From birth to maturity

The search for perfection requires patience. Breeders produce thousands of new hybrids every year. The period from the initial selection to the inclusion of an orchid in the range covers some 8 to 10 years. So it takes a while before a particular orchid variety ends up in the living room!

This year we will follow the orchid from selection through to cultivation into a beautiful mature plant. We would like to use video images to show how the orchid is born and grows into a magnificent houseplant.

The first phase

We start the first phase with the selection, breeding and tissue culture of the small orchid plants before they arrive at the growers for cultivation.

Every year the breeders produce thousands of new plants which are grown to the stage where the plant produces seed. When these flower, a few thousand are chosen for further selection. Clones of each of the varieties are then tested in various locations and for various properties. Ultimately a few dozen of these varieties will be included in the breeder’s range.

The plants are bred into uniform progeny in plant tissue culture laboratories. During the process the plant material passes through various phases. The development of the plant material is monitored closely in the growth chambers. Following the final phase, when the orchid plants develop a tiny root, they are delivered to the nursery where they are potted.