Growing Hardy Orchids

by John H. Tullock

This is a book for adventurous gardeners with an appreciation for temperate orchid species and native wildflowers. A surprising number of terrestrial orchids are hardy, some able to withstand temperatures down to minus 50°F or minus 45.5°C. Though they have a reputation for being challenging to cultivate, in truth, most hardy orchids are no more so than a rose. This is great news for gardeners, who will enjoy filling their gardens with their enchanting fragrances, vibrant color displays, and long-lived blooms. At the center of the book is a catalog of 103 hardy and half-hardy orchids. In addition to detailing the techniques of cultivation and propagation, the book covers conservation and includes lists of suppliers and organizations offering nursery-propagated plants — an especially critical issue for species in danger of extinction.

Genres: Gardening

244 pages, Hardcover

First published July 1, 2005

About the author

John Tullock, originally from Eastern Tennessee, is a lifelong gardener with special interests in orchids and environmentally sound aquarium fish-keeping. John taught college-level biology after graduating with his Master's Degree in ecology and evolutionary biology from the University of Tennesse. He founded the Aquatic Specialists (1987) and the American Marinelife Dealers Association.
John continues to practice and promote 'sustainable, self-sufficient living in the urban environment.'

Reviews

[Rachael · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book is very tailored to the author's experience of growing orchids in Tennessee, and it focuses heavily on Cypripedium acaule (stemless lady's slipper), a very low-ph orchid. I wouldn't say the information in the first half is inapplicable to growing orchids in different climates, such as Minnesota, but he doesn't apply it himself. It's more about his experiences and what has worked for him. He does give easy, do-it-yourself steps to building a bog garden as either a raised or in-ground bed, which was great. There's not a lot on propagation, at least for native species; most require very specialized practices for seed germination, which he himself doesn't do.

The latter half the book is a catalogue of species with brief notes on their native range, bloom season, color, hardiness zone, and recommended sun exposure, drainage, soil mixture, ph, irrigation, fertilization, and mulch. A solid half of those species are non-natives. It also offers the commercial availability of the species, but of the US suppliers listed, the vast majority are no longer in business nearly twenty years since its printing (I spent time looking each one up).

So it did have some good information, with excellent arguments for propagating rare native orchids, but at the same time, I don't feel like I learned a lot; I made a few notes on soil mixes, but that's about it.

[April Moore · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an excellent book for those of us with an interest in growing native orchids who AREN'T botanists. It was extra valuable to me since he lives in Tennessee and could reference areas of our state that I was familiar with as examples of habitat.

I also really appreciated his discussions of the realities of habitat reduction and why that's happening. He summed up his thoughts at the beginning with examples of how he reached those conclusions and then brought it all back around -- while staying on topic -- at the end. Really, just a fantastic book.