It wasn’t that long ago that a yellow
orchid called P. Golden Emperor 'Sweet' sold in Taiwan for $100,000. Since
1978, the orchid scene has changed.
How much did you pay for your
last orchid? As for me, it was £4.99 at Ikea.
A fascinating article on the
Wall Street Journal reflects on how the once hard-to-afford item has become
available to the masses, comparing it to flat-panel TVs and laptops.
Orchids now are the best-selling
potted flower in the US. It takes a look behind the closed greenhouse doors of Taiwanese
entrepreneurs of the popular Phalaenopsis, or the moth orchid, who have applied
modern mass marketing techniques to the exotic blooms.
However, they’ve become a victim
of their own success and profits are decreasing.
A market for rare orchids still
exists, but even that has declined since the mid-20th century when
horticulturalists figured out how to clone orchids from tissue cells.
By Pamela Kelt
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