Whoops! Orchid advice

[MarmMummy]

I've been given a beautiful orchid. It was in an ugly plastic bucket, so I pulled it out thinking I would stick it in a glass vase thing I have but now have a mass of weird looking roots and bark and seemingly no hope of every squishing it back into anything.......

What should I do?!

orchid roots are very ugly and often grow from the top of the pot,so plant what you can and just let the rest stay on the top of the soil.Its quite normal.And when your orchid dies off,cut it back to about the third little bud on the stem and you will get more flowers in the future.Even though you may think its dead,just keep it and eventually you will get a new stem and more flowers !

Thank you!

orchid roots like light, that's why they sell them in clear pots. orchid food is good too, and don't water too often- a really good soak every few weeks works for mine.

My dad used to have a greenhouse full of orchids. They were grown in very light soil, mostly chipped bark IIRC. Orchids (not the native british ones) often are parasitic plants growing on trees so aren't "meant" to be in heavy soil.