When you purchase an orchid, it comes in a plastic pot. Many people assume that this pot is unnecessary, so they discard it and place the orchid in a decorative plant pot. While this may seem reasonable, it’s not quite the intended practice. The plastic pot of an orchid actually serves a purpose! It helps your orchid thrive and stay healthy. Read on to find out how.

The importance of the plastic pot of an orchid

 

When you remove an orchid from its plastic pot and place it in a pot without drainage holes together with potting soil, the roots no longer receive oxygen. Since orchids have aerial roots, they require oxygen to survive. Additionally, overwatering can cause the roots to rot. Excess water has nowhere to go, leading to water pooling at the bottom of the pot. This results in the roots remaining wet, leading to rot. By using a plastic pot with drainage holes, excess water can easily escape.

Another advantage of a plastic pot is its transparency. This allows you to see the roots of the orchid at the bottom of the pot, so you can check if your orchid needs watering. Are the roots green? Then it has sufficient water. Are the roots grey or white? Then it’s time to water.

 

Also read: 3 ways to water your orchid

 

 

Repotting an orchid

For these reasons, you don’t need to repot an orchid too frequently. Repotting only is a good idea when the roots are growing out of the plastic pot, causing it to break. Use airy soil, preferably special orchid potting soil, because regular potting soil is too dense and doesn’t drain thoroughly enough.

 

Also read: How to care for an orchid

 

Curious about the style trends for 2024? The Flower Council Holland has developed four style trends for 2024, together with Tuinbranche Nederland, iBulb, INretail and Bureau Nijman + Van Haaster. All four are based on the current zeitgeist but are all different. Keep reading to get inspired!

Style trends for 2024

 

Meaningful Earth

The Meaningful Earth style trend revolves around the concept of the earth: an “ancestral” interior filled with rough and rugged materials. These materials are natural and coarse, often eco-friendly or made from recycled materials. Think of stone, minerals, ceramics, coconut, burlap, cotton, pressed recycled leather, clay, mud and irregular glass. The shapes are rough, coarse and irregular, and have a primitive look and feel. The designs are natural as well, such as spot patterns, fossil prints and stripes that resemble layers of earth. Additionally, objects like jugs or sculptures are incorporated to connect with the roots of our culture.

 

 

Floral arrangements are not neat and tidy but have a rugged look & feel. In terms of plants, we see lots of highly visible bulb products. For instance, placed in a glass bowl full of multi-coloured sand layers, so that the soil is clearly discernible.

 

 

Not surprisingly, shades of brown play a major role in the colour chart for accessories. The Meaningful Earth colour chart has been modified for flowers and plants and contains light yellow and salmon hues, that combine beautifully with dark and greyish-green shades.

 

Viva La Vida

The Viva La Vida style trend represents a cheerful, exuberant celebration of life, filled with passion, colour and expressiveness. Forget minimalism and immerse the home in vibrant colours – Spain and Mexico are clearly sources of inspiration here. Natural materials are used in a decorative manner. These include decorative tiles, mosaics, coloured and woven reed and raffia, textiles with frayed ends, frills and fringes, pigmented wood and patterned wrought iron with patterns. The designs are colourful and diverse, ranging from classic to modern.

 

 

When it comes to floral arrangements, colour is key. Preferably vibrant and festive, combined with full flower forms. Whether it’s voluminous bouquets or a single striking flower, they serve as eye-catching focal points. Flowering houseplants are also perfect for this trend.

 

 

This kind of trend naturally features a warm and exuberant colour palette. Essential colours are pink, red, Viva Magenta (Pantone colour of the year 2023), orange and bright yellow. These colours are also found in flowers, plants and accessories. The accent colours in this palette include black, Marsala brown and bright mint green. These tones are perfect for accessories and large elements, both indoors and outdoors.

 

Gentle Paradox

Contrast is what style trend Gentle Paradox is all about. In a calm interior, we find an abundance of round and soft shapes, with furniture that is sometimes made of unexpectedly hard materials. Hard, smooth materials alternate with soft structures, as if trying to soften the hard reality. Marble, concrete, ceramics, plastic, baked tiles and natural stone are common elements, alternating with high-pile carpets on floors and walls. Textiles also play a role, from pleated and ribbed to bouclé. In terms of patterns, the sky’s the limit, with everything from romantic floral patterns to abstract designs.

 

 

Flowers also contribute to softening and creating a dreamy atmosphere. For example, by placing arrangements in corners or on the floor, against the wall. Arrangements are ‘cloudy’, often with transparent edges and also featuring dried flowers. Individual flowers add a sense of softness through their shape or subtly transitioning colours. A transparent character and soft leaves, in terms of colour and texture, are also important when it comes to plants.

 

 

The Gentle Paradox colour palette is soft and conveys a sense of tranquillity and harmony. Neutral colours and pastel shades alternate with a warm cognac colour. The shades of green are mostly found in flowers and plants.

 

 

Playful Construction

Style trend Playful Construction revolves around experimenting. Featuring playful solutions and structural exuberance, like giant links that together form a sofa. Everything appears to be the consequence of a surprising perspective on consumer items and decorative products. The interior has an optimistic look & feel thanks to product combinations and cheerful colours. Materials are of secondary importance. However, we see lots of tubular constructions made of metal, plastic or glass, which helps to shape the structural character of this trend. The surfaces are mostly smooth. Patterns also play a minor role and are limited to stripes, checks, ridges and circles.

 

Circular shapes are prevalent in flowers, both in the floral arrangements themselves and the underlying elements. Hanging plants also play a prominent role, excitingly duelling with basic constructions in pots or wall decorations.

 

 

Colour is key with this trend, which features a highly diverse colour palette. This palette includes bright colours, fresh pastel hues, silver and light grey – all of which can be combined endlessly.

 

Creating an orchid arrangement may sound difficult, but it’s actually quite simple – even if you’re not an experienced florist. Plus, an arrangement full of lush orchids is the perfect way to brighten up any room or make a special gift! So, whether you want to spruce up your home or give a thoughtful present, a homemade orchid arrangement is always a great idea.

How to create a stunning orchid arrangement

Generally, you don’t need much to make an orchid arrangement. The basic requirements are a few orchids, a beautiful large bowl, and some moss. That’s it! You can place the orchids, still in their plastic pots, in the bowl. That may seem a bit strange, but you won’t see the plastic pots later on. Play around with the composition of the plants until you’re happy with how they look. Once you’re satisfied, cover the plastic pots with some moss, and voilà: a stunning orchid arrangement!

Also read: DIY: gift wrapping with orchids

 

Inspiration for a beautiful arrangement

We frequently share examples of beautiful orchid arrangements on social media. Videos are especially helpful for seeing how easy it is to create one! Here are a few examples:

 

An arrangement with mini orchids:

 

 

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A spring-inspired arrangement with orchids:

 

 

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These orchids in pots made of hollowed-out pumpkins are perfect for fall:

 

 

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Working with different heights creates a playful composition, which you can easily achieve by using large and mini orchids:

 

 

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Follow us on Instagram, Tiktok, Facebook, or Pinterest for more inspiration and care tips!

Spring is in full swing, so it’s time to freshen up your interior. Luckily, a major makeover isn’t necessary; it’s all in the details! Say goodbye to dark colours and heavy fabrics, and hello to cheerful colours and airy textiles! Read on for three tips on how to update your interior for spring. With these tips, you can create a new atmosphere in your home in no time!

3 ways to update your interior for spring

 

Add colourful orchids

Orchids are gorgeous plants that are perfect for brightening up your interior in the spring. They come in various colours and sizes, so you can easily match them to your decor. Place them in a beautiful planter in a spot where they’ll catch your eye, such as the dining table or a dresser. They can quickly bring a dull space to life! Orchids are easy to care for and bloom for several months, so your interior will look beautiful throughout the season.

Also read: How to keep your orchid in perfect condition!

 

 

Choose lightweight accessories

A quick and easy way to give an update on your interior for spring is by swapping out your pillows and throws. Pack away the warm blankets and make room for pillow covers in cheerful colours and lightweight fabrics such as linen or cotton. Swap out any dark accessories for glass ones, as they create an open and airy feel. Consider a vase with ribbed glass or a glass candleholder.

Another great way to bring the fresh scent of spring into your home is by making your own orchid reed diffusers. Check out this video for a tutorial:

@orchidsinfo Did you know that Cambria flowers have a wonderful scent? #scentedsticks #diy #cambria #cambriaorchid #flowers #diyhomefragrance #reeddiffuser #diyreeddiffuser #fragrancesticks #homedecor ♬ Chill Vibes – Tollan Kim

Also read: Add colour to your kitchen with the help of orchids

 

Change your duvet cover

A simple way to create a fresh and light atmosphere in your bedroom is to get a new duvet cover. It doesn’t have to be a wintery, warm colour: opt for a vibrant or bold pattern! A new duvet cover can work wonders, as it’s the first thing you see in the morning.

 

Follow us on Instagram, Tiktok, Facebook, or Pinterest for more inspiration and care tips!

With spring in full swing and the sun shining more and more, it’s time for a garden clean-up. Of course, this involves weeding and cleaning your garden furniture. Not satisfied with the results? Upgrade your garden with garden orchids! These exotic plants come in all shapes and sizes and are real eye-catchers. In this article, we’ll show you how to upgrade your garden with orchids!

Also read: These are the different garden orchid varieties

 

Upgrade your garden with garden orchids

If you can’t get enough of the exotic beauty of orchids, we have good news. These exuberant flowers are not only for indoor use! With easy-to-care-for and frost-resistant garden orchids, you can easily upgrade any outdoor space. Select the shape, colour, and height that you like!

 

 

Orchids in a large plant pot

To create a real eye-catcher in your garden, you can fill a large plant pot with garden orchids. First, place a layer of hydrogranules on the bottom so that they can absorb excess water and release it gradually to the potting soil. Hydrogranules also allow more air to reach the roots – and roots love fresh air. Then add potting soil and plant the orchids in it. Choose a nice spot in your garden and enjoy!

 

 

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Orchids in terracotta pots on the table

Another fun way to style garden orchids is to distribute them over various terracotta pots and place them in the centre of the table. In these pots, it’s also important to first place a layer of hydrogranules on the bottom before adding potting soil. Then play around with adding the plants: use different colours, place multiple small plants in one large pot, and vary the heights. This will create an interesting whole!

 

 

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Also read: Orchids on your terrace or balcony

The Phalaenopsis orchid comes in a beautiful range of colours, such as white, lilac, light pink, bright pink, salmon pink, orange, red and yellow. There are also variations in these colours, such as striped or spotted orchids. But in nature, blue is not a usual bloom colour. Growers all over the world (but especially in the Netherlands and Taiwan) are trying to create the blue Phalaenopsis in their labs. And that’s not easy. Read on for the secret of blue orchids!

 

This is the secret of blue orchids

Formerly, white Phalaenopsis were spray painted. The flower branch, with a few flowers in bloom and the rest still in bud, was dyed blue. However, the new blooms emerging from the plant were white, with no hint of blue in sight! That wasn’t the expected outcome, so after a while the blue orchid project continued.

 

 

How are blue orchids made?

The solution was found in the current method. First, a small hole is made in the stem of the plant. Next, colored dye is injected into the hole. After that, the plant’s natural process of transporting water to the stem and blooms takes place, and at that point, the dye is carried and distributed throughout as well. This ensures the blooming flowers will be blue, as well as the buds. This system is patented and may not be imitated without the permission of the patent holder.

 

Why did my blue orchid turn white?

This treatment doesn’t damage the shelf life and flowering period of the plant, so just like any other Phalaenopsis it will bloom again. But the blue flowers on the orchid will only last until they fall off. Any flowers that emerge after that, will be in the original colour – probably white.

The plants used for this are grown using only biological crop protection. The nursery meets other sustainability requirements and government certificates. Also, the dye is also mostly organic. For example, a carrot extract is used for the orange colouring.

 

 

Want to know more about orchids? Read also: These are the 11 most popular types of Orchids

Wondering where to place an orchid in your house? Many people place this plant on the windowsill, which is not surprising as it’s a beautiful plant to show off! But there are more places where the orchid can be showcased. In this article, we’ll share the 4 best spots to place your orchid in your home.

Also read: 3 ways to water your orchid

 

Where should I place an orchid in my house?

The bathroom

You might not think about placing an orchid in the bathroom, but you should! Because orchids are epiphytes, they thrive in humidity. They do need daylight, so if your bathroom doesn’t have windows place your plant in indirect sunlight every now and then.

 

 

The living room

Maybe the best place to put an orchid is in the living room. It’s a subtropical plant that likes to be in a spot with a lot of daylight, which in most homes is the living room. Be careful not to place an orchid in direct sunlight, because the leaves can get sunburned. Make sure not to place it near heating or in a draught either: the ideal room temperature for an orchid is between 15 and 25 degrees.

 

 

The bedroom

Indoor plants provide a calming environment and therefore are ideal for the bedroom. Waking up with such an exotic plant on the bedside table provides instant happiness! Just like in the living room, most bedrooms receive a lot of daylight. A good spot for an orchid!

 

 

In the (home) office

Research has shown that plants can have a positive impact on productivity. Plants in the workspace can increase productivity by up to 15%! People also complete tasks faster, without the quality deteriorating. In addition, plants have a positive effect on your concentration, because they reduce noise by 8%. Enough reasons to fill your desk or home office with a beautiful collection of orchids, right?

Also read: Add colour to your kitchen with the help of orchids

 

 

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The Paphiopedilum is an elegant orchid with an eye-catching lip, slender stem and sweeping petals. Thanks to the shoe-shaped lip, this plant is also called the Venus slipper, lady slipper or slipper orchid. Because if you see the lip separate from the flower, it looks just like a slipper! But that’s not all that’s special about this orchid. In this article, you can read 11 more fun facts about the Paphiopedilum!

Also read: These are the 11 most popular types of Orchids

 

12 fun facts about the Paphiopedilum

2. The shoe-shaped lip of the Paphiopedilum not only makes for a cute nickname, but it also helps in pollination. It gives off an odour – inaudible to humans – and lures flies into its mouth. Once inside the mirror-smooth lip, there is only one way out: along a staircase of hairs at the back of the lip, past the pollen and pistil.

3. A few Paphiopedilums and Phragmipediums have such long petals on their flower that they reach their leaves or sometimes even the ground. These petals then serve as a path for crawling insects to walk to the mouth and take care of pollination there.

 

 

4. Paphiopedilums are propagated mainly through seeds. After pollination, the flower falls from the stem and the ovary at the top of the stem swells. Depending on the variety, the seed must ripen on the plant for six months to a year, before the seed pod can be harvested and sown on special soil with the necessary nutrients for germination.

 

 

5. The seed pod contains tens of thousands of seeds, as fine as dust. This seed doesn’t carry any nutrients for germination and must enter into a symbiosis with certain fungi. So in nature, the seed must fall in the right place in order to germinate. In the laboratory, we make a breeding ground with special nutrients, including bananas, that help the fine seed germinate. The germination process takes up to several months.

6. Paphiopedilum is a large family with many diverse species. From very small to large flowers, from green leaves to variegated leaves with flower colours from white-green to almost black, and from solid colours to speckles and stripes.

7. Paphiopedilums are sympodial orchids. These orchids grow from a horizontal stem instead of a vertical stem. Sympodial orchids have multiple stalks – or pseudobulbs – which increase in number every year. Usually, these new pseudobulbs emerge from the side of an older pseudobulb.

 

 

8. Paphiopedilums are southeast Asian orchids which are native to humid forests. While the majority of orchids are epiphytes (grow in trees), Paphiopedilums are mostly terrestrial. This means they usually grow amongst rocks, moss and leaf litter. That’s why the Paphiopedilum doesn’t like direct sunlight: in nature, it’s protected by the foliage of the trees.

9. The Paphiopedilum is a ground orchid. There is no chlorophyll in the roots; therefore, the plant isn’t placed in a transparent pot.

10. The Paphiopedilum flowers for about 6 to 12 weeks, depending on the variety.

11. The process of crossing, seed, germination and growth into a flowering plant takes about 6 years.

12. The Dutch American Hybrids are crossed to be grown sustainably, with fewer diseases and easy re-flowering in the living room.

 

 

Paphiopedilum care tips

A few Paphiopedilum care tips:

• Water your Paphiopedilum once a week, slightly more in the summer. Make sure that no water remains at the bottom of the outer pot.
• Paphiopedilums are shade plants, so don’t place them in direct sunlight.
• Did your Paphiopedilum finish flowering? Then remove the stem as deep as possible and place the plant in a cooler room. Also give it a little less water, which promotes bud induction in the new shoots.
• Keep the plant cooler for about six weeks and then treat it again with sufficient light, water and a warmer temperature. This in turn gives new shoot growth, which is necessary for subsequent flowering.

 

Read more about the Paphiopedilum orchid!

Keukenhof is the perfect place to celebrate spring in the Netherlands. The flower park in Lisse will be open for the 74th time from March 23, 2023. It’s one of the most beautiful attractions in The Netherlands and is visited by people from all over the world.

Also read: How to style the Colour of the Year 2023: Viva Magenta

 

Keukenhof 2023

Keukenhof will be open from Thursday 23 March to Sunday 14 May 2023. The 15 km hiking trails are laid out in such a way that you have a spectacular view of the fragrant flower gardens and flower greenhouses. During your walk, you will see unique, weekly changing flower shows, beautiful ponds and various pavilions with restaurants and terraces. In addition to the flower gardens, Keukenhof is also home to the largest sculpture park in the Netherlands. You can admire many images here, made by national and international artists.

Keukenhof displays flowers and blooming plants not only outdoors, but also indoors. In the Beatrix Pavilion, you can enjoy orchids in a wonderful colourful ambiance!

 

 

Theme 2023

Each year, Keukenhof has a special theme to which the designs of the gardens and the flower shows in the pavilions are inspired. Last year it was ‘Flower Classics’: a classic and timeless theme, and also a reference to art. In 2023, Keukenhof has no overarching theme. The flower shows will each have their own theme, making a visit to Keukenhof even more varied. In addition, flowers, colours and scents connect in any way; this is a theme in itself!

 

 

Practical information

Keukenhof is open from Thursday 23 March to Sunday 14 May 2023, from 8:00 am – 7:30 pm. More information and tickets can be found on their website.

Address:
Stationsweg 166A
2161 AM Lisse

 

Also read: The style trends for 2023 in the field of flowers and houseplants

It’s common knowledge that a plant has roots, but the air roots of an orchid are a little less known. So you’re probably wondering what they are, what their function is and whether you can cut off an orchid’s air roots. Read all about it in this article!

Also read: How to make orchids rebloom again?

 

What are air roots?

Curious about what the roots that grow outside of the pot of your orchid are? Air roots are crazy-looking tendrils that look a little like tentacles, but they are perfectly normal! They are firm and white, and often grow downwards.

 

 

What is the function of air roots?

Orchids use their roots to absorb nutrients from the air, absorbing moisture and obtaining carbon dioxide they need to thrive. However, this is especially true in areas and climates with high humidity. In the average living room, this function is therefore less effective and doesn’t have a huge effect on the growth of your plant.

Fun fact: orchids are epiphytes, which means they grow on other plants – such as a tree in a tropical rainforest. They use their roots to attach themselves to tree branches high above the jungle floor, to attempt to reach the light filtering through the leafy canopy. So, many plants that we place in a pot are actually climbing plants!

 

Should I cut the air roots off my orchid?

Not everyone is a fan of aerial roots, as they can make the plant look a bit crazy. However, if the air roots are firm and white, they are healthy and you don’t need to do anything at all. Trim the ones looking brown and soft, but work carefully to avoid cutting too deep and harming the plant. Do the air roots really bother you? Then cut a few off, but not all at once. This way your orchid can slowly get used to it.

 

 

Also read: 3 ways to water your orchid