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Luxury British-grown orchid Christmas gifts delivered direct to loved ones or home

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Treat someone special, or yourself, this Christmas with a gorgeous, British-grown orchid gift delivered direct to home. The country’s largest orchid grower, Love Orchids, has launched a luxurious Limited Edition Christmas range with affordable prices and free delivery.

Boasting plants grown in a family-owned, New Forest nursery, the stunning orchid gifts are ideal for sending to loved ones to remind them you are thinking of them – even if you can’t be with them in person this Christmas. Or why not treat yourself, with an orchid for your own home, to add some fabulous, festive flower-power to your living space.

The Love Orchids’ plant geeks have designed the selection of gorgeous gift arrangements with on-trend accessories, containers, pots and vases. All products are expertly hand-finished, and to make life easy, you can even select your nominated delivery day free of charge. To order, visit www.loveorchids.co.uk – orchid prices from £20 including free delivery.

Glam Orchid Planter with LEDs by Love Orchids

Products include:

Orchid planter with LED lights £30 + free delivery – two Phalaenopsis orchids (30-50cm tall) in a Zinc planter with LED string lights. Batteries included.

Mini woodland-style orchid £28 + free delivery –  Phalaenopsis orchid (30-50cm tall) in a glass vase with decorative pine cones, birch twig, bark and moss.

Statement orchid £25 + free delivery – Phalaenopsis orchid (55-75cm tall) in either a luxury metallic or cream glazed ceramic planter with decorative birch twigs.

Glam Orchid with LED lights £28 + free delivery – Phalaenopsis orchid (55-75cm tall) in a metallic ceramic pot with LED string lights. Batteries included.

The Love Orchids standard range, available throughout the year, includes four mini orchids (£20 + free delivery), four large orchids, single stem (from £28 + free delivery) and a mini cascade orchid in a pink or white ceramic pot (£22 + free delivery).

ENDS

For further information, high res images and samples contact: Emma Mason /emma@emmamasonpr.co.uk

Love Orchids is run by family-owned Double H Nurseries. Established in 1961, it supplies over 4.5 million indoor plants to UK retailers including orchids, roses, poinsettias and chrysanthemums. It is the largest British grower of orchids. More information can be found on the Love Orchids website.

Orchid care tips: Phalaenopsis orchids – pronounced Fal-en-op-sis and commonly known as moth orchids – are the UK’s most popular indoor plant with millions sold every year. Here are Love Orchid’s top tips on keeping your plant blooming for weeks on end:

  • Water weekly & feed fortnightly (or so) – run your orchid under a tap or let it soak in the sink for a few minutes. Wall-watered roots have plump green roots, if they look silvery grey or shrivelled, pop the plant under the tap. Orchids don’t require feeding but use an orchid liquid fertiliser feed every 2-4 weeks and they will really thrive. Quick hack – add a few ice cubes to the surface of the bark instead of watering, avoiding the leaves.
  • Don’t let it shine – orchids love a bright window but they are not keen on direct sunlight. East or west-facing windows and bathrooms are best. They also don’t like sitting near fruit bowls as some fruit emits ethylene when ripening!
  • Keep ‘em flowering – after the flowers have dropped, move to a cooler location and whilst watering give the leaves a clean to improve growth. Only cut back the stem if it turns brown. It can take between 8-12 weeks for an orchid to re-flower.
  • Rooting them out – if you don’t like their look, you can cut off dry, shrivelled roots sticking out from the bark. If they are green and healthy, leave them alone – orchids are meant to have aerial roots.
  • Rarely re-pot – orchids only need re-potting every 4-5 years, or if the bark has begun to compost down, whichever comes first. Make sure you use specialist orchid bark and don’t worry about gaps as orchid roots love air just as much as they love water! Expect it to take a week or two for the plant to become stable and regain its foot hold.
  • Loving our homes – Orchids originate from warm tropical Asia, so our homes are perfect environments for them as they really thrive at temperatures between 17 and 26 degrees. If you water sparingly every week, keep them in a bright location away from direct heat, they should keep blooming for years.

 

Colourful-orchids-©Love-Orchids

How to keep your orchids blooming in the summer heat

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The ice cube trick and 4 other clever hacks from the British growing experts who have just launched a new online orchid shop

Struggling to stop your orchids from wilting? Direct sunlight and high temperatures can wreak havoc on the UK’s most popular indoor plant and so the largest orchid grower in Britain, Double H Nurseries, is advising flower fans to make some simple changes to their normal plant care routine.

Their blooming advice comes as they officially launch a new online orchid shop – Love Orchids – where Brits can buy four orchids from as little as £20 including free home delivery.

The Hampshire-based nursery normally sells its orchids in major supermarkets but with lockdown, demand plummeted as no-one could buy the plants. So, they switched to selling online and since the new Love Orchids shop was unveiled just under two months ago, over 50,000 plants have been sold to homes across the country – saving the orchids from the compost heap.

Here the Love Orchids’ plant expert Mark Riley gives his top tips on keeping your plant blooming for weeks in the summer heat :-

Millions of Phalaenopsis orchids – pronounced Fal-en-op-sis and commonly known as moth orchids – are sold every year and normally require minimum upkeep. But as temperatures rise, the summer heat can result in orchid flowers quickly flopping.

  1. Water TWICE a week instead of once– orchids normally only need a weekly water but in high temperatures this should be increased. Run your orchid under a tap or let it soak in the sink for a few minutes. Wall-watered roots have plump green roots. If they look silvery grey or shrivelled, pop the plant under the tap.
  2. The ICE CUBE trick – add a few ice cubes to the surface of the bark instead of watering, avoiding the leaves. They will gradually melt and provide the required hydration. Make sure any surplus water is removed from beneath the orchid within an hour as orchids don’t like sitting in H2O.
  3. Grab some GRAVEL and give misting a MISS – orchids originate from warm tropical Asia and prefer humid conditions, rather than dry. Increase humidity for your orchid by placing the pot on a layer of wet gravel, keeping the water level below the top of the stones. Avoid using a water ‘mister’ as this can lead to spotting on the flowers and deposits on the leaves as many water supplies are ‘hard’, containing limescale.
  4. Do add some FEED – orchids grow more actively during the summer so add fertiliser to the water fortnightly. Their nutritional requirements are very minimal so only use orchid specific ‘food’ and never exceed the recommended dose. During cooler weather, orchids can happily survive on water without additional feed.
  5. DON’T let it shine – orchids love a bright window but they are not keen on direct sunlight, particularly in hot, dry weather. They also don’t like radiators. East or west-facing windows and bathrooms are best.

Mark Riley from Love Orchids said: “Growing orchids in the summer heat is really easy as long as you make some simple tweaks to your normal plant care routine. An extra water a week, some plant food and a position away from direct sun is key. Orchids look beautiful, can flower for months and last for years. And there’s an orchid for everyone’s tastes.”

The range of orchid products and gifts available at www.loveorchids.co.uk includes:

Mini orchids – from £20 for four including delivery

Large orchids (single stem) – from £28 for four including delivery

Large orchids (twin stem) – from £40 for four including delivery

Mini orchid in ceramic – choice of pink or white mini orchid in its own ceramic pot £19 including delivery

Mini orchid duo in ceramics – two orchids in two stylish ceramic pots £30 including delivery

Mini cascade orchids – from £28 for four including delivery

Mini cascade orchid in ceramic – choice of pink or white mini cascade orchid in its own ceramic pot £22 including delivery

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For further press information contact Emma Mason at emma@emmamasonpr.co.uk 07762 117433

Notes for editors:

Double H Nurseries, which runs Love Orchids, was established in 1961 and supplies over 4.5 million indoor plants to UK retailers including orchids, roses, poinsettias and chrysanthemums.

 

 

 

 

Orchid display in the Great Conservatory at RHS Chatsworth Flower Show

Largest ever display of Britain’s favourite to wow at RHS Chatsworth

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Is the nation being gripped again by a passion for orchids like their Victorian counterparts?

They are Britain’s favourite indoor plant with millions being sold every year. Victorians were obsessed with these beautiful blooms too and in a nod to their so-called ‘orchidelirium’, over 5,000 British-grown moth orchids will take centre stage at RHS Chatsworth Flower Show this summer in the largest display of its kind.

Jonathan Moseley at RHS Chatsworth with Double H orchids
Jonathan Moseley at RHS Chatsworth with Double H orchids

Orchids of every description will fill a 21st century version of Chatsworth’s Great Conservatory, originally built by celebrated head gardener Joseph Paxton in the Victorian era, at the show (6-10 June). In this immersive floral extravaganza, large contemporary chandeliers will be suspended over the space dripping with vibrant orchids, mosses and tropical bromeliads. The exotic orchid blooms, in a sumptuous palette of lilacs, purple, pale and cerise pink through to exquisite whites, will also adorn a central waterfall, as well as showcase plinths around the exhibit.

Hampshire orchid grower Double H Nurseries is teaming up with celebrated floral designer Jonathan Moseley for the RHS (Royal Horticultural Society) exhibit and will be supplying over 100 varieties of the popular Phalaenopsis orchid (pronounced Fal-en-op-sis), also known as moth orchid.

During Paxton’s stint as head gardener, the Chatsworth Estate boasted one of the most extensive orchid collections in the UK, at a time when the country’s fascination with these beautiful plants reached a peak. The trend then was most definitely one for the wealthy with orchids often changing hands for thousands of pounds.

The popularity of orchids has again surged in recent years, thanks to their large, long-lasting flowers, easy care and ability to bloom in any season – and unlike the 19th century they are much more affordable. Double H Nurseries alone supplies over two million orchids a year to major retailers. And orchids’ on-trend status is set to continue with newer scented Phalaenopsis varieties also now becoming available.

Jonathan Moseley said: “Visitors to this year’s RHS Chatsworth will have an opportunity to surround themselves in one of the most exuberant orchid displays ever seen in the UK. There will be lots of colour and texture in this magical landscape that we will be creating. It really will be a touch of orchid heaven at Chatsworth.”

Twenty florists from across the country will be helping Jonathan build the display including apprentices from the floristry college in Sheffield. During the show he will also be leading floristry workshops and demonstrations for visitors.

A Virtual Reality experience, created by 3D expert and VR designer Simon Mabey alongside Manchester Museum and Manchester University, will immerse visitors further in the tropical RHS Chatsworth display as they ‘sit’ suspended amongst the flowers, experiencing the wonder of different orchids through the eyes of an insect.

For more information on orchids, plus growing tips and tricks visit www.LoveOrchids.co.uk.

  • Scented moth orchids from Double H Nurseries will be amongst the beautiful flowers featured on Jonathan Moseley’s British Flower Bus which will be stopping at RHS Chatsworth 6 – 10 June; BBC Gardeners World Live 14 – 17 June; RHS Harlow Carr 22-24 June; RHS Hampton Court 2 – 8 July; RHS Tatton 18 -22 July; RHS Hyde Hall 1 – 5 August; RHS Rosemoor 17 – 19 August and RHS  Wisley 4-9 September.

ENDS

For further press information contact Emma Mason at emma@emmamasonpr.co.uk 07762 117433

For more information on RHS Chatsworth, please contact Hattie Sherwood in the RHS Press Office on 020 7821 3044 and hattiesherwood@rhs.org.uk

Illustration – UK’s Largest Display of Phalaenopsis Orchids at RHS Chatsworth Flower Show, 6-10 June 2018.  Credit Ula Maria

Notes for editors: Double H Nurseries was established in 1961 and supplies over 4.5 million indoor plants to UK retailers including orchids, roses, poinsettias and chrysanthemums. It supports the Love Orchids website which gives hints and tips on growing these fabulous blooms.