Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, April 9, 1995 TAG: 9504110083
SECTION: HOMES PAGE: B-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: PAMELA SHERROD CHICAGO TRIBUNE
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Horticulturists say consumers who want exotic or tropical themes most often turn to orchids and hibiscus for the home, and Japanese gardens for landscape design.
``The word exotic sounds nice but scares people away,'' says Gene Hausermann, manager of Orchids by Hausermann Inc. in Villa Park, Ill. ``Exotic has the connotation of being something beautiful but difficult to grow.''
A flower that is synonymous with being exotic is the orchid. And though orchids are beautiful, they are not all difficult to grow.
There are more than 25,000 known species of orchids. Each blossom has six parts - three colored sepals, two petals and a third specialized petal or lip.
Consumers testing their green thumbs with orchids should try the phalaenopsis, or moth orchid, horticulturists say. This variety comes in such colors as white, lavender, candy stripe, peach and yellow.
Hausermann says the ideal situation is a north window exposure with little sun. Orchids also do well with east or west exposures, but the south view can be too bright.
The phalaenopsis is easy to please when it comes to room temperature. Hausermann says that if you're comfortable with the temperature range in your home, then this plant also is comfortable, unless you prefer unseasonably cool indoor temperatures.
The 60- and 70-degree range is a comfort zone for these orchids, but they can tolerate low to high 80-degree temperatures, and probably will grow faster at those temperatures.
They bloom one flower spike a year in the fall and winter months, and the bloom can last for months.
The phalaenopsis sells for about $13 for those in bud or bloom in a 4-inch pot, and $20 to $40 for those in bud or bloom in a 6-inch or 7-inch pot.
Ingrid Hausermann, Gene Hausermann's cousin who manages EFG Orchids in Villa Park, another large orchid greenhouse and a competitor of Orchids by Hausermann, says the paphiopedilums, or lady slipper, is one of the most popular ones for orchid collectors. She says this plant can start as low as $5 and go into the thousands of dollars, depending on its rarity.
The care of this orchid is similar to a houseplant, she says. It prefers medium light, likes moisture and usually needs watering at least once a week.
Orchids are not the only plants that deliver an exotic touch. The hibiscus has the same effect.
Susan Izenstark, a horticulturist at Jamaican Gardens in Morton Grove, says the hibiscus is in almost every tropical color imaginable.
The hibiscus craves bright light, and blooms year-round except for winter, when daylight hours are shorter. The ideal situation for a hibiscus is in an unobstructed southern exposure. If the sun exposure is not ideal, the hibiscus works well as a green plant.
A 4-inch hibiscus starts at $3.99 and can go as high as $200 for a 6-foot tree.
Those who want to add another philosophy into their landscape design should try a Japanese garden.
Bort suggests consumers purchase plants that have a natural mound effect in the way they grow. The mounds represent hills and mountains in the Japanese garden.
Adding boulders to the space is also part of the look, he says. The boulders are considered to be the bones of the earth. Another important element, water, can be added in the form of a pond or waterfall.
Books to spur creativity in this garden design include ``Japan's Best Loved Gardens'' by Hibi (Nippan Press, $32.95); ``The Japanese Garden'' by Gunther Nitschke (Taschen Publishers Inc., $21.98); and ``Miniature Living Bonsai Landscape: The Art of Saikai'' by Herb L. Gustafson (Sterling Publishing Co., $29.95).
by CNB