The Orchid Thief

The Orchid Thief
Author: Susan Orlean
Publisher: Ballantine Books
Total Pages: 322
Release: 2011-07-20
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN: 0307795292

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • A NEW YORK TIMES NOTABLE BOOK A modern classic of personal journalism, The Orchid Thief is Susan Orlean’s wickedly funny, elegant, and captivating tale of an amazing obsession. Determined to clone an endangered flower—the rare ghost orchid Polyrrhiza lindenii—a deeply eccentric and oddly attractive man named John Laroche leads Orlean on an unforgettable tour of America’s strange flower-selling subculture, through Florida’s swamps and beyond, along with the Seminoles who help him and the forces of justice who fight him. In the end, Orlean—and the reader—will have more respect for underdog determination and a powerful new definition of passion. In this new edition, coming fifteen years after its initial publication and twenty years after she first met the “orchid thief,” Orlean revisits this unforgettable world, and the route by which it was brought to the screen in the film Adaptation, in a new retrospective essay. Look for special features inside. Join the Random House Reader’s Circle for author chats and more. Praise for The Orchid Thief “Stylishly written, whimsical yet sophisticated, quirkily detailed and full of empathy . . . The Orchid Thief shows [Orlean’s] gifts in full bloom.”—The New York Times Book Review “Fascinating . . . an engrossing journey [full] of theft, hatred, greed, jealousy, madness, and backstabbing.”—Los Angeles Times “Orlean’s snapshot-vivid, pitch-perfect prose . . . is fast becoming one of our national treasures.”—The Washington Post Book World “Orlean’s gifts [are] her ear for the self-skewing dialogue, her eye for the incongruous, convincing detail, and her Didion-like deftness in description.”—Boston Sunday Globe “A swashbuckling piece of reporting that celebrates some virtues that made America great.”—The Wall Street Journal

The Book of Orchids

The Book of Orchids
Author: Mark W. Chase
Publisher: University of Chicago Press
Total Pages: 657
Release: 2017-03-13
Genre: Gardening
ISBN: 022622452X

One of every seven flowering plants on earth is an orchid. Some are stunningly over the top; others almost inconspicuous. The Orchidaceae is the second most widely geographically distributed family, after the grasses, yet remains one of the least understood. This book will profile 600 species, representing the remarkable and unexpected diversity and complexity in the taxonomy and phylogeny of these beguiling plants, and the extraordinary means they have evolved in order to ensure the attraction of pollinators. Each species entry includes life-size photographs to capture botanical detail, as well as information on distribution, peak flowering period, and unique attributes--both natural and cultural. The result is a work which will attract and allure, much as the orchids themselves do.

The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Orchids

The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Orchids
Author: Alec M. Pridgeon
Publisher: Timber Press (OR)
Total Pages: 0
Release: 2006
Genre: Orchid culture
ISBN: 9780881928013

Covers 1,100 common species of orchids with descriptions, names, geographic distribution, and recommendations for successful cultivation.

Orchid Journey

Orchid Journey
Author: Amanda Matthews
Publisher:
Total Pages: 361
Release: 2021-01-30
Genre:
ISBN:

With so many online guides for orchid care, it's hard to know what works in your environment. That is why you have to test and experiment with the methods that are suitable for your orchids. Once you find a method that works, you write it down on a notecard, a loose piece of paper, or in a notebook...and it eventually gets lost.How do you remember all that over the years? With this orchid journal, you can keep all your notes and progress. (How many months ago did you fertilize anyway?) With this tracker, you'll better visualize what works and what doesn't, eliminating the methods that didn't work for you.In this journal, you can write down observations about each orchid (up to 5 orchids for each genus: Phalaenopsis, Dendrobium, Cattleya, Cymbidium, and Miltoniopsis) and track the progress of each. With space to track 25 orchids (and 5 bonus ones), you can keep a detailed journal of what is important for you. This orchid notebook is endorsed by Orchideria.com, containing vital information about the 5 most common orchids. Orchid care is an art as it is a science. Everyone's environment is different; orchid care changes depending on where you live. You learn (by trial and error) what is the best method or technique to fertilize, but come next year, it slips away. By writing down the information you learn, you'll improve your orchid care. Less testing and more results with what has proven to be true in YOUR environment. The most important words in this journal are yours.Plenty of Space for your Notes:Made with extra quality-paper that doesn't bleed through the other side, this notebook is made specifically for writing.The Perfect Size (5.5 x 8.5):Big enough to fit in all your notes, yet small enough to carry in your purse or handbag, this journal is the perfect companion to take with you to orchid shows, expositions, and nurseries.6 Pages of Specific Notes for Each Plant:Fertilizing Schedule, Watering Cycle, Hours of Sun, Awards, Type of Potting Medium, Bud Duration...Calendar-Free:Just because the New Year has come and gone, you don't need to fall behind calendar-wise. This journal starts today--independent of what day it is.Quick Care Reference for Each Orchid:Forgot what humidity Cattleyas like? Turn to pages 35-47 because it's all there. With general guides for the 5 types of orchids, you have a hands-on reference to use all the time.General Guides:Besides the specif guides for each, other general categories that revolve around orchid care are explained: Humidity, Lighting, Fertilizer, and Potting Medium.Orchid Journey is a 361-page personal tracker and planner made for you to deepen your knowledge in orchid care as you experiment with different methods and techniques. Call it what you'd like-- journal, diary, notebook, observation tracker--but this planner will take your orchid care to the next level.

The Orchid Whisperer

The Orchid Whisperer
Author: Bruce Rogers
Publisher: Chronicle Books
Total Pages: 147
Release: 2012-04-27
Genre: Gardening
ISBN: 145211370X

An extensive, easy-to-read guide to growing healthy orchids again and again, perfect for beginners, as well as experts looking for new tricks. Orchids are more popular than ever but can be intimidating in their exotic beauty. In this start-to-finish guide, acclaimed orchid expert Bruce Rogers demystifies the growing process so you can watch your plants thrive and bloom year after year. The Orchid Whisperer outlines: · How to buy orchids: What to look for, how to get the most for your money, and what questions to ask for · Essentials for orchid care: Watering, fertilizing, repotting, and common myths · Popular easy-to-grow orchid types and what to know about them · Creative decorating ideas: Choosing containers, displaying orchids, and how to create centerpieces and garlands · And much more Packed with expert advice and helpful tips and featuring more than one hundred beautiful color photographs of breathtaking plants, The Orchid Whisperer is a must-have for orchid lovers of every stripe. Praise for The Orchid Whisperer “In layman’s language, Rogers shares his recommendations for plant selection, repotting, watering, and fertilizing most of the tropicals you will find at local markets. Sections such as “Orchid True and False” and “Location, Location, Location” share practical advice with a splash of humor.” —Marin Independent Journal “An eminently intelligent and attractive book for beginning orchid growers. Rogers’ language is engaging and humorous, and strikes the right balance between being easy to read and needing a science degree to understand. . . . The Orchid Whisperer is one to put on the holiday list for novice orchidists.” —Orchids

The Orchid Book

The Orchid Book
Author: J. Cullen
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Total Pages: 580
Release: 1992-11-12
Genre: Gardening
ISBN: 9780521418560

The rich and often bizarre variety of form exhibited by orchids has long provided a fascination for amateur and professional botanists alike. Once seen as a hobby exclusively for the rich, the cultivation of orchids is now widespread and the need for an accurate and simple guide to the identification of species in cultivation has become apparent. This book aims to fulfill that need by providing botanically correct, yet easily accessible information about this unique and exceptionally diverse group of plants. The main part of the book is based on the text of the family Orchidaceae published in the second volume of The European Garden Flora, with the information fully updated and displayed in a revised format. Simple keys to the genera and to the species allow access to descriptions of 900 individual species which also include references to published illustrations and other useful information. Numerous line drawings of diagnostic features help to make the keys and descriptions easy to understand and use. A brief introduction covers the structural features of orchids important in identification, and gives some information on cultivation and a list of general references.

The Orchid and the Dandelion

The Orchid and the Dandelion
Author: W. Thomas Boyce MD
Publisher: Vintage
Total Pages: 305
Release: 2019-01-29
Genre: Education
ISBN: 1101946571

"Based on groundbreaking research that has the power to change the lives of countless children--and the adults who love them." --Susan Cain, author of Quiet: The Power of Introverts. A book that offers hope and a pathway to success for parents, teachers, psychologists, and child development experts coping with difficult children. In Tom Boyce's extraordinary new book, he explores the "dandelion" child (hardy, resilient, healthy), able to survive and flourish under most circumstances, and the "orchid" child (sensitive, susceptible, fragile), who, given the right support, can thrive as much as, if not more than, other children. Boyce writes of his pathfinding research as a developmental pediatrician working with troubled children in child-development research for almost four decades, and explores his major discovery that reveals how genetic make-up and environment shape behavior. He writes that certain variant genes can increase a person's susceptibility to depression, anxiety, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, and antisocial, sociopathic, or violent behaviors. But rather than seeing this "risk" gene as a liability, Boyce, through his daring research, has recast the way we think of human frailty, and has shown that while these "bad" genes can create problems, they can also, in the right setting and the right environment, result in producing children who not only do better than before but far exceed their peers. Orchid children, Boyce makes clear, are not failed dandelions; they are a different category of child, with special sensitivities and strengths, and need to be nurtured and taught in special ways. And in The Orchid and the Dandelion, Boyce shows us how to understand these children for their unique sensibilities, their considerable challenges, their remarkable gifts.