If you've been considering trying to grow orchids as a hobby, you may be intimidated by their reputation as "exotic" or "finicky" or "difficult". Don't be daunted; while there are a huge number of different varieties of orchids to choose from, and different varieties can have much, much different requirements for care, if you are willing to focus on one or two specific varieties to start out with, they are not really any harder to keep healthy and beautiful than most any other flower out there (and actually a lot easier than some).

First, to give you an idea of some of the popular varieties of orchids, I've jotted down a few notes on some of the more popular varieties, and the specifics of how you should care for them. Sorry if it is a little too brief; I wanted to give enough information to get the point across but not so much that the article is too long. Give this list a once-over, focusing not on the fact that there are so many difference between the varieties, but on how basic the requirements are for each individual variety.

Oncidium Orchids - These are one of the most popular orchids amongst people with a little more experience, because they produce lots of blossoms during their peak season. They also handle direct sunlight far better than most of the other popular varieties; in fact, they need some direct sunlight to produce their best blooms. And like the other species that like sun, they like a lot of moisture too; you should water them every other day. Don't use too much fertilizer; use a mild fertilizer no more than twice a month.

Cattleya Orchids - Named in honor of the English botanist, William Cattley, who introduced the species to Europe in the early 1800s. The story goes that he discovered an orchid plant in a shipment of other plants from South America, where the orchid had been used as packing material for the other plants. He nursed the plant back to health and soon after, introduced the plant to his peers. There was a minor sensation as the new plant became immensely popular almost overnight. These are the classic "corsage orchids" and produce beautiful blossoms. They can handle direct sunlight, though not as well as oncidiums; also, they need alternating wet and dry periods; you should let the media get completely dry for a day or two before watering again. Give them a weak fertilizer in light doses about once a week -- misting works well for this!

Phalaenopsis Orchids - Lots of newbies start out with this variety. They are fairly hardy, they adapt well to being grown indoors, and don't require a lot of constant care. Unlike the cattleya and oncidium, they do not like direct sunlight. Your best bet is to put them in east or west-facing windows that don't get much direct sunlight. Another option is to grow them under lamps; phals do well under growing lamps. They should be watered about once a week. Watch the roots; if they start to turn white or light tan, you aren't watering enough. During active growing, give them fertilizer weekly; during winter, once a month or less.

The good news is that there are many varieties of orchids (close to 25,000 as it happens, not including hybrids) to choose from. The wide set of varieties have a lot of different requirements for proper care. This can be considered as a good or a bad thing. If you consider it as a reason for confusion, then it would obviously be bad; but you might also look at it in this way: no matter where you live, what local growing conditions are like, and how much time you have to dedicate to growing orchids, you can almost certainly find a type of orchid that will work well for you! The most important advice I can give is to read up well on the basics of orchids, get familiar with them, and then pick one variety that matches your plans and whose looks you can be pleased with. This can go a long way toward ensuring your success as you tackle this great hobby!