely death as a cut flower, there are many aspects to caring for an orchid. One should even recall that some of the most beautiful plants can still be found in the wild.

The Wild Orchids

This is the simplest story to tell. Caring for an orchid that is growing in the wild means do not pick it and if at all possible do not damage the ecological environment of the plant at all. You must be aware that in order to survive, wild orchids need their moths, bees and wasps and their soils to stay the way they are and only mutate as nature intends. Therefore, the art of caring for an orchid that is wild means, pictures only.

Captured and Cultivated Plants

Caring for those plants that have already been captured means making sure that they are watered appropriately and that the ambient temperature closely resembles that of their native environment. If they are a cultivated plant they may not actually need as much caring for as they may have already adapted to their environment. However, they are still plants and caring for an orchid still requires protecting it from the harsh edges of temperatures and winds.

Although orchids grow almost everywhere, they are known for seeking shelter and often are found in wooded areas throughout the world. It is these environments that are often simulated in orchid greenhouses that are found throughout the world. In fact, in the deep south of the United States, there is even a secret orchid greenhouse that exists.

Cut Plants

Although, perhaps one of the most fragile looking of flowers, a cut orchid can actually survive pretty well if you reduce the ambient temperature and keep it moist. In fact, most orchids last a little longer than the average cut flower. Once the plant begins to lose its beauty, you may want to consider drying the flower. This is the last step in caring for an orchid. Preserving its natural beauty for all to see and recalling the occasion that the beautiful flower represents.