Cattleya and the new home greenhouse

A favorite flower of gardeners who garden all year round is the orchid. The American Orchid Society lists the genera that are most frequently cultivated, and they do so according to expertise level, a particularly useful grouping, no matter if you are a beginner or more practiced. Relatively cheap greenhouse can be just fine for growing orchids, and the Montecito, among the more affordable versions of backyard greenhouse models, is happy to house these elegant exotics within its ample parameters. Once a gardener has a home greenhouse, it's not too hard to get started with some of the beginner's cultivars. One of these is the Corsage Orchid or Cattleya. It's one of the most commonly grown, and is available in a number of colors from vibrant fuchsia to dual-colored varieties, one being the Cattleya Trianae pale pink ruffled beauty with a deep rose center.

Paphiopedilum in conventional or solar greenhouses

Paphiopedilum, or the Slipper Orchid, is a beginner's favorite. These are some of the best for growing in the home greenhouse for beginners who are still learning the ropes of climate control, and they offer some of the longest lasting, most beautiful blooms. "Paphs" as they're fondly called, can bloom for more than ten weeks and come in more than sixty different species, from the strangely beautiful "Pinocchio" to the quietly lovely Maudiaes. They don't take up much room and so are great options for conventional or solar greenhouses, and the bloom they produce is unique. Brought into the home for display, it offers the kind of artistic floral embellishment available nowhere else.

Better than cheap greenhouse for Masdevalia

Almost futuristic in form, the Masdevalia is an orchid suited to growers with a little more experience, so for those who have been tooling about with orchids for a while in common or solar greenhouses, this is a rewarding orchid to try. Their light preferences are like those of the Paphs, but they enjoy cool to intermediate temperatures. A few beautiful hybrids include the Angel Tang, Celtic Frost, and the delicate cantaloupe colored Keiko Komoda. All can be grown in a better than cheap greenhouse, one in which climate control is possible. Efforts will be rewarded, that's certain.

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