Inside Kew Gardens’ iconic orchid festival

Inside Kew Gardens’ iconic orchid festival This year’s Kew Orchid Festival, which is now opened to the public, is inspired by the island of Madagascar - and has an incredible array of some of the most stunning orchids in a natural setting. Around 5000 orchids were used to create the fabulous floral displays throughout the Princes of Wales conservatory, helped by Master Florist and Kew Ambassador Henck Röling. There are so many orchids on sale in our local supermarkets - but there’s a knack to keeping them going. Solène Dequiret, Supervisor of the Princess of Wales Conservatory told Sun Gardening: “It’s normal for orchids to develop brown or yellow stems after flowering and once the plant enters a period of dormancy. “You can cut back the stem above a node which could lead to more flowers, or to trim the stem back to the base which will allow the orchid to conserve energy for new growth. “It takes time to get the reward of a new flo