RHS Orchids

"This beautifully produced book will be inspiring to botanical artists and all those who are captivated by the orchid." — Leisure Painter

"Through these paintings, stories of high stakes orchid breeding and exhibiting are explored, with a cast of characters who helped shape the horticultural world we know today, alongside the dedicated artists who still support their endeavours." — Lovely Books

Orchids have long held a place of esteem and fascination in the horticultural world. In the 19th century, orchid collecting reached new fanatical heights, with explorers dispatched to every corner of the globe in search of new varieties that could be auctioned at extravagant prices, and orchids are still one of the most popular flowers to breed and buy to this day. These beautiful, diverse flowers are one of the two largest families of flowering plants, with over 30,000 species and over 181,500 hybrids and cultivars.

The RHS Orchid Committee have commissioned watercolors of over 7,000 award-winning hybrids that demonstrate particular value in their fabulous array of colors, patterns, sizes and shapes. Through these paintings, stories of high stakes orchid breeding and exhibiting are explored, with a cast of characters who helped shape the horticultural world we know today, alongside the dedicated artists who still support their endeavors.

Introduction: Orchids and the RHS: For Good and Ill... 7 Chapter 1: A Burgeoning Interest in Orchids 12 Chapter 2: The History of the RHS Orchid Committee, by Clare Hermans 22 Chapter 3: RHS Orchid Awards 28 Chapter 4: A New Generation of Orchidists 42 Chapter 5: Orchid Mania 62 Chapter 6: The Influence of the Artist 74 Chapter 7: The Northern Orchid Scene 132 Chapter 8: RHS Commissions: The Official Orchid Artists 162 Chapter 9: Life After Roberts 188 Chapter 10: Continuing the Cultivation: The Eric Young Orchid Foundation 240 Endnotes 247 Bibliography 248 Acknowledgements 249 Colour Plates 250 General Index 252 Plant Index 255