Discover the unique meaning and symbolism of orchid flowers.
It seems nearly every time you visit the grocery store, someone is bent over an orchid display, mesmerized by the orchids’ ornate blooms. Sometimes you can even hear onlookers exclaim at the orchids’ beauty or wonder aloud about the orchids’ history and meaning.
It’s not hard to imagine, then, why orchids are known as one of the world’s most captivating flowers. People across the globe are fascinated by their shapes, colors, and intricate symmetries.
Over many centuries, the orchid has taken on a variety of meanings. The orchid flower symbolizes everything from luxury and royalty to fertility and beauty. For this reason, an orchid makes a thoughtful gift for nearly any occasion or celebration. Even if that celebration is yourself.
Below, discover what the orchid flower has come to symbolize. And when you peruse the aisles of orchids at your nursery, ask yourself what the orchid means to you.
Orchid Meaning: Exotic and Wild
Orchids thrive in some of the most remote and naturally diverse parts of the world. Just like other plants and animals that are found in rain forests and dense tropical environments, orchids are a symbol of the exotic.
Since they grow without the traditional soil needs of most flowering plants, orchids are somewhat of an anomaly—although they are by no means hard to come by. Rather than subsisting on soil matter, epiphytic plants like orchids are air plant varieties that thrive on organic material in the air. This fact alone is enough to make orchids novel plants.
Orchid Meaning: Beauty
Above all else, orchids are complex, beautiful plants. Their blooms are intricate, their petals soft and delicate, and their colors magnificent. It is no surprise, then, that orchids have come to symbolize beauty.
In a room, an orchid plant draws praise, attention, and celebration. It is almost as if orchid flowers are so beautiful that they cannot be ignored.
Orchid Meaning: Rarity
In some cultures, growing orchids is considered a rare and noble art form. In Japan, dendrobium orchids are grown in gardens for their fragrance and beauty. As tradition goes, the more elaborate the garden, the more impressive the artist.
Since it takes a truly patient and dedicated gardener to grow and care for orchids, the plant has come to symbolize rarity. After all, not every gardener has the humility and attentiveness to care for orchid plants.
Orchid Meaning: Fertility
In many cultures around the world, orchids have come to symbolize romance and fertility. They’re icons of good luck when families wish to conceive a child, and they’ve been said to promote peace and clarity in the household.
In some ancient Chinese cultures, orchids were placed all around the home to help single men and women find a mate and start a family of their own.
Orchid Meaning: Royalty
During the Victorian era, orchids were highly sought after. The orchid trade was lucrative, and many wealthy men set off on expeditions to bring new orchid species back to their home countries.
Orchids were grown and sold on the market, sometimes for staggering prices, making them symbols of wealth, class, and royalty.
What Does Your Orchid Mean to You?
Of course, the orchid doesn’t symbolize one thing in particular. The most pleasing aspect of being an orchid grower is that you can choose what your orchid means for you.
So, the next time you walk the aisles of your local nursery, you might think: What does the orchid flower mean to me? Whether your orchid symbolizes the exotic, virility, beauty, rarity, fertility, or royalty, or something else entirely, your orchid and its meaning are unique to you.
Once you choose an orchid, keep it healthy year-round so it boasts big, bountiful blooms during its flowering season. The key to a happy, healthy orchid is a reliable orchid fertilizer to ensure your plant stays nourished and grows hearty roots, blooms, and foliage.
If you’re looking for the perfect orchid fertilizer to grow beautiful orchids with ease, try our one-of-a-kind Premium Orchid Food. Our unique formula is gentle so it won’t harm your orchid, and it’s liquid, which is an optimal delivery method for orchids since it’s easily absorbed.
For more detailed tips to master orchid care, click here. Or, if you’re new to growing orchids, check out our complete beginner’s guide to growing orchids here.
