A perfect gift for the orchid fancier on your list, "Fragrant Orchids" will also appeal to the orchid growing wanna-be.
Who knew that these most beautiful and varied of flowers are as exotically fragrant as they look? And not just orchids growing in tropical forests, or elaborate greenhouses, but kinds that grow happily on a sunny windowsill. Or so writes expert Steven Frowine, who should know, for he grows orchids at home as well having tended them at the National Tropical Botanical Garden in Hawaii.
Perhaps because orchid flowers are so flamboyant, their fragrance has been overlooked. But according to the author, orchids waft out scents as tantalizing as a bakery at Christmas. There are orchids that smell of cinnamon, chocolate, vanilla and lemon, as well as citrus, peach and musk. White, pink, and pale yellow orchids are the most highly scented, with warmth and humidity bringing out the flowers' fragrances.
"Fragrant Orchids"
by Steven A. Frowine
Timber Press, 2005, $29.95
Once the author has enticed with the prospect of scented flowers, he follows up with the basics of orchid care, from soil to fertilizer to light requirements. Most of the book is a listing, with color photos, of a great number of scented orchids, ranging from ones that smell like sweet lilies to those so musty as to be, well, off-putting.
Each listing lets you know if special equipment or conditions are required, or if this is an orchid that will thrive on a windowsill. Orchid experts will appreciate that this is the first book to focus on fragrance; the rest of us will turn to Appendix A that lists orchids by how easy they are to grow.
Valerie Easton also writes about Plant Life in Sunday's Pacific Northwest Magazine. Write to her at P.O. Box 70, Seattle, WA 98111 or e-mail planttalk@seattletimes.com with your questions. Sorry, no personal replies.
