Variety Characteristics and Everyday Care of the Xixiang Orchid
Xixiang is the name of a horticultural variety among Chinese orchids (guolan). The name literally carries the sense of cherishing fragrance, and it fits the traditional orchid culture habit of naming varieties with poetic words. In exchanges among orchid growers, such a name usually corresponds to a plant with stable characteristics that has been selected and fixed through years of breeding, propagated by division to keep the offspring consistent.
In terms of form, Xixiang has the typical features of a Chinese orchid: slender, leathery leaves growing in clumps, with flower scapes emerging from the leaf clumps, bearing few flowers but of elegant shape and color. What orchid lovers value is not only flower shape and color but also fragrance; the scent of Chinese orchids belongs to the subtle-fragrance type, and it is often especially noticeable when the temperature is suitable.
The care methods are similar to those for Chinese orchids in general. The potting medium should be loose, breathable, and well drained, often a mix of bark, granular soil, and the like, cleaned and treated before potting. Watering follows the principle of drying out between waterings and using less rather than more; the orchid saying that watering takes three years of skill means you must adjust flexibly according to the season, weather, and the moisture of the potting soil. Give mild scattered light, keep the environment ventilated, shade appropriately in summer, and keep warm against cold in winter.
For ordinary enthusiasts, when acquiring a plant you should carefully check the leaf and flower characteristics to avoid taking an ordinary orchid seedling for a famous variety; after a new seedling is potted it needs a period of settling in, during which it should be moved and fertilized as little as possible. Growing a variety like Xixiang, the pleasure lies precisely in combining leaf appreciation, flower appreciation, and fragrance enjoyment; how well the plant does depends on day-after-day patience.
