Magazine

With their majestic appeal, striking elegance and refined beauty, orchids are one of nature’s most magnificent works of art. Since Ancient Greece, these tall and exotic blooms have symbolized beauty, love, luxury, fertility and strength. With nearly 28,000 species, orchids come in many colors and sizes. Their stunning displays of alluring flowers evoke a sense of joy and serenity in anyone who lays their eyes on them, making them the perfect gift. As popular houseplants, orchids are pretty additions to most spaces, whether at home or at the office. However, once the delicate flowers have fallen and the plant stops growing, people often mistake it for being dead and are quick to toss it away. Looking after orchids is not as high maintenance as many may think, despite their reputation for being tough-to-grow plants. While their care may differ, once you take the time to learn their basic needs, you can enjoy beautiful blooming orchids for years, if not decades, to come. Let’s go over some essential tips to ensure you have happy, healthy and blossoming orchids:  For starters, orchids love brightness, so find a well-lit room to place them in, making sure they don’t get exposed to direct sunlight as that scorches the leaves, countering hopes for proper flowering. Moderate temperatures are necessary, preferably between 16 to 24 degrees Celsius. Also, position your orchids in a room where the night gets a few degrees colder than the daytime to guarantee sufficient blooming. You mustn’t overwater as that leads to roots rotting, which prevents the plant from absorbing water and nutrients, causing it to eventually die. To avoid this, water the plant once a week or, better yet, just before the potting medium dries out. You can follow a couple more instructions to ensure excess water effectively drains out - such as using pots with drainage holes and a porous potting medium (like bark or moss), not soil. While we’re not looking to overwater, we still need the orchid’s surrounding atmosphere to be humid. For that, we recommend placing the pot in a damp tray of pebbles or gravel, or misting the plant daily for adequate humidity that mimics the orchid’s tropical origins. For strong, vibrant orchids, feed with a specific fertilizer once the flowers have fallen - either weekly or monthly, depending on the variety - to supply the plant with extra nutrients to blossom back. Lastly, we advise cutting withered and spent stems whose flowers have fallen, as the same stem does not usually rebloom. Ultimately, consistency, not so much expertise, makes for successful orchid nurturing. Once you have created the above conditions, you will be able to enjoy these exquisite plants year after year.

Flowers are a subtle form of expression that has stood the test of time, with people gifting them to those they care for to convey emotions or placing them in their homes to invite positive energy into their personal spaces. Throughout history, with their infinite varieties, flowers became associated with various meanings, each symbolizing a different sentiment and evoking a unique sense of allure.  Today, we present to you the secret language of some of the most common flowers requested here at Alissar and the feelings they envelop within their delicate petals and vibrant colors: Roses - red for romance, love and beauty; yellow for friendship and new beginnings; orange for fascination and sensuality; pink for gratitude, appreciation and sympathy; and white for innocence, purity and reverence. Tulips - red for everlasting love; yellow for cheerful thoughts; pink for happiness and confidence; purple for royalty; and white for forgiveness. Orchids - red for love and desire; yellow for optimism, energy and fresh starts; pink for joy, grace and fertility; blue for rarity, uniqueness and beauty; purple for dignity, respect and admiration; orange for creativity, success and excitement; green for longevity, health, good fortune and blessings; and white for purity, humility and elegance. Peonies - red for love, passion, honor and respect; pink for good luck and prosperity; and white for bashfulness and apology.   No matter their variety or color, flowers make for a timeless gesture for sharing heartfelt feelings with loved ones and are the perfect way to brighten up your home or office - regardless of the day or the occasion.