Orchids (more formally, Orchidacea) are a grouping of plants comprising more than 20,000 known species, a large number of which are highly valuable commercially. Many people think that they are far and away the most interesting order of plants in the entire vegetable kingdom because of their astonishing mode of growth and existence, their bizarre habits and the multitudinous shapes and forms of their blooms, which are different from those of all other plants -- fine in texture and with exquisite and glowing colors.

Orchids are also to be remarked on owing to their well-known adaptability and the degree to which they will easily cross breed or cross-fertilize. This is the case in their natural environs as well as under cultivation. This fact also accounts for the practically endless varieties of flowers and colors that can occur from hybridization.

A little botany: The orchid flower as a rule consists of these parts: sepals, the petals, the labellum (or pouch), and the column (or crest).

On most orchids the labellum is generally the most notable part as well as the most important organ of the flower. Insects enter it looking for the sweet juices held within the spur or walls of the flower, pollinating the plant as they do so and bringing about cross-fertilization in the bargain. This is how such a large number of new varieties come about in the wild, and these are termed natural hybrids.  But under cultivation this task must be accomplished by human caretakers using tiny camel's hair brushes and with a careful eye and judgment as to the proper moment for fertilization. It is in this manner that the most beautiful hybrids are produced, and these are known as garden hybrids.

One of the the things that makes orchid growing so exciting is the possibility of producing our own hybrid orchids. It takes knowledge and much patience, but even first-timers have created breathtaking orchids by experimenting with hybridizing.

If you are wishing to experiement with the hybridization of orchids, you should first gain some good experience in basic cultivation of these plants.  Only when you feel confident in growing and taking care of orchids should you venture on the more demanding task of hybridization. Orchids are slow growing plants, and slow to produce blooms, so you must be comfortable with waiting often years to learn if your hybridizing experiments are successful. Nontheless, when you do succeeed, it's fantastic experience.  You can produce not only some beautiful flowers by this process, but also orchid types never before seen in the world.

Certainly, you must seek out all the knowledge that you can before attempting to hybridize orchids. Fortunately, there are good books available on all aspects of orchid growing, including step-by-step instructions on hybridizing orchids.

The most thorough guidebook to 21st-century orchid care, in the opinion of many, is Orchid Care Expert by a Mr. Nigel Howard, which is available to be downloaded over the Internet. Mr. Howard's ebook is a complete course in itself, suitable for the novice as well as the more experienced. As well, check out the Orchid Secretsweb site, which features an ever-expanding library of articles on a broad range of aspects of orchid cultivation.

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