April 3 Column: Orchid Show

orchid show
orchid show

I think orchids are absolutely gorgeous. If you live in the Inland Northwest, don’t miss the upcoming Orchid Show & Sale here in the Spokane. That’s the topic of this week’s column, which you can read in today’s edition of The Spokesman-Review. Here’s a link to it: Celebrate the beauty of orchids with the show and sale at SCC. Or you can read the text of my column underneath my video.

I have seen so many beautiful orchids at their annual shows. I also saw some gorgeous ones at the Northwest Flower & Garden Festival in Seattle this February. The Spokane Orchid Society’s show will be on April 9 and 10. It’s a great way to see a lot of different genera and species of orchids. You can also talk to members and vendors. They can help you choose one that works best for the conditions in your home.

Don’t miss this week’s video which is below my column.

Column:

by Susan Mulvihill

In February, I attended the Northwest Flower & Garden Festival in Seattle for the first time in 2 years. All of the show gardens, displays and exhibitors were a sight for this gardener’s sore eyes. I have to admit it was the Northwest Orchid Society’s exhibit that I was particularly drawn to.

It didn’t hurt that the orchids were planted in and around a gorgeous Hartley Botanic greenhouse. But it was the beauty of the flowers that called out to me. Let’s face it, orchids are amazing, exotic and so varied. They exist all over our planet – except in Antarctica and arid deserts – in a range of sizes, colors and forms.

Orchids will be celebrated locally at next weekend’s Orchid Show & Sale. The event is sponsored by the Spokane Orchid Society. After a two-year absence, it’s the perfect opportunity for attendees to admire and learn about them. The modest admission fee of $3 is easy on the budget as well.

What to expect at the Orchid Show

The orchid show vendors are Botanica, Jolah Orchids, Emerald City Orchids, Ken’s Pottery and Courting Frogs Nursery. There will be talks and demonstrations on orchid culture and repotting as well. The schedule will be posted on spokaneorchids.org. Attendees are welcome to bring in any of their plants that need to be repotted.

“The orchids entered into the show will be judged by American Orchid Society Judges who have undergone extensive training. It’s really fun because members will tag along with the judges to see what they’re looking at and why one plant is better than another. I tell members that it’s the best training they’ll ever get.”

Spokane Orchid Society president Jim Pearce

The orchid displays will be organized by their genera and grouped by similar plants. This allows the judges to compare the plants. It also helps show attendees look at several species within a single genus and see the differences between them.

With over 25,000 species of orchids, it can be challenging to choose some to bring home. Pearce offers sage advice so attendees make the right choice and are successful at growing them.

“First, ask yourself what cultural conditions you have at home, then buy an orchid that meets those conditions,” he said. “We all have that tendency to buy the pretty one. But it might only last a couple of months, then either die or not bloom again.

“Each orchid has certain cultural needs. They might require high or low light, warmer temperatures, higher humidity, or combinations of these conditions. If a person cannot meet the cultural needs of that orchid, it is doomed to fail. Members of the society and the vendors can match you with the appropriate orchid. All you have to do is ask.”

The Spokane Orchid Society meets on the second Wednesday of each month, except in August and December. They meet in the Manito Park meeting room at 6 p.m. You can also ask questions on their website or on their Facebook group page listed under “Spokane Orchid Society Community.”

Orchid Show & Sale Details:

This week’s video:

Learn about the importance of hardening-off any seedlings that you’ve started indoors and explain how it works. Then you’ll get to see how my early-planted lettuce seedlings are doing as well. In next week’s video, I’ll be planting the leek seedlings that I started. What a treat to actually be planting a few things, right?! I hope you’re enjoying some beautiful spring weather so far and that you’re making headway on your early gardening projects!