The Orchid Society of Great Britain

In 2014 I went to IKEA, saw a plant of Miltoniopsis, and realised that Phalaenopsis was not the only kind of orchid. My orchid journey started by watching YouTube and discovering sellers across Europe. I then joined the Orchid Society of Lithuania, and my knowledge, enthusiasm, and orchid collection quickly started to grow. I have learnt how to grow orchids in different set-ups, such as terrariums, windowsills and gardens. I learnt how to make crosses, how to grow orchids from seed, deflask the seedlings, and much more. I will always be grateful to those Lithuanian experts for showing me swamps and bogs, how to identify carnivorous plants and sphagnum moss, and for letting me visit their incredible private collections. My own collection has gone in two directions – monsters and miniatures. I can’t live without large, colourful Cattleya blooms, but also have three mini-terrariums. Miniature orchids are demanding and so I found out how to build mini set-ups with additional hand-made equipment, such as cooling, fog, ventilation and lighting systems. Many artists paint animals or people in their landscapes to put more life into them, and so do I with my terrariums – I grow praying mantises in them. Orchids are slow growers and a bit of action never hurt anyone.