Although each new species was greeted with enthusiasm, the first hybrids that appeared were met with both amazement and scepticism, for such an achievement was once thought impossible.

The birthplace of orchid hybrids was the nursery of James Veitch and Sons in Exeter, Devon.

A regular visitor to that nursery was John Harris, a local surgeon, whose interest led him to unravel the secrets of orchid pollination. He explained his theory to Veitch’s grower, John Dominy. As a result of his experiments, the first orchid hybrid was flowered in 1856. This was an evergreen Calanthe, which was named C. Dominyi after the raiser.

The new awareness of how orchid hybrids could he created led to many experiments with cross-breeding, giving botanists a clearer understanding of which orchids were related and would therefore interbreed. Orchids are extremely generous at providing abundant seed, but the masses of beautiful golden seed proved to be extremely reluctant to germinate or grow.

The oldest journal in the world is the Orchid Review, started in 1893, which is published six times a year by the Royal Horticultural Society in London. Further information is available on the Internet, where individual websites can be visited and ideas exchanged on a global basis.

If your home has a yard, you are certain to get a lot more enjoyment from it if you invest in some interesting landscape design ideas. Landscaping lends enjoyment, both while you’re working on a project and when you can see the beautiful finished product. Do some research, get professional advice if necessary, and make a plan.

A walkthrough garden is a popular landscaping idea these days. Choose flowers that add beauty and color to your property. Ideally, you should use a mix of perennials and annuals. Perennials reduce your labor and cost while the annuals provide a colorful show. Look at various kinds of shrubs and trees to provide contrast and balance. Then add some outdoor garden lighting and stepping stones. This will encourage easy enjoyment of the surroundings.

Creating distinct areas of your yard, each with a different theme, is another attractive landscaping idea. Then unify the entire space by repeating certain aspects of each section in other parts of the yard. You can do this whether your yard is large or small.

The roots of orchids are unique in the plant kingdom. They are thick and mostly white, but are not produced with the same abundance as in other plants.

They consist of a thin inner core, with an absorbent outer covering made up of layers of dead cells. This layer, which soaks up water through its surface, is called the velamen, and it progresses behind the green growing tip.

The tips of orchid roots are extremely vulnerable to damage and can be easily broken when they are outside the pot.

Some vandas, on the other hand, have rounded, or terete, foliage, which lessens the surface area on plants that can survive in areas of full sun. Leaves that remain for one or two seasons only are wide, soft and papery, such as with the lycastes, while leaves that are hard and leathery will live for much longer.

In the same way as the leaves are shed from the plant after one or a few years, so the roots die naturally to be replaced by those from the new growth. In monopodial orchids such as vandas, the roots are made at intervals

The warm-growing orchids include the popular phalaenopsis, and ideally they should be grown at a minimum winter night temperature of 18C (64F), with a summer day maximum of 32C (90F). However, in indoor conditions, where the atmosphere is naturally drier than in a greenhouse, they seem to do well at temperatures that are closer to those of the intermediate orchids. If you are growing your orchids indoors, you can usually find various positions around the home to suit these different temperature-range plants.

In more severe cases, direct sun will burn the leaves, causing black areas where the sun’s rays have destroyed the leaf cells.

The cool-growing orchids are the largest group, and these include cymbidiums from the Himalayas, odontoglossums from the Andes, and many other genera, most of which are high-altitude plants, coming from elevations as high as 2,500m (8,000ft). They are often subjected to cold nights that drop to freezing, but at high altitudes the air is thinner, and occasional frosts do them no harm. In cultivation, we grow these orchids in a temperature band that rises from 10C (50F) minimum to 30C (86F) maximum.

Hydroponic gardening is becoming increasingly popular among people who don’t have a backyard in which to grow plants. It is also a favorite pastime of year round gardeners who like to grow plants throughout the winter months, not just in the summer.

Hydroponic gardening offers many challenges. Yet there are numerous advantages to this gardening technique as well. Hydroponics can actually produce larger plants and fruit as well as greater overall yield. And you can achieve that with less effort than required for outdoor gardening.

Weeding, for example, is much less of an issue in the typical hydroponic setup. The growing medium makes it hard for the weeds to get started and they’re easily pushed out when they do.

But it’s harder to manage the nutrient and water requirements. Light control is more important, and pH adjustment is critical. Most of these conditions take care of themselves in your outdoor garden. But in hydroponics, they need a little extra care from the gardener.

An easy way to get started with hydroponic gardening is by purchasing a hydroponics kit. These kits are especially good for the beginner because you don’t have to figure out what you need and then buy all the items separately. Everything you need is included: trays, nutrients, lights and the feeding system.

Orange (Citrus sinensis); grapefruit (C. paradisii); lemon (C. limonia); lime (C. aurantifolia); mandarin orange, Satsuma orange and tangerine (C. reticulate); tangelo (C. hy brid: tangerine and grapefruit); tangor (C. hybrid: tangerine and orange); kumquat (Fortunella species); limequat (C. hybrid: lime and kumquat) Citrus-fruit trees are available as standard trees and, in some parts of the country, in dwarf sizes as well. They have large dark leathery evergreen leaves, and on some the branches are thorny.

The lemon-yellow grapefruit, which averages 31/2 to 6 inches in diameter, grows on 30- to 35-foot standard trees and 10- to 15-foot dwarfs. In Arizona recommended varieties are Marsh and Redblush; in California, Marsh and Ruby; in Florida, Duncan, Marsh and Ruby; and in Louisiana and Texas, Duncan and Ruby.

Plant at least one of the latter group with any of the others, setting trees within 50 feet of each other. In the eastern part of the country the recommended varieties, any of which will pollinate another variety are Black Tartarian, black; Schmidt’s Bigarreau, black; Napoleon, yellow; Windsor, red; and Emperor Francis, red. Two of the best varieties for cold areas are Lambert and Windsor, which will pollinate one another. A sweet cherry tree usually lives 30 to 40 years and yields 2 to 3 bushels of fruit annually.

Eggplants, widely grown as a meat substitute in the Mediterranean region and India, are less common here because they require very warm weather-night temperatures of at least 55 and day temperatures of about 80 or more -for a period of about two and a half months after young plants are set into the garden.

The plants usually grow 2 to 3 feet tall (in the tropics they become as much as 8 feet tall), with each plant bear-ing four or more fruit. The fruit may be up to 10 inches long when mature, but are far more flavorful when eaten at the half-grown stage. Good varieties are Black Beauty, Black Magic Hybrid, Burpee Hybrid and Early Beauty Hybrid; a variety particularly suited to the Southwest and South is Florida Market. A 6-foot row yields about 12 to 30 fruit over a period of six weeks.

Endive and escarole grow best in soil with a pH of 5.8 to 7.0. In most of the U.S. and Canada, where frosts are expected in winter, sow seeds in midsummer about three months before the first fall frost is due; the crop will be ready in fall. Because the plants tolerate frosts, seeds may also be sown in very early spring for summer harvesting, but the plants will not be as satisfactory as those grown for harvesting in fall.

Sometimes, you may get the urge to garden, but it can be stamped out by other things going on, such as living arrangements or living with space restrictions. If you reside in an apartment building, you cannot feasibly have a full garden, because you do not have the yard space available. One of the best ways to solve this problem is to grow your plants inside, planted in containers. You can hang them up, arrange them on your patio (if you have one) or a window ledge or balcony. Just placing a couple of hanging baskets or pots around your living area will brighten it up and create a nicer look.

One of the perks of growing plants in smaller containers is that you can move them around whenever you get the urge. If you rearrange your furnishings and you think a plant would look nicer in a different area, it is no big deal to simply move it over or place it in another location. As long as the lighting situation is the same, the plants will not be affected by the relocation at all. Another added perk of having containers, is because of the versatility and that you can adapt it to simulate any kind of environment depending on what soil you use and where you put the container.

Kaki persimmon, also called Japanese persimmon (Diospyros kaki); common persimmon (D. virginiana). Persimmons are delectable fall fruit for home gardeners in Zones 6-10. Although unpleasantly astringent when hard and immature, a fully ripe persimmon is soft and sweet, with jellylike flesh.

Cut off all but three or four of the strongest branches that are spaced 6 to 12 inches apart; make sure they spread in different directions and form angles greater than 45 degrees with the trunk.

The common persimmon grows wild in much of the southern and eastern half of the United States and will grow in Zones 5-10. Trees grow 30 to 60 feet tall with a spread of 20 to 30 feet. This species bears 1- to 2-inch yellow, orange or purplish fruit in the fall. Good varieties are Early Golden, Garrettson and Killen. Plant trees of at least two varieties to ensure that the trees bear fruit.

French Damson and Shropshire are two varieties particularly recommended. Both have small purple-skinned, green-fleshed fruit that ripen in late summer.

In early summer, when the fruit are about one third grown, thin the fruit so that the plums are 2 to 3 inches apart. Do not thin damsons.

In tropical gardens where the orchids have become permanently attached to trees or other structures, the plants will look after themselves once they have become established. Some form of artificial feeding will be beneficial where this is practical; if not, the plants will grow naturally.

Your collection will grow, as will the individual plants, all of them requiring more room as time goes by. Also, the smaller the greenhouse, the more difficult it becomes to control, and temperatures can fluctuate extremely quickly in a small space, thus threatening the wellbeing of your orchids.

Ideally, the greenhouse should be sited so that it runs from north to south. This means that the plants inside will receive the maximum amount of light, although much depends upon the space you have available for your greenhouse. In years gone by, the greenhouse was usually built at the bottom of the garden, often some way from the house. This means a long walk on cold winter nights to ensure that all is well with the heating and plants.