The fun and easy way to grow orchids As anyone who has read Susan Orlean's The Orchid Thief or has seen the movie Adaptation knows, orchids inspire a passionate following. And their popularity is rising: according to the USDA, more than 12.

The fun and easy way to grow orchids As anyone who has read Susan Orlean's The Orchid Thief or has seen the movie Adaptation knows, orchids inspire a passionate following. And their popularity is rising: according to the USDA, more than 12.7 million orchids were sold in the U.S. last year. Brimming with black-and-white illustrations and eight pages of color photos, this friendly guide introduces would-be orchid fanciers to today's most popular and intriguing orchid varieties and shows step by step how to select healthy plants at a nursery or commercial grower, cultivate them successfully at home, promote blooms, create beautiful orchid displays, and even produce hybrids. Steven Frowine (New Hartford, CT) worked with orchids professionally as a horticulturist at Hawaii's National Tropical Botanical Garden and at the Missouri Botanical Garden, where he was chairman of indoor horticulture and oversaw over 10,000 plants.

• Introduction
• Part I: Welcoming Orchids into Your Life
• Chapter 1: Getting the Lowdown on Orchids
• Chapter 2: Choosing the Right Orchid for You
• Chapter 3: Having the Right Tools on Hand
• Chapter 4: How I Love Thy Orchid: Enjoying the Orchid's Beauty
• Part II: The Basics of Orchid Parenthood
• Chapter 5: Providing the Right Growing Environment
• Chapter 6: Watering and Fertilizing Orchids
• Chapter 7: The ABCs of Potting Materials, Containers, and Repotting
• Chapter 8: Two, Four, Six, Eight, Let Your Orchids Propagate: Multiplying Your Orchids
• Chapter 9: Keeping Your Orchids Pest- and Disease-Free
• Part III: The Best Orchids for Rookies
• Chapter 10: Moth Orchids and Their Relatives: The Best Choice for Beginners
• Chapter 11: The Quintessential Orchids: Cattleyas and Their Relatives
• Chapter 12: Slipper Orchids
• Chapter 13: Dancing Ladies: Oncidiums and Their Relatives
• Chapter 14: Significant Others
• Part IV: The Part of Tens
• Chapter 15: The Ten (or So) Easiest Orchids to Grow
• Chapter 16: The Ten Most Common Ways Orchids Are Killed
• Chapter 17: The Ten Most Frequently Asked Questions about Orchids
• Chapter 18: The Ten Most Common Reasons Why Orchids Don't Bloom
• Appendix: Resources
• Index