This beautiful volume, the culmination of years of work and study, is aimed to provide practical information for the keen orchid grower who wishes to create a specialist collection.

Orchids have been cultivated for two hundred years, and J. N. Rentoul's experience of orchid growing extends over one quarter of this period. During his long career he has seen fads and fancies come and go; he has grown and flowered an enormous range of orchids, both in glasshouses and in the open air; and he has supplemented this practical experience with fieldwork to study orchids in their native habitats. J. N. Rentoul knows the individual preferences and traits of orchids; he knows which habits to encourage and which to modify; he knows the little attentions which will help the plants to give of their best. He is familiar, too, with the problems of overcrowding and the difficulty of saying no! He can speak with authority on glasshouse design and control of temperature, light, ventilation and moisture; on potting materials and fertilizers; and on techniques of handling, and he demystifies these contentious topics with liberal application of common sense.