Recommend a good orchid book ...

[mark smyth]

Can anyone suggest a good terrestrial orchid book?

[brianw]

The Chris Bailes and Phil Cribb book is quite good, but beginning to get a bit dated as far as cultivation. At a talk by Chris Bailes last week he said things had changed so much recently that it really needed a new edition. It can be difficult to find a copy now though. I found one in a charity shop a couple of years back.

[mark smyth]

What's the title, Brian?

[Neil]

Hardy orchids by Phillip Cribb and Christopher Bailes, 1989. Timber Press. ISBN 0 88192 147 5

[John Aipassa]

1. Growing Hardy Orchids by P. Seaton et al from Kew Growing
2. Growing Hardy Orchids by John Tullock from Timber Press

[Maggi Young]

http://www.hardyorchidsociety.org.uk/booklist.htm   have a selection listed.

For Scotland and the British Isles .....
WildOrchids of Scotland
 Sidney Clarke, Patrick Woods, Brian Allan
Hardcover:
ISBN:
0114942463
|ISBN-13:
9780114942465
PUBLISHER: Stationery Office Books (TSO)

and
Orchids of the British Isles
Michael Foley & Sidney Clarke
ISBN 0 9541916 1 7, Hardback, 270 x 200mm. Extent 320 pages, illustrated throughout with over 300 colour photographs. Published by Griffin Press in association with the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh. £45 plus £5 p&p (UK)

[mark smyth]

Thanks Maggi. I should have said books on cultivation

[Peter Maguire]

Mark,
The new Growing Hardy Orchids book from Kew is definitely worth getting - very clear and informative inside. It's a good, updated option for the Bailes/Cribb book, and in addition to cultivation information relevant to mature plants, is helpful for those deflasking seedlings. It is the expansion of seed grown plants which has been a major change since the earlier book, and the authors rightly point out the beneficial effects that this should have on orchid conservation and the availability of plants for the garden.
Perhaps the reliance on specific compost mixtures seems a little daunting, but it's a useful starting point for those beginning to grow a new genus.
Don't be put off by the cover, which is a little messy and a riot of jarring flower colours. The illustrations inside are a mixture of very clear diagrams and good quality photos (apart from one out of focus image of Ophrys apifera).

[Maren]

Hi Mark,

I agree with Peter. This is a good starting point.

Or you could try Geoff Hutchings' booklet which, at £5, isn't a bad deal.

[mark smyth]

This one Peter? http://www.amazon.co.uk/Growing-Hardy-Orchids-Kew/dp/1842461753/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1332250090&sr=8-1

[Peter Maguire]

That's the one.

[fredg]

2. Growing Hardy Orchids by John Tullock from Timber Press

I would recommend that UK orchid growers DO NOT buy this one.
The information on composts is mainly from Cribb and Bailes, why get the information second hand.
The information on orchid species is scant and in at least one instance totally wrong.
When an author of an orchid book describes a native orchid as an introduction it makes you wonder what else in the book is factual.
It also seems that 30% of the book is about fish.
Don't bother with this, buy Cribb and Bailes Hardy Orchids, they know what they're talking about.  

I bet you're wondering if I was a little disappointed with Tullock

[Slug Killer]

This one Peter? http://www.amazon.co.uk/Growing-Hardy-Orchids-Kew/dp/1842461753/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1332250090&sr=8-1

I have just bought this one Mark and it's a very good little book.

[Neil]

This one Peter? http://www.amazon.co.uk/Growing-Hardy-Orchids-Kew/dp/1842461753/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1332250090&sr=8-1

I agree also is good and very informative.

I have just bought this one Mark and it's a very good little book.