Orchids are also to be remarked on owing to their ready adaptability and the degree to which they will easily cross-breed or cross-fertilize. This is true in their natural environs as well as when they are under cultivation. This fact also accounts for the virtually endless varieties of flowers and colors that can result from hybridization.

Some botany: The orchid’s flower as a rule consists of these parts: sepals, petals, the labellum or pouch, and the column or crest.

The labellum is generally the most conspicuous part as well as the most important organ of the flower. Insects enter it looking for the succulent juices stored inside the spur or walls of the flower, pollinating the plant as they do so and furthering cross-fertilization in the bargain. This is how such a large number of new varieties are produced in the wild, and these are the orchids that are termed natural hybrids.  But under cultivation this work must be performed by human caretakers using small camel’s hair brushes and with a careful eye and judgment as to the right time for fertilization. It is in this way that the most beautiful hybrids are created, and these are known as garden hybrids.

One of the the things that makes growing orchids so exciting is the dream of producing our own hybrid orchids. This takes knowledge and lots of patience, but even non-professionals have created breathtaking orchids through hybridizing.

If you’re interested in experimenting with the hybridization of orchids, you should first gain some solid experience in the basic cultivation of these plants.  Only when you have confidence in growing and caring for orchids should you venture on the more demanding task of hybridization. Orchids are slow growing, and slow to produce blooms, so you must be prepared to wait sometimes years to learn if your hybridizing attempts are successful. Nontheless, when it succeeds, it’s an incredible experience.  You can produce not only some beautiful flowers in this way, but also orchid varieties that have never before been seen in the world.

Certainly, you must get all the knowledge that you can before attempting to hybridize orchids. Fortunately, there are good books available on all aspects of orchid growing, including step-by-step instructions on hybridizing orchids.

The most accurate and clear guidebook to 21st-century orchid care, hands down, is Orchid Care Expert by master orchid grower Nigel Howard, which can be downloaded over the Internet. Mr. Howard’s guide is a complete course of study, immensely practical for beginners as well as the more experienced cultivators alike. Also, visit the Orchid Secretswebsite, which is publishing an ever-growing library of postings on many topics of orchid cultivation.