Everyone knows the fabulous aroma and taste of Vanilla ...it's the #1 ice cream flavor in the world and totally essential in baked goods and deserts

BUT ...did you know Vanilla (bean/fruit) comes from an orchid?  Native to Mexico, there's evidence the Aztecs added Vanilla to their Chocolate drinks dating back thousands of years

Vanilla orchid is a climbing vine with a thick succulent stem and thick smooth leaves ranging from 4-9 inches long and 1-21/2 inches wide.  Fruits (beans) appear after flowers are pollinated.  Beans range 5-10 inches long.  These pods (beans) when properly cured and dried are the commercial True Vanilla derived from Vanilla planifolia

Only Vanilla planifolia (also labeled V. fragrans) is the undisputed commercial vanilla.  Other Vanilla varieties include Vanilla tahitensis and Vanilla pompona

On hand are six LARGE Vanilla planifolia rooted orchid plants.  They look like this

 
click pics to enlarge

These are tall (about 2 feet) staked Vanilla planifolia plants with husky stems and voluminous foliage.  They are very attractive plants and FAR BETTER than one would ever expect to receive as a true Vanilla starter plant

Age is required to set blooms.  Here is a Vanilla planifolia we saw at a recent local plant show where blooms are set at the top of the plant

click pic to enlarge

The plant above was approximately 3x as large as the vines now shipping.  Larger in that it was longer and twisted around a trellis, growing in a 7-gallon pot

If you want your own True Vanilla planifolia Orchid Vine, you need to be able to provide warmth as #1 condition to success.  A year around minimum of 75 degrees would be excellent.  Cooler temperatures even into the low 50's are OK, very briefly, but for very best culture, keep the air warm

Vanilla vines like some soft bright sun but never direct hot sun;  some morning sun is welcome.  Last is humidity which needs to be high

You will use a coarse soil (perhaps a mixture of orchid mix with highly organic coarse soil), very well drained, and likely use a 10- or 15-gallon pot for ongoing Vanilla planifolia growth and display

You may order your own True Vanilla Planifolia live plant for $115.00 including shipping