Orchids stand out if for no other reason... Than they're among lifes few luxuries that cost less than they did 40 - 50 - even 150 years ago. In Europe, whole fortunes were once spent on the exotic, showy plants. Orchids were most expensive during the Victorian era, when every English estate had a collection and owners sent collectors to the wilds of such places an South America to find them. In the 1860s growers began to hybridize orchids. making the jungle hunts unnecessary. But it was not until 1920 that one researcher figured out a way to create a sterile seedbed in a glass bottle from seaweed, sugar and starches. This was the halmark that made orchids available to everybody. Orchids are fast becoming one of the country's favorite houseplants! Growing orchid plants can be fascinating and rewarding, whether you're interested on a commercial level or simply as a hobby. There are, of course, thousands of different orchid plants...many with specific needs particular unto themselves.

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