How to care for orchids after flowering

Sometimes the hardest thing with plants is keeping them alive. Yes, even us experts struggle with the occasional suicidal stem.

If you’ve read our FOTM report on the Orchid, you’ll know it’s a unique flower that derives from tropical landscapes and climes, meaning it requires tender love and care. Thankfully, we’ve caught up with some knowledgeable florists from the Floom family who have offered their five top tips for keeping your Orchids in pristine condition..

“Orchids are tropical plants, so keep them away from cold draughts and in a warm, humid environment – they love a bathroom windowsill! Keep them somewhere that’s no colder than 16.5c, with some sunlight – ideally north-facing. Yup, they are a little picky about where they like to grow, but then no one wants to live in a cold, dark place, do they?” – Bloomologie

“Place an Orchid in a larger pot on top of some pebbles. Make sure the pebbles are wet to encourage moisture to evaporate around the Orchid but make sure the Orchid itself isn't sitting in water. The roots can rot easily and over exposure to water will kill the plant” – Rose & Mary

“Orchids thrive on neglect so make sure not to overwater them – this is because they naturally grow upside down on trees and draw moisture out of the air with their aerial roots” – Elizabeth Marsh Floral Design

“Cut off a flowering stem on the Phalanopsis as soon as half the flowers have wilted. Cut back right at the base to encourage new shoots to grow straight away” – Rose & Mary

“Lots of people cut off those wiggly, wayward roots, but orchids photosynthesise through their aerial roots as well as their leaves – so it's really important to learn to love those weird stick-y out bits and leave them alone” – Bloomologie