• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
Home Garden Joy
  • Home
  • How to Garden
    • Seed Starting
    • Plant Profiles
    • Tools & Equipment
    • Raised Bed Gardening
  • Vegetables
  • Fruit
  • Herbs
  • Plant Based Recipes
    • Canning and Food Preservation
    • Salad Recipes
    • Soup Recipes
    • Vegetarian Meals
  • About
    • Books & Classes
      • Herbalism Classes
      • Indoor Herb Gardening
      • Books for Christian Herbalists
      • Privacy Policy

If You Can Grow African Violets, You Can Grow Orchids

February 14, 2013 by Jeanne

One of the most exciting indoor gardening discoveries I’ve made is that if you can grow African violets indoors, you can grow orchids. The two seems to like the same conditions, and appear to be equally as hardy.

When I bought my first orchid, I paid $2 for it. It had a big hole in the leaf and I thought it would die. Instead, it’s been steadily blooming, with only a few short rest periods, since I purchased it three years ago.
What’s my secret? I don’t have any secrets. I water it weekly. It is in a sunny window with bright, diffuse light – northeastern to be exact, the same light requirements that my African violets love.  I don’t let it get to hot, cold or dry. The only things I’m aware of that orchids don’t like is bright, direct, hot sunlight. Most houseplant orchids are jungle orchids, and they like a relative humidity of anywhere from 40% to 80%, plus bright but not direct sunlight. That’s ideal for the average home.

The trickiest part of growing orchids for me is keeping the room they are in humid without too much humidity. I keep my books there, too, and I don’t want the humidity to get too high. I accomplish this by keeping my orchids in small trays or pots and adding water to the gravel underneath to keep the local humidity around the plants a bit higher than the room humidity. It seems to work fairly well.

This week, I found more orchids on clearance at Lowe’s. They were past their prime, of course, some in more trouble than others. If you do want to purchase orchid plants from a clearance rack, look for healthy leaves.  It’s not terribly important that the plant is finished blooming. Just leave that big stalk sticking out of the top alone; that’s where the plant will make more blossoms.  My own plant has been steadily producing new flowers on top of the old stalk for two years now.

Be prepared to give your orchid some TLC if, like me, you purchase one from a discounted shelf.  It’s probably been stressed more than the typical greenhouse plant.  Many are on the clearance rack because they’ve gotten too dry, or from some other issue. Most seem to be there because they’re just finished blooming and customers prefer plants that are in bloom. Unless you’re a true orchid aficionado, receiving one without a flower isn’t terribly exciting.

The only disappointment you may have with purchasing an orchid that is out of bloom is that the tag may be incorrect and the color you desired isn’t accurate. I already have a white phalenopsis orchid; I am hoping that the one I chose is pink. But if it’s not, it’s not a big deal to me – I will still have another beautiful orchid to add to my plant room.

If you can grow African violets, you can grow orchids. Give them a chance. They aren’t as fragile as they look!

 

Pin
Share
Tweet
0 Shares

Filed Under: Uncategorized

Previous Post: « Pollinating Insects, Moths and Butterflies
Next Post: Flowers for Butterflies »

Primary Sidebar

Let’s Connect!

  • Amazon
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest

Featured

logo of the american horticulture society

Explore All Gardening Articles

Seed Starting Basics

Easy Ways to Save Cantaloupe Seeds

plants and tools in a wheelbarrow

Starting Peppers from Seeds

tomato seedlings

Seed Starting Resources

tomatoes on the vine

When Should You Start Tomato Seeds Indoors?

Herbalism Classes & Supplies

Goods Shop by Herbal Academy – botanically inspired products

We were featured in Porch.com and answered reader's questions about indoor plants.

Disclosure

Home Garden Joyo participates in two affiliate programs: Amazon and The Herbal Academy. Home Garden Joy earns a commission from qualifying purchases as an Amazon Associate. As an Herbal Academy Associate, HGJ also earns a commission when you sign up for classes or purchase herbs or supplies from The Herbal Academy.

Footer

raised bed garden

How to Build a Vegetable Garden Using Raised Beds

If you’re thinking about building a vegetable garden this year, raised beds are one of the best ways I know of to start a vegetable garden. Instead of renting a rototiller or hand-digging the soil, adding amendments and turning it all under to create a good garden bed, you start with the best soil mixture…

Read More

henbit close up

Henbit: Plant Profile

I’ve put together this henbit plant profile to spotlight a lovely plant – which many gardeners consider a weed. Weed or flower? To me, it’s a matter of perspective. Every spring, at least one of my raised beds is covered in a thick mat of henbit. Henbit is both lovely and practical despite being labeled…

Read More

fresh beets from the garden on the lawn after being washed

The Ultimate Guide to Growing Organic Beets

I wrote this Ultime Guide to Growing Beets to share my techniques for growing tasty, organic beets. Beets are a powerhouse of nutrition. Both the beetroot and the leaves and stems are edible. You can also can beets and beet greens to store them for year-round use. Here, I share with you a full guide…

Read More

a blue wheelbarrow and a red wheelbarrow filled with pine branches

Winter Homesteading Projects

Even though it’s cold and snowy out, winter homesteading projects beckon. As I write this, snow is falling in sheets outside my office windows, covering the orchard trees with a blanket of white. Last week, an ice storm knocked power out for 36 hours – and knocked pines down every which way. We had poles…

Read More

  • Privacy Policy
  • About
  • Awards

Copyright © 2025 Home Garden Joy on the Foodie Pro Theme