What to look for in orchids
The lip and the throat
Everything difficult about an orchid is in the centre. A good bloom has a lip with real depth behind it and fine markings running down into the throat. Cheap versions flatten that into a printed patch. Zoom in on one bloom before anything else — if the throat has depth and painted veining, the rest is usually good.
This is where real-touch earns its price
Orchid petals are thick and slightly waxy, which is exactly what a coated real-touch stem reproduces and a flat silk one cannot. Of all the flowers here, this is the one where paying for real-touch changes the result most. On roses or daisies the difference is smaller.
The spray should taper
A real orchid stem opens from the bottom up: full blooms at the base, smaller ones above, then unopened buds and a bare green tip. Every bloom the same size, evenly spaced along the stem, is the single quickest way to spot a poor one from across a room.