Super Fragrant Peacock Orchids

Besides their great beauty, Peacock Orchids ("Acidanthera") are grown for their sometimes intense, heady fragrance. When you've got 50-100 of these flowers - they're actually not orchids at all, but more related to gladiolus - growing in your garden it's very easy to get carried away relishing the sensous, exquisite fragrance these exotic flowers emit.

And the reverie can last for weeks, as each Peacock Orchid can produce up to 10 blooms, one after the other. So if you've planted in April, and your Peacock Orchids begin blooming in late July (Peacock Orchids have a long growing season) don't be surprised if you're getting fragrant blooms into the month of October!

Peacock Orchids will typically be the last summer flowers to bloom in your garden or yard, and are a fantastic way to put a stunning exclamation point to your summer gardening efforts.

In their native habitat, which is South Africa and Ethiopia, Peacock Orchids are pollinated by moths which are attracted by the flowers' fragrance, so it's no wonder these flowers are a favorite of butterflies and hummingbirds. Moths typically come out during the evening, which explains why Peacock Orchids tend to flower later in the day, so that they're at their most intense when moths are out and about.

It's simply a case of two lifeforms that have evolved together over eons, each one supporting the other through its behavior.

Intense Fragrance Indoors Too!

Peacock Orchids' wonderful fragrance will stay strong even if the flowers are cut and brought indoors. Simply change the water on a daily basis and recut the stem afresh and you'll have a fortnight of fragrant beauty to look forward to inside your house.

A good tip is to place the vase where there's a slight breeze. This will help spread the fragrance around and give it varying intensity depending on how far it spreads.

Speaking of the intensity of fragrance, a great, simple idea is to plant your Peacock Orchids next to a wall or other heat-reflecting surface. Peacock Orchids thrive on maximum heat and maximum sunlight, and this arrangement seems to stimulate the flowers to produce more scent and stronger, longer lasting blooms.

Fragrant Peacock Orchids
All things related to growing Peacock Orchids (Acidanthera)