By Susan McKee
Orchids are the perfect winter flower. Redolent of the tropics whether grown in a Northern greenhouse or “wild” in a rainforest, their colors, shapes and scents attract travelers.
Botanical gardens tend to have the most extensive orchid shows. Here are a few to consider:
- An orchid show takes place January 3 through February 14, 2020, at Filoli Historic House & Garden, Woodside, California. An array of plants and flower arrangements will rotate in and out of the House from early January to mid-February: in the foyer, urns filled with several orchids; in the house, different rooms will contain traditional flower arrangements featuring orchid flowers, as well as blooming orchid plants from Filoli’s historic greenhouse collection; and the kitchen will have a display of orchids on the center island.
- The annual Orchid and Tropical Bonsai Show at the Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, opens January 18, 2020, and runs through March 8, 2020. The show features hundreds of star-shaped and otherworldly orchids, plus our cosmic collection of tropical bonsai.
- Missouri Botanical Garden’s annual orchid show runs February 1, 2020, to March 22, 2020, in St. Louis, Missouri. Showcased inside the Orthwein Floral Display Hall with lush foliage and bubbling fountains will be a rotating display of hundreds of orchids from the garden’s permanent collection.
- At Kew Gardens outside London, England, the 25th annual orchid festival is set for February 8, 2020, through March 8, 2020, in the Princess of Wales Conservatory. This year’s festival is a celebration of the cultural and natural diversity that is scattered across Indonesia’s archipelago of 17,504 islands, and the scientific discovery being made there by Kew’s scientists.
The orchid show at the Chicago Botanic Garden in 2020 is unlike previous editions. Look for a play of color in artistic installations with 10,000 brilliant blooms arranged in a towering kaleidoscope, a floating carpet, and a dramatic chandelier, designed to be lit and transformed by the winter sun. It runs February 8, 2020, through March 22, 2020. “Orchids After Hours” takes place Thursday evenings; drinks and light fare will be available for purchase from 4 to 8 p.m.- “Orquifiesta 2020”, sponsored by Sociedad Dominicana de Orquideologia takes place February 13 through 16, 2020 in the National Botanical Garden of Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.
- The orchid show at the New York Botanical Garden, Bronx, New York, now in its 18th year, will showcase thousands of the colorful flowers February 15, 2020, through April 19, 2020.
- The 68th Pacific Orchid Exposition sponsored by the San Francisco Orchid Society, “2020: Orchids in Focus,” takes place February 21, 22 and 23, 2020, in the Hall of Flowers at Golden Gate Park, San Francisco, California. More than 150,000 unusual and rare orchids will be on display and for sale.
Other orchid societies have smaller, more focused displays. Some of the best coming up include:
- Orchids in Paradise are promised by the Sarasota Orchid Society January 4 and 5, 2020, in the Sarasota Municipal Auditorium, Sarasota, Florida.
- The “20/20 Orchid Vision Show and Sale” is set for January 10, 11, and 12, 2020, by the Fort Lauderdale Orchid Society. It’ll be held in the Broward County Convention Center in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
- The Florida West Coast Orchid Society Show takes place January 11 and 12, 2020 in the Seminole Recreation Center, Seminole, Florida.
- The North Jersey Orchid Society’s show and sale is scheduled for January 17, 18, and 19, 2020 in the Douglass Cook Student Center, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, New Jersey.
- January 17, 18, and 19, 2020, are the dates for the Tamiami international Orchid Festival in the Miami-Dade County Fair Expo Center, Miami, Florida. Seventy national and international orchid growers and allied product vendors will be there. Look for lectures on growing orchids, controlling pests and diseases, history and culture of orchids.
- A show and sale sponsored by the Gulf Coast Orchid Society takes place January 24, 25, and 26, 2020, at the Gautier Convention Center in Gautier, Mississippi.
- The San Diego County Orchid Society stages its winter display January 25 and 26, 2020, in the Casa del Prado, Balboa Park, San Diego, California.
- The Cape and Islands Orchid Society’s annual show is January 25 and 26, 2020, at The Resort and Conference Center, Hyannis, Massachusetts.
- Orchid Society of Minnesota’s “St. Paul Winter Carnival Orchid Show” is set for January 25 and 25, 2020, at the Marjorie McNeely Conservatory, St. Paul, Minnesota.
There are more orchid events listed on the calendar maintained by the American Orchid Society.
For more information on garden tourism, check out RoadTripsForGardeners.com
Check it out:
www.missouribotanicalgarden.org
www.nybg.org/event/the-orchid-show
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