An orchid looks nice in several places in the house. As long as the plant is not in direct full sun, it enjoys plenty. Many people keep the orchid near the window, for example on a table in the living room or on a sideboard. Did you know that the orchid adapts to your creativity?

In store you almost always buy your orchid with a stick next to the flower spike. This keeps the branch firmly upright and is handy in transport. If you remove the stick, the flower spike will start hanging. You can also cut off a piece of the stick so that the top part of the spike bends slightly.

Have you done this before?  You'll be surprised, because after a short while, all the flowers turn towards the light and the flower turns over as a whole so that the top is back on top. Try finding a spot for your orchid in a higher pot or on a wall shelf and take out the sticks. Or go really crazy and hang the plant upside down from the ceiling (yes, you can find pots for this online). 

In this way, discover that hanging orchid flowers are also beautiful. So you can be creative with the spot and pot you use for your Cambria or Miltoniopsis orchid.

Be careful though; if the flower spike of your orchid is very thin and the branch has a lot of flowers, it is better to leave the spike with a (short) stick, otherwise it may break off due to the weight. 

An orchid is an orchid. That's true, but did you know that there are thousands of species and families? And that these really do vary a lot? Inca Orchids grows only special, more unknown orchids. One such species is the Odontoglossum, also known as Cambria. A large family of several hybrid varieties. The first thing you notice are the unusual flower colours, shapes and patterns in this family. If you look closer, you will also see a different leaf which is more upright and longer.

These orchids are native to Central and South America and grow just differently from the most commonly seen Phalaenopsis orchid. Each branch emerges from a thickened part of the plant, also called pseudobulb. In the picture, you can see the steps to flowering. A new shoot grows next to an older bulb (plant 2), then this shoot thickens below and when it is fully grown, a branch grows from the leaf socket next to the bulb (plant 3). This branch grows further and forms flower buds (plant 4), until it flowers. After flowering, you can cut off the branch completely, as it will not flower again. You will now see that there may already be a new small shoot, or it will arise soon. This one will then grow out again. And you might even have two shoots at once or 2 branches from 1 bulb. Anything is possible. The fuller and the more bulbs on your plant, the older the plant is.

The whole process from bulb to branch often takes up to ten months to a year. The nice thing is that with this orchid, you can therefore also see for yourself that the plant is growing and developing, and between blooms you have a green leafy plant in your home.

For more information, also visit our website for tips on reflowering https://inca-orchids.nl/en/ver... 

Winter is the time of dark days. Not always literally, as it can sometimes be wonderfully sunny on a winter cold day. The days are shorter, though. In the morning, it is dark even longer and light shorter in the afternoon. We call this in cultivation terms a ‘short day’.

Did you know that some orchids are naturally winter bloomers and others are summer bloomers? For example, odontoglossum Renaissance or Barrocco Red flower more easily in the winter period than in the summer.

In the winter period, most orchids grow a bit more quietly and slowly because it is a bit darker. In winter, therefore, make sure the location is light. The sun is not often too bright in winter, so a window location is fine. In other seasons, a place in direct sunlight on the south is really not recommended. If your orchid has too little light, you may get yellow leaves sooner. This is not a problem, you can remove these, but check whether your orchid can be placed in a slightly lighter spot.

In winter, we make our house more comfortable by turning on the heating or heating the stove. Nowadays, many houses are also better isolated, so the air inside is drier. This is not optimal for the orchid, as it grows naturally in a jungle or on mountain tops, where it is humid. You can mimic this very easily at home by giving the plant a little moisture with the plant sprayer.

Because it is darker, you have to be a little more careful with the watering. Better a little too dry than too wet, because with less light and heat, the plant dries a little slower. Unless, of course, you put your plant above the heater. And do not give your plant ice-cold water, use lukewarm water instead, to avoid stress.

Do you keep it colder in your house to save energy costs? Then you will usually have even longer flowering pleasure, because our exclusive orchids can also withstand a slightly colder environment. They will even bloom for longer.

If you feed, do this a little less often in the winter period, once every two months.

In Scandinavia the winter will be even darker than in Germany and in Southern Europe it's not so bad and you might still have to be careful with the brightness of the sun in winter. So always use your own judgment and see what suits you best.

One thing is certain: by being indoors a lot in winter, you bring cheer into your home and can enjoy your orchid blooming for weeks!

Everyone knows that orchids have eye-catching flowers. That some orchids also caress the nose is less known. Why do these species do that?  

For a good answer to this question, we really need to talk about the flowers and the bees. Because all those bells and whistles ultimately revolve around only one thing: reproduction.
Orchids smell to entice the right critters.
But not all orchids do this.

We need to trace back to the orchid's origins to find this out. There are lots of different varieties of orchids. Each of them has a unique survival strategy, adapted in detail to their specific environment.

When it comes to offspring, orchids depend entirely on pollinating insects. The more bees, wasps, flies, mosquitoes, butterflies, hummingbirds, moths or beetles an orchid manages to attract, the more chances there are of reproduction. So orchids pull out all the stops to entice those insects.

In doing so, they naturally focus mainly on the type of insect found in their immediate environment.

Some insects, as well as butterflies and hummingbirds, go wild for nice bright colours: then the orchid produces brightly coloured flowers.
Others can be fooled by imitating their appearance: then the orchid pretends to be an attractive potential partner for the insect.
Yet other insects, flies and beetles for example, fall like a log for the smell of cadavers (!). Those are orchids you'd rather not have in your windowsill, right? In any case, we prefer nice smells in the greenhouse. 
Fortunately, some insects do like a whiff of perfume. Those insects are what the nicely scented orchids target. They spread scents similar to other flowers (jasmine, freesia, rose), or more exotic smells like coconut, chocolate, citrus fruit and vanilla.
People who have had a scented orchid before know that it does not always smell as strong. This too has to do with insects. Bees and wasps, for example, are most active in the morning. So orchids that originally wanted to attract bees and wasps smell strongest in the morning.
Where can you buy scented orchids?
Scented orchids can also be found in our collection at Inca Orchids. From the subtle scent of Odontoglossum ‘Chayenne’ to the slightly stronger scent of Bratonia ‘Tuscany’, or the sweet fragrance of Oncidium ‘Twinkle’. Are you interested in scented orchids? Order our Parfumée collection. 

Miltonia is a real favourite for many people. Orchid lovers will know: ‘Miltonia’ is not the same as ‘Miltoniopsis’. Yet the name is often used interchangeably. The name sounds almost the same, but Miltonia just a little easier to pronounce. 

So what is it really like?
Long ago, it was indeed all Miltonia. In 1978, a separate classification was made for Miltoniopsis. Both species have their origins in South America. The Miltonia has slightly more pointed flower ribbons and is specifically found in Brazil. The Miltoniopsis, on the other hand, has a rounder flower shape and is found in slightly higher elevations. 
Besides the flower shape, an important difference is the temperature. Miltonia is a heat-loving orchid, while Miltoniopsis is a more cold-loving plant. This difference is also visible in our nursery. Miltoniopsis are grown in a colder climate to induce flowering (develop branches). 

In terms of care and growth, there are also differences between the two plants. Miltonia, like for example our ‘Sunset’ has a slightly climbing growth habit. You see quite a lot of crop and more often roots above the pot and slightly lighter, sometimes even yellowish leaves. The Sunset grows easily and is also good to keep indoors, due to its warmth. The Miltoniopsis has broader growth, with slightly more grey-green leaves and roots in the pot and likes a humid environment and thus needs a cold period for the spikes to form. In our experience, the Sunset flowers a bit more easily towards the European summer (warmth) and the Miltoniopsis in spring, from the colder, darker winter. 

‘If I knew all this, I can understand why orchids are a bit more expensive’. A statement we have often heard from consumers when we tell a bit more about our orchids. As a consumer, you buy a beautiful orchid in the shop, but you don't realise that this orchid is often already four years old!

An orchid is propagated in the laboratory. New plants are made from one ‘mother plant’. These are minuscule and grow on a kind of gel-like culture medium in a sterile environment in bottles. After about two years, these plantlets mature in the bottle and then we receive them in the nursery. 

The tiny plants are removed from the bottle and put into a small plug, a kind of pre-formed piece of soil. After this, the plantlets go into the greenhouse to form roots and grow leaves. After about forty weeks, the plant is slightly bigger and stronger and then it is time to transfer it into a growing pot. Now the orchid will continue to root in a slightly larger pot. We usually repeat this last step one more time.

You might think, ‘All this handling and repotting, surely it can be much easier?’. You could, but the cambria or miltonia orchid won't be happy about that. An exclusive orchid likes airy soil and its roots also like a bit of tightness in the pot. By starting in a small plug, we make sure the roots have a chance to grow nice and tight. Repotting gives the orchid extra air for the roots and space. An orchid that we would put straight into the big pot will not grow well. Our exclusive orchids are also a bit stubborn, because even if we plant them at the same time, they don't flower at the same time. Therefore, it is always manual work to pick out the flowering plants and we do it with love.

Of course, besides our Inca Orchids collection, there are many more different types of orchids and growing methods. With that also differences in exact growing times, but you can certainly assume that each orchid is already a few years old before you buy it in the shop.

So most people who are told this story often conclude: ‘But then an orchid is actually very cheap, isn't it? And for that, moreover, you have weeks of flowering pleasure’. We completely agree, and that's also why we still enjoy every flower that will bloom. We let love grow.