Growing Orchids

John Skillcorn

Author: I.D. James
Publisher: Cassell Publishers, London
ISBN: 0-304-34533-4
Price: £8.99

The Publisher says:
Starting with the basics, but covering all aspects of orchid culture, this book is of exceptional value to both the beginner and the experienced orchid grower. World authority I.D. (Jim) James includes the latest ideas about housing, potting and potting media, plant nutrition and coping with pests and diseases. Interesting introductory chapters explain what orchids are, where they grow in nature, and how they are named, together with useful advice on acquiring plants. Most of the book, lavishly illustrated in full colour, is devoted to the description of the most popular species and hybrids, along with their specific cultural requirements. A comprehensive index, an appendix of orchid names and a glossary complete this authoritative, concise guide to growing orchids.

I.D. James is a world authority on orchids and a leading New Zealand grower. He began hybridizing orchids in the 1960s, and now has over 100 crosses registered. He was awarded a gold medal at the 1990 World Orchid Conference for his work on orchids, and holds many awards for excellence from the New Zealand Orchid Council. His earlier book, The Orchid Growers Handbook, also published by Cassell, has been reprinted several times in Britain, New Zealand and Australia.

My comments:
If you know nowt - sorry - nothing about growing orchids, then this is the book for you.  Size doesn't matter in this instance at least and you may be forgiven for passing it by on the bookshelf without even giving it the courtesy of taking it down and having a look.  Well, your loss!

Small it may seem, but don't judge a book by its cover.  This one is packed with useful information but in particular, information on growing the plants.  Each genus is covered and any propagation techniques special to these is outlined there and then.  There are many line drawing to help the explanations, but the book is full of beautiful colour photographs nonetheless.

If you stick to the information given in this book, and so long as you're not too adventurous with your choice of orchid to start with (keep to the beginners' sections in the catalogues), I think you've got a good chance of getting hooked on this fascinating group of plants.  And with a price tag of only £8.99, you know it makes sense!