Festival of Orchids showcases diversity of the mystical plant
SPRING HILL –
They came in all different shapes, colors and sizes. Some were delicate and tall while some short and splashed with vibrant colors.
Rows and rows of orchids, each unique in its own way, filled the SNPJ Lodge Saturday morning during the annual Festival of Orchids.
David Dobson, vice president of the Spring Hill Orchid Lovers club, said for more than 15 years, various club members and local vendors gather to showcase and sell a variety of orchids and planting supplies while visitors vote for the “Best in Show” orchid.
“For an orchid lover, it’s real special because you get a chance to go in and see orchids, and they also get a chance to go in and buy new ones, some that they haven’t seen,” he said.
Dobson said orchids can be found on every continent in the world, excluding Antarctica, and that diversity means each one must be cared for in a special way.
“Orchids don’t adapt to what you give them. You have to adapt what you give them to what they want and then you can get them to bloom,” he said. “Orchids have become in recent years the largest plant family there is of all the plants in the world.”
According to American Orchid Society, during the cold winters, orchids can be grown on the patio or under trees.
In places with cooler summer nights, orchids like Cymbidiums are the best while areas with warmer summer nights are perfect for Vandas and Cattleyas.
Dobson said collecting a new orchid as often as possible becomes an obsession for any orchid lover.
“Orchid growing is an addiction. They get to come in and see what there is and you’ve got to have one more,” he said. “I just enjoy the mysticism of it.”
That is certainly true in Joan Wayne’s case.
Wayne, who attends the festival every year, said she has more than 100 orchid plants around her home.
“They’re just beautiful,” she said. “I spend time at least twice a week taking care of them. It’s well worth all of the work.”
Reporter Hayley Mathis can be reached at 352-544-5225 or [email protected].
