From the plastic-wrapped Phalaenopsis crammed on the shelves of your local supermarket to the vanilla seeds in your ice cream,orchids are one of the biggest and most fascinating plant families. Find out more in our latest podcastThis week gardening editor Jane Perrone visits the annual orchid extravaganza at Kew Gardens in London, taking a guided tour with Elisa Biondi, or botanical horticulturist at Kew,and Nick Johnson, manager of the Princess of Wales Conservatory. And she talks to wild orchid hunter and plant scientist Susanne Masters approximately some of the more unusual uses of orchids, and finds out the queer origins of the name
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Source: theguardian.com