Orchids for Beginners: How to Choose, Water, Repot and Rebloom Beginner Orchid Varieties at Home

It usually starts with a moth orchid from the supermarket or a present from a friend. It flowers for months, the last bloom drops, and then nothing happens for a very long time. Orchids are not disposable, and they are not especially difficult. They are simply different, and once you understand how, almost everything about looking after them falls into place.

Most houseplant orchids are tree-dwellers in the wild, clinging to bark with roots that soak up rain and then dry in moving air. Hol...