A big thank you to Sue Parker, and her husband Pat, for giving us such an interesting and informative talk on growing orchids for our April Gardening Club meeting.
We had an excellent turnout for this talk, unsurprisingly, with lots of interaction between our excellent speaker and the club members. We brought along our sad examples of how not to grow orchids and she explained, with lots of accomanying laughter from the club, what to do and what not to do.
Answering a request from the club, Sue also talked about the wild orchids indigenous to Wales in particular, including where to walk to see them in full summer bloom.
Sue Parker is a naturalist whose fascination with orchids stems from her childhood in the Far East. The colourful wildflowers growing over her garden fence in Singapore were the kind of exotic orchids that many people in Europe now have in pots on windowsills.
The search for wild orchids has taken Sue to many countries; but, as she says, there is a very special satisfaction in finding and identifying beautiful orchids close to home – and for the past 15 years Sue’s home in south Ceredigion has been a base for studying the wonderful wildflowers of Wales and, in particular, its wild orchids.
Writing and occasionally broadcasting on wildlife and countryside topics, Sue is also the author or co-author of 12 books and several dozen articles. In 2014 her book Wild Orchids of the Algarve, how when and where to find them, was published to critical acclaim and is now among the bestselling nature books in Portugal. This new book follows the same proven format, with illustrated guides to the wild orchids found in Wales together with detailed information about top orchid sites and walks, the best times to visit and which orchid species are likely to be seen at each one.
An active conservationist and newspaper columnist, Sue produced and continues to maintain the website www.waleswildlife.com which receives some 60,000 visits a year. Many of the hundreds of enquiries received through the website come via the extensive Wild Orchids section. Wild Orchids of Wales - how, when and where to find them
by Sue Parker
"An essential guide for anyone interested in wild orchids, this beautifully-illustrated authoritative guidebook encapsulates the experience of 16 years of conscientious on-location searching, study and research in Wales."
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Sample pages
More about this book
More than 300 colour photographs of the orchids, both in their natural settings and as stunning close-up pictures of their flowers, ensure that readers will be able to identify the orchids they find on countryside rambles.
Wild Orchids of Wales - how, when and where to find them, by Sue Parker:
ISBN: 978-0-9934502-1-1; 192 pages, full colour, Hardback binding. RRP £20.00
Review comments
'This is an excellent guide to the orchids of Wales in a convenient portable A5 format... It has a comprehensive section covering all of the recorded orchid species, illustrated with photographs of the highest quality. ...it is the attention given to where orchids grow and where to find them that makes this book especially useful... The book is clearly produced by someone with a deep and detailed knowledge of the area and its conservation. Highly recommended for anyone living in or visiting Wales who has an interest in orchids or indeed more general natural history.'
'The First Nature team has come up with yet another gem. For anyone interested in orchids, their habitats and where to find them in Wales, this is a must read!' Iolo Williams
(Original review in Dutch) 'This is a beautifully produced book about the wild orchids in Wales... It will be more a help, when back home or in the hotel, to give a name at the orchid flowers seen or photographed in nature. For those who know little or nothing about orchids, this book is an interesting and useful acquaintance. For people more experienced with orchids this book will certainly be a good first aid in the identification of an orchid species observed in flower.' Rik Neirynck. Read the full review (bilingual Dutch/English) here...
More about this book
Wales with its rich botanical heritage and centuries-old traditions of plant hunting (Snowdonia was a favourite haunt of Charles Darwin) is still one of the most orchid-rich parts of Britain, with 32 species and several distinctive subspecies. This in part is due to Wales’s very varied range of habitats, but another major factor is the priority that Wales has given to safeguarding its wildlife and wildflowers. Nowhere in Europe has such an abundance of nature reserves and other sites with protected status for their national and international conservation value.
Wild Orchids of Wales is much more than a fully illustrated identification guide; it is also a celebration of the Nature Reserves of Wales. The author has dedicated this book to ‘…the individuals and groups of volunteers without whose tireless efforts in all winds and weathers the environmental riches of Wales, from small community sites to great nature reserves, would not be so accessible and bring such joy to so many people.’
For newcomers in particular, wild orchids can be hard to find and even harder to identify. Wild Orchids of Wales solves these problems. The book includes easy-to-follow introductions to the biology and habitats of orchids; illustrated descriptions of the orchid species, each with distinguishing features highlighted; and a unique guide to more than 50 of the top orchid sites throughout the country, including GPS data, map references and detailed directions. Also included are tips for photographing flowers. More than 300 colour photographs of wild orchids, both in their natural settings and as stunning close-up pictures of their flowers, ensure that readers will be able to identify the orchids they find on countryside rambles.
Judith Russill will host the party at the her new home, starting at 6pm. Bring a contribution to the supper and drinks. Further details and directions from the secretary on 01239 851096 or email ninahare00@googlemail.com
We’ll be meeting in Sara Redman's garden to walk around her flower beds, cut flower polytunnel, and wild flower meadow, with a talk about growing flowers for sale. 3pm at Llain Manal, Penrhiwpal, SA44 5QH, 01239 851576
Booking essential for this minibus trip to these award winning gardens owned by Gay Acres, who gave us a talk last year. Start-out 11am, Rhydlewis Hall car park. The trip has an inclusive price of £12 per person, to include travel, entrance fee and a cup of afternoon tea and cake. We'll take a picnic and there is shelter if the weather isn't quite perfect. Possibility of a tavern stop on the way home. Book now by ringing the secretary, Nina Milton on 01239 851096 or emailing ninahare00@googlemail.com
