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It's winter, and orchids are showing their colors
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Published: January 10, 2009
January brings ample opportunities for orchid lovers to dip into the tropics' most exotic subjects just a few miles from home. Two orchid shows and a continuing display will open this month.
The North Carolina Piedmont Orchid Society is presenting a show at the Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden in Belmont, just a few miles west of Charlotte. The show began yesterday and will run through Sunday. Admission to the garden is $10; there is no additional charge for the orchid show.
The show will feature plants exhibited by the N.C. Piedmont Society's 50-plus members. They come from as far away as Charleston, S.C., and coastal Carolina to exhibit in this show, where plants are judged and trophies awarded by judges registered with the American Orchid Society.
There will be 14 exhibitors and four tabletop exhibits in the grand hall of the botanical garden. The N.C. Piedmont Orchid Society will have an exhibit that can be viewed from all angles. Vendors will also be displaying and selling plants at the show.
The Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden will celebrate the first anniversary of the opening of its Orchid Conservatory with the second Orchid Spectacular, which opened yesterday and will run 9 a.m.-5 p.m. daily through Feb. 15.
The garden will feature orchids throughout the conservatory, including such highlights as Dendrobium gouldii, a 4-foot tall plant with yellow to greenish flowers with twisted petals. The garden's specimen is bearing 30 spikes, each of which can carry 20 to 30 flowers. A deep red Renanthera orchid may have up to 100 flowers this year.
In addition to the display, Daniel Stowe is featuring several classes, including "Orchids in Macro Photography" with Dragonfly Photography owner Stephanie McKnight; "How to Produce Award Winning Orchids" with Don Osborne, an American Orchid Society judge with more than 40 years of experience growing orchids; and an orchid-container clinic where N.C. Piedmont Orchid Society members will be on hand to discuss repotting and caring for orchids brought from the participants' homes. All classes require preregistration and carry fees. To register online, see www.dsbg.org or call 704-829-1252.
The Triad Orchid Society will hold an orchid show and sale Jan. 30-Feb. 1 at the Council of Garden Clubs Center at the Greensboro Natural Science Center. The show will open to the public 1-5 p.m. Jan. 30, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Jan. 31, and 1-5 p.m. Feb. 1. Members of orchid societies in Roanoke, Va.; Raleigh; Durham; Chapel Hill; and South Carolina will participate with exhibits.
This show will also feature vendors with plants for sale. Admission to this show, sanctioned and judged by the American Orchid Society, will cost $5. Donald Richmond, the president of the Triad Orchid Society, said he expects a large variety of orchids. The Triad group meets monthly at the center.
Orchid shows, which are essentially public gatherings of private collections, provide a great chance to see diverse orchids, and the winter months are high season for several kinds of orchids.
Whether you are a casual admirer or a dedicated collector, this variety of opportunities in a concentrated period of time will most likely fuel your fancy.
■ If you have a gardening question or story idea, write to David Bare in care of Features, Winston-Salem Journal, P.O. Box 3159, Winston-Salem, NC 27101-3159, or send e-mail to his attention to gardening@wsjournal.com.
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