Orchids make up one of the largest and most diverse groups of flowering plants in the world. The orchid family includes more than 25,000 individual species that come from every continent except Antarctica, making them some of theĀ best types of flowers you should have in your garden. The high volume of orchid varieties is due to the fact that in highly competitive plant environments, like tropical areas, orchids have to compete with other plants to attract pollinators. Because of this, orchids are some of our favoriteĀ flowers that attract beesĀ and butterflies.
Blooming in every color except blue and black, orchids are known for their showy and sweet-smelling flowers, making them some of theĀ best fragrant outdoor plants. Some orchids, like epidendrum orchids, thrive in the garden, while others like paphiopedilum orchids make for great indoor plants. Orchids may have a reputation of being difficult to care for, but certain types like phalaenopsis orchids can be some of theĀ easiest flowers to grow. Click through the gallery to find an exciting array of orchids to grow in your garden or on your windowsill this year. Pick the right orchids for your needs and abilities, and you'll be a fancy orchid expert in no time
Orchids have some unique features which help them in the evolutionary race. They produce masses of pollen (which improves the chances of pollination), very light seeds (which makes them easier to spread) and can grow on other plants using them to support their own growth....Due to their namesake, orchids are associated with fertility, virility, and sexuality. These associations, coupled with their exotic appearance, have given them a long history of being associated with love, fertility and elegance throughout various cultures and time periods....Orchids are widely considered to be the most highly evolved of all flowering plants. ... Technically, an orchid is a flowering plant that exhibits a unique reproductive strategy. All orchids have both the male and female reproductive structures fused into a single structure commonly called a "column