Books for Beginners

[CJ Green]

I've searched the site and haven't found any recent threads about recommendations for general-information orchid books. So I hope I'm not duplicating anything here, but I would love to know what intro-level books you find most helpful and why. What are your favorites, the ones you turn to again and again? For experts out there, what books did you use when you got started, that you found gave you the best advice and really sparked your interest? I'll list what I've got, with the pros and "cons" as I see them. I would actually recommend all three, but the third one is a must-have in my opinion.

The Orchid Whisperer, by Bruce Rogers
Pros: Nice size, not overwhelming. The writing is nice and clear, and very encouraging. Lots of good basic information, with helpful photos.
Cons: It has detailed information on 12 orchid types, and more abbreviated info on 10 more, so if you're looking to expand your range of orchids, you may need to look beyond this book. Also, it has a section on decorating with orchids, which may be a plus for some people but isn't something I'm that interested in.

Four Seasons of Orchids, by Ned Nash and Greg Allikas
Pros: Lots of beautiful photos, nice historical info about orchid culture, nice discussions of potting media and growing requirements. Instructions on how to repot different types.
Cons: I have a hard time with the setup of the book; it's organized by season so you need to hunt around the book to find info about a certain species, especially since blooming season can vary. Just not intuitive for me.

Understanding Orchids, by William Cullina
Pros: All the general info about watering, potting, etc is good and the info about lighting and greenhouses is more detailed than in the other books. But the best part for me is the A-Z section on common orchid genera--about 100 pages of info, including the conditions required by each, and good species to try.
Cons: This book makes me want to build a greenhouse and fill it with orchids.

[Bulbopedilum]

There are tons of resources online, examples include AOS, Just Add Ice (hehe), and This Forum. You can read from them. I like AOS and This Forum.

[estación seca]

I really think, for people wanting to learn how to grow orchids, a busy online forum, such as Orchid Board, is FAR better than reading books.

Books are good references to find out where orchids come from, and what they look like. But to learn how to grow them requires more detailed help than you can find in any book or collection of books.

I learned how to grow orchids in the 1970s when there were almost no books available. What books there were were so general it was difficult to apply. I don't think things have changed much.

Here on OB there are experienced posters from almost all parts of the world, who are very familiar with the specific challenges people face in different climates. When I want to learn about an orchid I'm not familiar with, I use the Search function in the top maroon menu, and search for threads dealing with that orchid. I read them and I learn an immense amount from people here, and people who used to be here, but are not any more.

[Bulbopedilum]

I forgot to mention IOSPE. They are very good. IOSPE stands for Internet Orchid Species Picture Encyclopedia. As the name suggests, the site is an encyclopedia of orchids with pictures for every single entry. As a bonus, the site also shows you the growing conditions such as temperature, blooming season, light requirement, and even fragrance. It also shows you the flower size, which is cool too. I often use it for checking the requirements of rarer/uncommon orchid species (like my Paph Glaucophyllum). Very useful site. They may be missing a few but those missing few are very very very rare and probably not in cultivation.

[murph7]

If you are looking beyond how-to books, then check this one out

The Orchids: Natural History and Classification: Robert Dressler: 9780674875258: Amazon.com: Books

Yes, it is outdated (1981), but it has a ton of information.

From here

http://www.nutmegorchids.org/Orchids__14_.pdf

"Most recently published books on orchids have been either impressive picture books having little
information or relatively technical collections of articles written by specialist for others of their kind.
Dressler presents something from both categories and adds considerably more. The reader is led gently but
thoroughly through and engaging survey of the orchid family's characteristics, geography, structural
features, ecology, evolution and general aspects of classification. Delightful to read."
Lee Kavaljian - Quarterly Review of Biology

"Anyone dealing seriously with orchids will be grateful for this clear, well illustrated exposition of the
Intricacy of orchid structure."
Gordon P. DeWolf, Jr. - Science Books and Films

[CJ Green]

Thanks! I bookmarked that site.

[isurus79]

Yep, the AOS site an amazing repository of information. They have the magazine available for download, all the awards, video lectures, and sooooo many great articles about so many orchids.

For general beginner growing books, I turned most often to "Home Orchid Growing" by Rebecca Tyson Northen (not Northern) when I was starting out in the early 1990's.