About Orchids

by Frederick Boyle

Overview

Explore the fascinating world of orchids with "About Orchids: A Chat" by Frederick Boyle. This meticulously prepared print edition offers a timeless glimpse into orchid culture, botany, and horticulture. Delve into the intricacies of these captivating tropical plants as Boyle shares his insights and observations.

Whether you're a seasoned gardener or simply curious about the allure of orchids, this book provides a valuable resource for understanding these unique flowers. Discover the historical practices and botanical knowledge surrounding orchid culture, presented in an engaging and accessible manner. "About Orchids" stands as a testament to the enduring appeal of these remarkable plants and the ongoing fascination they inspire. A perfect addition to any gardening or botany enthusiast's collection.

This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it.

This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work.

Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781023145701
Publisher:	Anson Street Press
Publication date:	03/28/2025
Pages:	126
Product dimensions:	6.14(w) x 9.21(h) x 0.27(d)

About the Author

Frederick Boyle (1841-1914) was an English author, journalist, barrister, and orchid fancier.
Born in Stoke-on-Trent, Boyle was a nephew of Joseph Meyer. He matriculated in 1859 as an undergraduate at Brasenose College, Oxford,[1] and was called to the bar in 1866.[2] In 1863, he went to Sarawak with his brother: this visit provided material for a book,[3] and chapters in several other volumes of travel accounts from Asia, South Africa, and Central and South America He also published a number of novels and a variety of articles in journals.
He described himself as a barrister and journalist in census records from 1871 to 1901; in 1911 he just did 'literary work'. He was a newspaper correspondent in the Russo-Turkish war and was a regular contributor to the Daily Telegraph, the Pall Mall Gazette and periodicals such as All the Year Round, Blackwood's, Cornhill, The Illustrated London News, Temple Bar, The New Review, and The Nineteenth Century. He collaborated with Ashmore Russan on three titles serialised in the Boy's Own Paper and later published as books
In later life he wrote a number of books about orchids, which he kept as a hobby. He committed suicide in Bayswater Road, London, April, 1914, when 'much depressed'

Read an Excerpt

ORCHIDS. THERE is no room to deal with this great subject historically, scientifically, or even practically, in the space of a chapter. I am an enthusiast, and I hold some strong views, but this is not the place to urge them. It is my purpose to ramble on, following thoughts as they arise, yet with a definite aim. The skilled reader will find nothing to criticize, I hope, and the indifferent, something to amuse. Those amiable theorists who believe that the resources of Nature, if they be rightly searched, are able to supply every wholesome want the fancy of man conceives, have a striking instance in the case of orchids. At the beginning of this century, the science of floriculture, so far as it went, was at least as advanced as now. Under many disadvantages which we escape—the hot-air flue especially, and imperfect means of ventilation—our forefathers grew the plants known to them quite as well as we do. Many tricks have been discovered since, but for lasting success assuredly our systems are no improvement. Men interested in suchmatters began to long for fresh fields, and they knew where to look. Linnaeus had told them something of exotic orchids in 1763, though his knowledge was gained through dried specimens and drawings. One bulb, indeed—we spare the name—showed life on arrival, had been planted, and had flowered thirty years before, as Mr. Castle shows. Thus horticulturists became aware, just when the information was most welcome, that a large family of plants unknown awaited their attention ; plants quite new, of strangest form, of mysterious habits, and beauty incomparable. Their notions were vague as yet, but the fascination of the subject grew from yearto year. Whilst several hundred species were described in books, the number in cultivation, including all those ga...

Table of Contents

MY GARDENING

AN ORCHID SALE

ORCHIDS

COOL ORCHIDS

WARM ORCHIDS

HOT ORCHIDS

THE LOST ORCHID

AN ORCHID FARM

ORCHIDS AND HYBRIDIZING