The first choice, of course, is a live orchid plant. Orchids as gifts are one of the nicest things you can think of for the holidays. Our sponsor, 1-888-Orchids has a nice selection of plants available in holiday colors and attractive planters. To start looking at what is available in the way of plants and supplies on the web, I recommend going to The Orchidmall --this site is the premier portal for surfing for orchid related materials.

For the hostess, it provides an unusual centerpiece with unlimited possibilities. White or red Phalaenopsis with greenery and red holiday accents around it makes a lovely addition to any home.

For the green thumb in your family, who hasn’t wanted to try an orchid? The plants are really hardier than most people believe and require less care than standard house plants.

For that “hard to buy for” person, it’s something that they probably don’t have and it might provide them a collection that you can continue contributing to every year!

Another idea for an active grower is to give attractive orchid pots to display orchids. There are two types of pots: those that the orchid is planted in and what is called a cachepot (French for an ornamental container for a flowerpot). The ornamental pots for actually planting an orchid generally are glazed pots with air holes incorporated in the design. They come in a variety of colors and sizes. The best size to buy would be a 6 inch pot. The cachepots are simply used to display flowering orchids and hide the normally clay pot that the orchid is grown in. I’d recommend getting a 10 inch cachepot since that will accommodate almost any size orchid. If your orchid enthusiast only grows Cymbidiums, then you will want to explore the pots designed especially for them.

Any search on the web for orchid pots will bring up a number of sites and most high-end nurseries will have a small selection of pots. One of the most interesting websites is Tinamou Pottery. They have a number of different styles as well as other items of interest.

For the orchid enthusiast who is also a computer buff, why not look into a tracking system for orchids? My favorite is Cattleya-Log. It’s easy to use and has been developed with the orchid enthusiast in mind. If your enthusiast has only a few plants, a paper journal is another thought. The Orchid Journal is a good choice. It’s pretty, useful and will give your orchid lover lots of room to make notes on his/her plants.