Orchidelirium

 By Nancy J. Farrier

Kew Gardens Orchid Show - AndyScott Photo
Wikimedia Commons

 

Orchids have such a delicate and unique beauty that we are drawn to them. The exotic nature of the flower has us oohing and aahing over them at the grocery story floral display or even when we see them in pictures. But for many years, orchids were a hidden treasure that most of the world didn’t know about. What happened when those gorgeous blooms were first brought to society?

 

Wild Orchid - Dejan H.
Wikimedia Commons

Orchidelirium is the term used for an obsession with orchids. There is an interesting quote in  Susan Orlean’s book, The Orchid Thief—“When a man falls in love with orchids, he’ll do anything to possess the one he wants. It’s like chasing a green-eyed woman or taking cocaine…it’s a sort of madness.” 

 

In the Victorian era in Britain, it became popular to finance an expedition to other climes to discover new and beautiful plants. These expeditions were hard and cost lives, but were often romanticized. Those plant collectors brought back treasure in the form of orchids. The beauty and uniqueness of the orchid made them wildly popular among the wealthy, prompting even more expeditions.

 

Panama Wild Orchid
gailhampshire Photo
Wikimedia Commons

Because of the costliness of bringing orchids to England, people were paid to nurture and grow the orchids. This did not go well because most people had no idea what environment worked for orchid. It was assumed they needed warmth and little sunlight, so they were put in “stove-houses” where there was constant heat from a stove and very little light. The orchids needed fresh air and, depending on the variety, a certain level of sunlight. Because of the difficulty in growing them, orchid habitats were decimated as people were paid to journey to other places and bring back the exotic treasures.

 

Angraecum susquipedale 
Photo by Bernard DuPont
Wikimedia Commons

Orchids captured the interest of Charles Darwin and he published a book in 1862, Fertilisation of Orchids.Darwin received a specimen of Angraecum sesquipidale from a friend and because of the long spur on the flower, he said it could only be pollinated by a moth specific to this plant. Forty-one years later that moth was found and is the only one to pollinate that orchid. 

 

Until this time in England, botany was considered a female pastime, not worthy of men’s attention. After the orchidelirium began the study of botany grew in popularity and led to many discoveries of different plants and their uses. There is now a world-wide interest in orchids and although the plants found in the grocery store are hybrid, not resembling their native counterparts, there are still people who propagate the wild varieties of orchids. You can often see these if you attend an orchid show, which is always fun and full of beauty.

 

I once heard an expert speak on orchids and he said there are over 30,000 different orchids throughout the world. The fascinating tidbit was that each orchid has its own pollinator that is different from other orchids and made for that specific plant. His talk was fascinating as he described some of the different insects, etc. that pollinate these beautiful plants.

 

Monkey-face Orchid, Panama
Photo by Dick Culbert
Wikimedia Commons

Do you like orchids? Have you ever been able to grow one and get it to bloom? Have you seen the wild varieties in their natural habitat or in a show? I remember when my daughter and I were in Oregon walking a trail and found some native orchids in bloom. We were thrilled and they were so beautiful. Note: Today, harvesting orchids in the wild is strictly prohibited.

Nancy J Farrier is an award-winning, best-selling author who lives in Southern Arizona in the Sonoran Desert. She loves the Southwest with its interesting historical past. When Nancy isn’t writing, she loves to read, do needlecraft, play with her cats and dog, and spend time with her family. You can read more about Nancy and her books on her website: nancyjfarrier.com.

Botanical Gardens: Giant Victoria Water Lily

by Anita Mae Draper

Woman playing violin, standing on lily pad at Shaw's Garden (Missouri Botanical Garden), in front of Linnean House, c1905. Courtesy of Missouri History Museum, Public Domain

Back in the Victorian age when botanical gardens were flourishing and botanists traveled the world in search of new plants they didn't have in their own gardens, discoveries were made that awed and delighted the citizens of cooler climates. One such plant was a giant water lily with leaves so big that a person could sit or stand on it. German naturalist, Robert Schomburgk, discovered the huge lily with dazzling white flowers in the Amazon River area of South America and named it Victoria regia after Queen Victoria. 

Botanists grew successful with duplicating growing and propagating conditions, yet no one was able to successfully bring a giant water lily into bloom. Enter Joseph Paxton, the renowned head gardener of Chatsworth in Derbyshire who received one plant from a new batch of seeds propagated at the Royal Botanical Gardens in Kew, England. With a heated tank of his own design, and coal-fired boilers heating the greenhouse, Paxton simulated the Amazonian climate. That fall when Paxton placed his seven-year-old daughter Annie on one of the four-foot leaves, a reporter for The Illustrated London News created an  illustration which was published in the Nov 17th issue of that year, and which also showed the water lily in flower. Yes, Paxton had coaxed the Victoria regia into blooming.

The Gigantic Waterlily (Victoria Regia), In Flower At Chatsworth, Illustrated London News, 1849. Public Domain

In her book The Flower of Empire: An Amazonia Water Lily, the Quest to Make it Bloom, and the World it Created, Tatiana Holway explains how Queen Victoria herself was in attendance to witness the giant white flower start to bloom the first evening, close the next morning, reopen in a rosy pink hue the 2nd evening, and slowly close forever during the second night. But oh, the perfume it apparently lent the air. 

Cornell University has created a time-lapse video of the Victoria x 'Longwood Hybrid' at their Liberty Hyde Bailey Conservatory so we can witness the same event that Victoria did at https://youtu.be/OaqkNzeJV5o




Many images exist of the Victoria regia, yet the subject of the images were more often people standing, or sitting, on the giant leaves rather than the flowers themselves. 

Gigantic lily leaf (Victoria Regia), used as a raft - in charming Como Park, St. Paul, Minn. 1903. Library of Congress, Public Domain

Miss Cotton, daughter of Kew's Herbarium Keeper Arthur Cotton, sitting on a Victoria amazonica waterlily in 1923. Creative Commons Attribution CC BY © RBG Kew

 View in one of the greenhouses of the Hortus Botanicus, Netherlands, with the water plant Victoria Regia, in a pond. A boy is sitting on one of the leaves. Late 19th century. Wikimedia, Public Domain

The Book of Water Gardening by Peter Bisset, published in New York in 1907 showed an image of children standing on the giant leaves and an explanation of how the leaves were able to accept the weight due to its underside structure.

The Book of Water Gardening by Peter Bisset. 1907, New York. Public Domain

As you can see from the above images, botanical gardens around the world built greenhouses to mimic the growing conditions needed for the Victoria regia. What is not often known, or shown, is that the water lilies were grown in knee-high ponds. But how could a lily pad support the weight? The underside structure was a marvelous network of ribs which enabled the leaf to float, and coupled with the high rim on the topside, stopped water from covering the leaf which extended its life. Prickles on the underside also stopped fish from getting too close. 

The Gardens of Kew - the work of Kew Gardens in Wartime, Surrey, England, UK, 1943. Wikimedia, Public Domain

Due to its unique ribbed support system, the legacy of the Victoria regia lily leaves was the inspiration it gave for many designs in greenhouse structures that allowed the spanning of wide open spaces for optimum light. 

Despite their strength, a sharp projectile like a straw dropped straight down from a few feet above the giant leaves can poke a hole and allow water to seep onto the topside, initiating deterioration. This makes me pause when I see images of people standing on the leaves. Usually, there are props beneath the people's feet to distribute the weight evenly over a larger surface of the leaf itself, but I would think even that would damage the leaves. 

Tower Grove Park Lily Pond. Man and Woman Standing on Lily Pads (Saint Louis, Mo.) c1910. Courtesy of Missouri History Museum, Public Domain

The Victoria regia can still be found in botanical gardens and natural locales around the world where people seem to have the same sense of wonder about them. Unfortunately, there are those who don't see the beauty of the plant, but the novelty of using it as a target. 

Plastic & giant water lily in the Bogor Botanical Garden, 2018, Bahasa Indonesia. Wikimedia Commons, Public Domain

Botanical gardens are wonderful places to see novel and interesting species in as natural a habitat as can be created. As we face monumental environmental challenges in our modern world, botanical gardens and the teams that run them are instrumental in preserving our diverse biosphere. 

Have you ever visited a botanical garden? Care to share your thoughts on transplanting botanicals from their native environment?

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Anita Mae Draper lives on the Canadian prairies where she uses her experience and love of history to enhance her stories of yesteryear's romance with realism and faith. Readers can enrich their story experience with visual references by checking Anita's Pinterest boards. All links available on her website at www.anitamaedraper.com

Botany of the Bible: Biblical Gardens in Israel

Blogger: Amber Schamel

Biblical Garden - Neot Kedumim in Israel

 During our trips to the Holy Land, one of my favorite experiences was visiting the Biblical Gardens outside of Jerusalem. The Biblical Garden is a special reserve that grows and studies all manner of botany and animal life mentioned in the Scriptures. I learned so much, not only about the plants themselves, but also about how the ancients used the plants, and what their every day life would have been like. It gives such a unique perspective on Biblical history. Won't you join me on a little 'virtual tour'? I'll show you a couple of things I enjoyed learning while visiting this Biblical Landscape Reserve.

One of the first stops, is to rest beneath a canopy as the guide explains the mission behind the reserve. Nature and the enviroment of the period helps us understand history, and the Scriptures in a much deeper light. The mission of Neot Kedumim is to preserve and share this knowledge with visitors from around the world. 

The guide gives you an overview of the plants you will find there. Pomegranates, asparagus, sycamore trees, wheat, olive trees, and countless others. They hand you a stem of hyssop leaves, along with a mortar and pestle. You grind the leaves as they explain the significance of the plant. It smells like a spice you should recognize. That's because hyssop is from the oregano family. Hyssop grows as a small bush. It grows wild, requires very little care or water, and can grow almost anywhere. Yet it produces many leaves and benefits. Because of this,  it is a symbol of modesty and humility. Hyssop, as a member of the oregano family, has antiviral and antibacterial properties.Thus it was used in Biblical times, combined with cedar, as a purification for leprosy, which we know to be a symbol of pride and sin. Hyssop is spoken of by the Psalmist, "Cleanse me with hyssop and I will be clean."  and was also the leaves used to put the blood over the door posts during the Exodus.

Explaining Hyssop and the Olive Press

Our next stop is the water wheel next to the pond. This was a great invention that allowed them to pump water from canals. A man would enter the water wheel and walk (much like a hamster in a wheel). There were pots tied to the wheel that would scoop up the water and pour it out into a gutter that would run to the destination. The video below shows a quick blip of the water wheel in action. This made it much easier for the ancient people to water crops and vineyards. It was very interesting to learn about the different methods of water management in the Holy Land. When the Israelite people first left bondage, God told them that this new land would be different than Egypt. They were accustomed to having the Nile River, a stable water source. In the Promised Land, they had to rely on God for water, since the land is fed primarily by rainfall, not by bodies of water. This made wells, cisterns, and water management very important for the Hebrews.

What a beautiful picture of God's grace and care, and His desire for His children to trust Him for their needs.



Next stop is the threshing floor: a recreation the backdrop of the timeless love story of Ruth and Boaz. After the grain was cut from the fields, it was brought to the threshing floor where it was trodden beneath a threshing board, pulled by a donkey. The threshing board would loosen the wheat grain from the stalk and chaff. Then, the farmer would take their winnowing fork, and toss the remnants into the air. Just as described in the first Psalm, the wind would drive away the chaff. This left the grain of wheat to collect. It was a long and tedious process! It's easy to see why Boaz would have been exhausted and ready for a good night's rest.

The gardens are so beautiful, and filled with history, insight and inspiration. If you ever get the chance to visit the Holy Land, make the Biblical Garden one of your stops. In the meantime, there are some clips of the tours on youtube. Just type in Neot Kedumim Biblical Gardens. 

In honor of Spring, Easter, and the virtual tour of the Biblical Gardens, I am giving away an ebook copy of The Healer's Touch, book 1 in the Days of Messiah Series!

 Leave a comment on the post to get your name in the drawing. 

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Amber Schamel writes riveting stories that bring HIStory to life. She has a passion for travel, history, books and her Savior. This combination results in what her readers call "historical fiction at its finest".  Her title, Dawn of Liberty, was awarded the 2017 CSPA Book of the Year award in Historical Fiction. She lives in Colorado and spends half her time volunteering in the Ozarks. Amber is a proud member of the American Christian Fiction Writers Association. Visit her online at www.AmberSchamel.com/ and download a FREE story by subscribing to her Newsletter!

Amelia's Terrarium

In this, my third post and final post on glass conservatories of the nineteenth century, I'm featuring the smallest one of all, the Wardian case, named after Dr. Nathaniel Bagshaw Ward (1791-1868) of London. As the inventor of a glass-enclosed growing chamber, one would think Dr. Ward was a botanist looking for a way of regulating growing conditions but it wasn't so. Dr. Ward was simply a physician with a passion for botany who noticed something growing in a specimen jar.

English botanists had been gathering exotic species of plant material and shipping them back to England since the end of the 16th century, but something like 9 out of every 10 living plants died enroute due to the salty air and lack of sun, fresh water, and proper care. The most viable way was relegated to transporting seeds, corms, and rhizomes. 

Pre-nineteenth Century Plant Transportation Methods, The Natural Life of the Tea-Tree, 1799

Around 1829, Dr. Ward noticed the germination of a fern spore and a species of grass growing in a sealed glass bottle which held one of his moth cocoons. Not realizing what he'd discovered, Ward observed the bottle, but otherwise left it undisturbed for four years. During that time, the grass bloomed once. It wasn't until the seal rusted allowing bad air into the bottle that the plants died. 

Air pollution was a major hazard of England's industrialized cities at the time. Much of what has been attributed to the infamous London fog wasn't a fog but sooty air pollution from the coke and coal used to heat homes, businesses and industries. Its effect was devastating on anything that required oxygen to survive.

A London fog drawn by Duncan. Page 8, The Illustrated London News, Volume 10, January to June 1847. Credit: Wellcome Library, London

Suspecting that plants could live in a closed environment if their needs were met, he instructed a carpenter to build a tightly fitted glazed wooden case and then added ferns inside.

The ferns thrived.

Would plants survive a sea voyage in such a case? Unlike before, the Wardian case could be brought onto the deck and into the light without worry of salt spray on their leaves. 
In 1833, Dr. Ward tested his theory when he sent a Wardian case of British ferns and grasses to Sydney, Australia. The voyage took several months, yet the plants arrived in good condition. With the Wardian case restocked with native species of Australia, the ship returned and even after a long, stormy voyage arrived with intact healthy plants. 

After more successful voyages, the Wardian case became indispensable to the transportation of plant specimens and was instrumental in the establishment of many new industries around the world, such as tea plantations, rubber plantations, and other agricultural goods.

According to the BBC article, Wardian Case, "There is no park in London without a plant that travelled in Dr. Ward's Case."

The Wardian Case also had a dramatic effect on Victorian furnishings as it soon became a common feature of stylish drawing rooms on both sides of the Atlantic.

With the Victorian penchant for the stately ornate, the simplicity of that first glazed wooden Wardian case soon grew into large iron and glass structures, many of which last to this day.

Although a quick search on Pinterest will show many of these creations in color photographs, for authenticity I've kept the images shown here to those found in 19th century books. 

So why did I title this post, Amelia's Terrarium, if I'm talking about Wardian Cases? Because around 1885-1890, society began to use the term, terrarium, when talking about a glass structure to house plants and/or land animals, and an aquarium to showcase sea creatures. From then on, Wardian Cases became known as terrariums.

In my novella, Sweet Love Grows, my heroine, Amelia Cord, is being evicted from her estate and must leave behind  everything she holds dear, including her favorite plants in the conservatory.

However, she is given the chance to take a few plants if they can fit in a small terrarium, such as the one pictured on the right. If I'd called it a Wardian Case, my readers wouldn't have a clear image of what I was trying to portray, especially since googling Wardian brings up everything Edwardian. Hence, I used the new word, terrarium. 

My post on what I imagined Amelia's conservatory would look like, as well as other conservatories, can be found through the following links:
- Botanical Conservatories
- White House Conservatory: Then and Now

More images are featured on my Pinterest boards:
- Conservatory and Greenhouse
- Wardian Case Terrarium Victorian

Years ago, I bought a small foot-long terrarium something like in the last image above. At the time I didn't realize how to use it properly thus it was always too wet and mossy inside. I believe it's still packed away after our many moves and one of these days I'm going to dig it out and put it on display, with or without plants as a reminder of the trials my heroine Amelia went through before she found true love. 

What about you? Have you tried growing plants in an indoor container like a terrarium? What about using one for other land creatures like reptiles? I'd love to have you share your experience one way or the other. 

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Anita Mae Draper's historical romances are woven under the western skies of the Saskatchewan prairie where her love of research and genealogy yield fascinating truths that layer her stories with rich historical details. Her Christian faith is reflected in her stories of forgiveness and redemption as her characters struggle to find their way to that place we call home. Anita loves to correspond with her readers through any of the social media links found at www.anitamaedraper.com.

Readers can enrich their reading experience by checking out Anita's Pinterest boards for a visual idea of her stories at www.pinterest.com/anitamaedraper.