Winter Orchids

Dancing Lady (oncidium) is a captivating orchid, much more forgiving of bright light than the Moth Orchid.

You can grow oncidium on bark slabs and in baskets and hang them in trees. With large fleshy pseudobulb and masses of roots, its prone to rotting if you over-water.

Oncidium ‘Heaven Scent Redolence’

Keep them between 18 - 22C during daylight and 10 – 18C at night and you will be rewarded with sprays of ‘dancing ladies’. To buy oncidium head to www.redfoxorchids.com.au

Elegant Slipper Orchids (paphiopedilum) were once in every parlour. Now it’s hard to find them! They grow well indoors if you give them bright light but no direct sun. Keep them in small pots, don’t over-pot them. They tolerate a wide temperate range. To water, place them in a container of rain water overnight with the water level about half way up the pot. Do this once a week, keeping them moist at all times, but not wet, as they need more moisture than most orchids. Feed them with any soluble seaweed fertiliser at quarter strength every three weeks. To buy Slipper Orchids head to www.nickysslippers.com

Paphiopedilum hybrids

Moth Orchid (phalaeonopsis) is more sensitive to bright light; an east-facing window with gentle morning light is good. They prefer day temperature of 21-30 C and at night, 10-15C. Like most orchids they like humidity around 70% so sit your orchid on a tray of gravel filled with water, so the orchid sits on the gravel and not in the water and mist it regularly with rain water.

Miniature Moth Orchid (Phalaenopsis)  

For more about orchids read Sandra’s story, 'Mad about orchids