Phaius tankervilleae orchid

These beautiful orchids native to India, Southern Asia, New Guinea, Australia and many islands of the pacific very popular with gardeners and orchid collectors. There are currently about 50 species in phaius genus and tankervilleae is one of them. In nature they can be found in a variety of habitats and altitudes. They have squat pseudobulbs and large, pleated leaves. The flower spikes erect with several large, colorful flowers.

These species are terrestrial, which means that they happily grow in the garden and present great opportunity for landscaping with orchids in mild climates. They quite easy to grow and to flower, providing some of their requirements are met - they love organically rich soil, they prefer to be kept moist year-round and fertilized while actively growing. Plants of this very popular species will grow and flower under direct sunlight, but the best results are achieved with shaded conditions. If you have shaded spot in the garden and would like to grow an orchid or two, try phaius - they quite hardy and easy to grow and will reward you with many beautiful blooms.

There are other colorful phaius varieties - for instance phaius flavus have huge yellow/red color blooms, phaius pulchellus blooms with dark burgundy color flowers, there are others with lime green or dark brown or orange/ copper colored flowers, presenting quite a range for landscaping with orchids.