Tammy meets an orchid grower who is continuing a collection passed down through generations. Subscribe http://ab.co/GAsubscribe
Barbra Kypriotis is an orchid grower with a blooming business in Jervis Bay on the south coast of NSW. Tammy visits the showroom in her Sydney home filled floor to ceiling with orchids.

Barbra's life was destined to be devoted to the strange and addictive world of orchids. "When I was young, about four, dad started bringing home orchids. He got addicted because they're so beautiful and he just kept bringing them home… every week there would be a new one on the dining room table and the next week there'd be another one. Eventually there was no dining room table," says Barbra.

"He's really alive in the orchids", says Barbra who's after school activities included weeding, watering and writing labels alongside her dad who started to breed new orchids. "That's passed on to me now, too, because I find myself much more comfortable being outside with the orchids than being inside cooking."

After building the orchid emporium together, a special slipper orchid which had been grown by her dad for 20 years was handed down to Barbra; it is now 40 years old. The flowers look like a lady's slipper and take seven months to bloom. Barbra says, "They're one of the longest lasting of all the flowers." Orchids have a reptation for being tricky to grow, but despite their delicate appearances, they're very hardy plants. Barbra says, "I do issue a health warning because they can be very addictive."

Pottingon Orchids:
Orchids are simple to pot on. High quality bark mixture comes in different grades, use medium grade for cymbidiums, and a chunkier grade for orchids like Cattleya that need better drainage. Check that the roots look healthy. If you have loads of bulbs, divide them now, or simply repot the whole plant to the next size up. Orchids need to be tight in their pots, so firmly press down on the bark.

Cymbidiums are very hardy. Barbra loves them because "the variety is amazing, and each flower has its own little personality. They're so easy to grow, they don't need a lot of attention." Cymbidiums need feeding twice a year and do best in filtered light through a tree or shade cloth. For growing these at home, Barbra suggests growing them in pots or in a rockery in a cooler climate, explaining that "the cold weather helps them to produce the flowers."

Coelogynes have similar care conditions to cymbidiums, however, being epiphytic they prefer to grow high up on trees, in hanging baskets or attached to a board. Barbra says the main difference is that "they are much smaller so they can fit in smaller places," making them a perfect addition to a balcony or apartment. "They flower ever year really easily and they have a beautiful fragrance," says Barbra.

Dendrobiums are Australian native orchids that grow on rock faces and cliffs. Their cane like structures, called pseudo canes, can seem to burst out of their pots but Barbra says, "they absolutely love being snug in their pots… You can even put these into a little bit more sunshine. The leaves are so thick that they don't burn as easily." Dendrobiums produce fragrant flowers yearly and Barbra says, "they're the kind of plant you can just put out the back under a tree, in a rockery, and almost forget about them."

Orchids may seem daunting to grow but they needn't be, especially as they can reward you for years. Barbra says of growing orchids "they're part of my soul. They're just gorgeous. They make me happy when I look at them and remind me of my dad… The work that he's done seven years ago, I'm just starting to see pop up now. That's dad's breeding that he's been doing, which is just so beautiful."

Featured Plants:
SLIPPER ORCHID Paphiopedilum Spotglen ‘Doodlebug’
CYMBIDIUM ORCHID Cymbidium cv.
Coelogyne ‘Unchained Melody’ x Rhyncholaeliocattleya Exotic Dream ‘Quinn’
ROCK ORCHID Dendrobium speciosum

Filmed on Dharawal Country | Heathcote, NSW
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