All the Dirt on Gardening

Here's a great opportunity to learn about Orchids from Cathy and Steve Marak. The Maraks are enthusiastic about orchids and give great presentations. What Is It About Orchids?    At the February 17 meeting of Flower, Garden & Nature Society of Northwest Arkansas hear two orchid enthusiasts, Cathy and Steve Marak, as they talk about their collection of hundreds of orchids.   Both Cathy and Steve have held offices in the Orchid Society of the Ozarks (Steve is the current president.), and they are co-chairing the 8th Annual Orchids in the Garden Show and Sale.   That event will occur March 2, 3, & 4 this year.    Meet Saturday, Feb. 17, in the Student Center of Northwest Technical Institute at 709 S. Old Missouri Road in Springdale at 9:30 a.m. for social time and the meeting at 10:00.   Membership is not required for first-time visitors.  Info:  479-466-8100 or 479-466-7265.

This week's column is about two books about orchids that explain how to succeed in growing them and one coffee table book that will make you want to grow them no matter what. Orchids are becoming one of the most popular houseplant hobbies. In fact, The National Gardening Association named two orchids in their list of the top 10 best houseplants for winter. Some types of orchids are easy to grow and bloom for weeks if not months. The Chinese cultivated orchids 2,500 years ago and the Greeks used the tubers as an aphrodisiac. It was after 1850 that their popularity soared when wealthy collectors wanted the newest plants discovered by explorers. Orchids are at home at the edge of the Arctic Circle and on islands near Antarctic. Most grow on trees and some are able to grow on rocks because of thick, strong roots that have so much absorption capacity that they can live on air. Though not grown in the United States, Vanilla planifolia orchid is part of our daily life. The tiny dark speck...

BOOK OF NOTE The new book, Orchids , was recently released by DK Books . The book is an over size 124-page coffeetable book of fascinating information about orchids. The photographs are the stars of the book - unusual, unique and wild looking. The text was written by Pascal Descourvières, a botanist and biology instructor who specializes in orchids. The photos were taken by Manuel Aubron. Tucked into the back cover there is a practical and useful 60-page 9 by 6-inch paperback that has Descourvieres' growing and care tips. One of the tips is to use bottled mineral water or collected rain water for orchids. Another is to use one gram of powdered fertilizer in one-ounce of rainwater or one ounce of fertilizer for one gallon of mineral water. Light feeders, those orchids. TULSA MASTER GARDENERS HOME TOUR JUNE 23RD 9 A.M. TO 4 P.M. At the fairgrounds in Tulsa, the Master Gardeners staff the phones to answer questions and they have planted the area around the building. The photos below...