The Striking Way To Hang Orchid Flowers For A Brand New Look

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Among the oldest flowering plants out there, orchids (Orchidaceae) have a well-established reputation for being extremely fussy. But whether you're tempted by the small ones you can find in the flower section of your local grocery store or the more exotic ones found at your local nursery, there's no denying their elegant blooms are practically irresistible even to the most hesitant plant parents. There are a lot of things you should know before planting orchids, but according to Raffaele Di Lallo, author of "The Houseplant Warrior," there's a surprisingly easy and playful way you can showcase several orchids outside of their traditional pots. You can see a creative orchid ball come to life on his Instagram account. Starting with a coir-lined basket, Di Lallo inserts several rescued Phalaenopsis orchids into the lining before securing them with twine, watering them thoroughly, and hanging the basket to showcase their beauty in a brand new way.

Even if you're a beginner who's still learning how to choose the right type of orchid, it's easier than you might think to transform this deceptively simple arrangement into a floating sculpture for your sunroom. You don't have to be an orchid expert like Di Lallo, but following his advice on how to prep your plants is a must. Once they're ready, you'll need a large hanging basket like the EIMQUVW Round Wire Plant Holder with Coco Coir Liner from Amazon, a sharp pair of scissors, and some growing medium. In just under an hour, all that's left to do is find a sunny place to hang your beautiful orchid ball.

Unless you're starting with super rare orchids, the cost of constructing an orchid ball is relatively low. To save money on plants, look for discounted ones you can rescue, or try propagating orchids if you're feeling really adventurous. Keep your costs down even more by using that old hanging basket lying around in your shed, but remember to add a fresh coir liner like the Legigo 14 Inch Coco Basket Liners Multi-Pack from Amazon, which works out at under $5 each. You'll also need to top off the basket with growing medium. Use LECA to grow indoor plants without soil to keep this project mostly mess- and stress-free.

First, remember to prep those plants! First, soak them in a large bowl of water for around half an hour before removing any moss, rinsing the plants thoroughly, and removing mushy or dead roots. He also recommends cutting off any leftover flower stalks. You can easily identify them because they'll be old and brown-looking. 

Next, use sharp scissors to cut holes into the coir lining for each plant you want to add to your orchid ball. Gently open the coir wide enough so that you can insert each plant, but avoid making the holes so large that the plants are likely to fall out. After carefully sticking the roots through each hole, loop green garden twine, like PerkHomy Strong Natural Jute Twine, around each plant before securely tying it to the metal frame of your hanging basket. Finally, fill your basket with growing medium, water it well, and hang it carefully.

If you're looking for more of an instant showpiece for a party or event, take inspiration from Elizabeth Rex at the Chicago Botanic Garden, who took the idea of a hanging orchid ball one step further by making hanging basket spheres for an orchid show. If you love the bold look of cascading flowers but don't want to wait for them to bloom, you can achieve a similar effect with a slightly different set of supplies.

Start with not one, but two, hanging baskets. Place a Styrofoam ball, like LACrafts 14" Smooth Foam Balls from Amazon, between them. Secure the basket rims together with heavy-duty craft wire to form a sturdy sphere with the ball enclosed inside. Next, wrap clear fishing line generously around the sphere, looping it around the metal basket sides, before packing it full of sphagnum moss like Long Fiber Water Retention SuperMoss. This will keep the roots of your plants moist.

Finally, instead of using twine, you'll use pins to attach each orchid to the Styrofoam ball. It goes without saying that these spheres are more temporary than those filled with growing medium, making them better suited for special events than permanent living sculptures. Since you'll need to eventually remove your orchids, fashion non-damaging pins from heavy wire hangers folded in half. Use them to secure each orchid to the sphere, pushing them firmly into the Styrofoam ball while making sure the roots of each plant make good contact with the mossy layer.