For this arrangement, I’ve used several medium-sized terracotta pots that sit comfortably next to the decorative tiles. The two orchids are both botanically compelling, and I’ve placed them along with other plants that possess a strong form. The marbled foliage of the red-leaved cane begonia in particular has a wonderful dialogue with the pattern on the tiles.
It was the Garden Museum’s head gardener Matt Collins who uncovered this tiled sink from within the brambles of Benton End’s front garden; its glazed tiles still brilliant after years buried in the Suffolk soil. It took the strength of five builders to heave it back up the front steps into the house.
The plants used
1 Oncidium ‘Queen of Hearts’ A fuchsia-rose orchid hybrid registered in 1984. Height and spread: 70cm x 30cm. RHS H1A, USDA 9a-12†.
2 Aeonium ‘Blushing Beauty’ Perfectly formed rosettes on a bushy compact stem. 40cm x 30cm. AGM*. RHS H1C, USDA 10a-12.
3 Begonia ‘Down Home’ Easy-to-grow cane begonia with red leaves and stems. 50cm x 50cm. RHS H1B, USDA 10a-11.
4 Polystichum tsussimense Evergreen fern with bright-green fronds. Lots of texture. 50cm x 50cm. AGM. RHS H6, USDA 6a-9b.
5 Paphiopedilum insigne Orchid with wonderful, proportionally oversized flowers of an extraordinary plasticity. 60cm. AGM. RHS H1A, USDA 9a-12.
*Holds an Award of Garden Merit from the Royal Horticultural Society. †Hardiness ratings given where available.
Cultivation and care
Successfully flowering orchids year after year can be tricky. You need to grow them in bark, imitating their epiphytic nature, ideally in high humidity. Once flowering is over, you also need to move them somewhere that night temperatures will be around 12C, to induce them to form a flower spike for the following year.
Placing this arrangement in good light but not hot sunlight is best. The aeonium, fern and begonia are all potted in a loam-based potting mix with added leaf mould. Watering once a week is ample. Cuttings of the begonia are easily made by putting a stem cutting, about 5cm long, into a pot filled with a free-draining potting mix, and placing it inside a sealed food bag in a warm place for around ten weeks.
