Native Orchids attract birds and Insects to your Backyard Wildlife Garden!

I first met Phauis tankarvilliae deep in a Central Queensland rainforest. I was bushwalking in a remote coastal dune system, and had been following a creek towards a towering parabolic dune I could occasionally see through the trees and palms.

As I walked along the sandy creekbank, I saw it. It was in flower, a majestic spike reaching two meters into the air, the top 18 inches covered with magnificent 4 inch wide orchid flowers. Wow!

It turned out to be the first recorded sighting of Phaius Tankarvilliae in Central Queensland. Phauis grows in Northern NSW, and in Queensland, but unfortunately for the plant it grows in low-lying sandy, swampy, coastal land, and it's habitat has mostly been cleared for sugarcane and other agricultural purposes.

Phauis has also been heavily collected by orchid fanciers. It is now rare and endangered, rarely seen in the wild, and totally protected.

There are a couple of similar species, bernaysii, which has a pretty yellow flower, a little smaller than tankarvilliae, and is only found in Southern Queensland. Then there is australis, which has a slightly darker flower than tankarvilliae, but has a sulpher yellow tinge inside the tube. There may also be another couple of subspecies.

One of the more interesting things about Phaius is that in south Queensland all the the flowers on the spike appear to open at the same time, and when polinated, die. In Central Queensland half the flowers appear to open first, and when polinated, the next half open. In North Queensland the flowers seem to open one at a time. Something to do with climate no doubt.

There is another species, Phaius pictus which has smaller yellow flowers, and grows above 2000 ft in Bellenden Ker Range in Queensland.

Flowering in September and Novemeber, and sometimes known as the Swamp Orchid, it has to be one of our most magnificent native orchids.

Hopefully the remnant native orchids will now be left alone, in protected areas, where they are safe from over-collecting, and from further land development.

Orchids are relatively easy to grow, if you think about where they come from. Most orchids in nature, would live in a rainforest, growing in the ground, or on a tree, where the air is moist, and where there is plenty of shade. Orchids do not like full sun. In fact there is some research that shows that dappled, moving shade is very beneficial to orchids.

If you live in a cool climate, there is no point in buying warm climate plants unless you have a hothouse, and that defeats the purpose, because the birds and insects cant see them, or polinate them. There are cool climate orchids that do well outside in most colder areas, check with your nursery before you buy.

The old story about being very careful when you buy an orchid is important. Inspect the plant carefully for aphids, rootrot, yellowing leaves, and any other signs of disease. Check for signs of scale or mite. When you get the plant home, you may need to repot it. If not now, you will certainly need to do it next year.

The orchid mix can be purchased at almost any store. If you are going to be in a position to water regularly and carefully, an open free draining mix is fine. If you are not going to be able to water and nurture the plant regularly, a finer mix would be more appropriate, that will hold the water better. If you are going to put your new orchid in with other orchids, you will want to quarantine it first, just in case it has something that may infect your other plants. Once you are sure the plant is okay, usually when it shows signs of new growth, it’s ready to go in with the others.

When repotting or planting out, clip away any decaying roots, and any dead leaves. Over or under watering is the reason why most orchids fail to survive after purchase. Generally (but not always) those with thin leaves require more water, and those with thick stems or pseudo bulbs need less. All orchids require very little or no water in cooler dormant periods.

They may need a spray with weak fertiliser in the growing period. Remember when fertilising that in nature, orchids obtain their nutrients from rain and breaking down of small pieces of bark and moss, including small insects. They don’t need much fertiliser!

A warm shaded porch or veranda, sheltered from the wind is a good place to grow orchids, and if the night is cold, you can whiz them inside if you need to. If you live in a warm climate, most varieties will be fine outside. In a colder climate, there are plenty of hardy plants that you can grow, inside or out. If you have a hot house, you can grow almost any variety.

Good luck with your orchids, they are a truly amazing plant!

ps. Please note the the photos of orchids taken above are growing in a protected area on the Sunshine Coast Queensland.