Pairing Orchids with Other Flowers

Because there are so many varieties of orchids, you’ll also find that there are lots of unique pairings of orchids with other plants. One of the most striking ways of how to grow orchid plants, in fact, is in a naturalistic setting in a terrarium where their unconventional beauty is complemented by other plants that are native to the same habitats. By including gravel, charcoal or bark chips in the growth medium of your terrarium, is how to grow orchid plants that will suit and complement other plants chosen for your terrarium.

Orchids are quite happy sharing their environment with other flowers and plants. Generally, orchids have the same temperature, humidity and light requirements as most popular houseplants, so they don’t need a specialized environment set apart from your other houseplants. Because orchids are epiphytic (taking their nutrition from the moisture in the air), you’ll find that they work very well in dish gardens when provided with a layer of moist sphagnum moss or loose bark in which to root.

How to Grow Orchid Plants

One of the most common pairings for a terrarium are carnivorous plants and orchids. The exotic foliage and showy blooms of the two kinds of plants not only look spectacular together – the two plants also ‘help’ each other. While the relationship isn’t quite symbiotic, the blooms of the orchid help attract the insects on which a Venus fly trap or other carnivorous plant feeds. It’s a popular pairing that is often promoted by the sellers of exotic plants.

David Smith