Almost every sense will be engaged the weekend of April 17, 18 and 19 when you visit the Orchid Society of Alberta’s show at Hole’s Enjoy Centre. No doubt the biggest sensory delight will be visual as your mind tries to absorb the beauty of thousands of blossoms but there will be new olfactory sensations too as you smell all those different floral perfumes. Even your ears will perk up at the sound of all the “oohs and aahs” that surround you as others gaze with you at the orchids that may be as big as your hand or as small as a dime. The only thing you cannot do is touch the prize-winning orchids that are on display but you will be allowed to photograph them all.
“This is the second year that the Orchid Fair has been held at the Enjoy Centre, so it’s round two at that location. But it’s the 38th annual orchid fair. Last year was obviously successful because it was warm and bright and sunny in the Enjoy Centre. We showed the orchids under a glass roof with natural sunlight and so you could see the true colours of the flowers,” said show chairman Darrell Albert.
Vendors from all over the world will showcase their orchids. In addition, members of the Alberta Orchid Society will put their most magnificent blossoms on display in an effort to win the Best of Show prizes.
“We have 140 members but they will not all be showing orchids. We expect 500 different plants. Most plants have several blooms so there will be thousands of flowers,” Albert said.
If you’ve never grown orchids yourself, this fair will be a good opportunity to learn more about these exotic plants.
“We will have seminars both Saturday and Sunday and most of those are focused on helping the beginner. In addition, when you start growing orchids, you need to identify the environment that is best for that species. The vendors can help you by explaining the best conditions for their orchids,” Albert said, as he explained that many orchids are easy to grow.
“Many orchid varieties can be successfully grown in the house, perhaps on a windowsill. There are some 26,000 species of orchids grown in the world and more than 100,000 hybrids that growers have developed. Some are very easy to grow and others are more challenging, such as those that in their native environment grow on a mountain in a cloud forest,” he said.
The prices of the for-sale orchids will range according to how difficult the plants are to grow.
“It’s a good rule of thumb that the more rare and exotic, the more they cost. And the more you spend, the more likely it is to die, because those orchids require special care. Unfortunately, sometimes you can ‘care’ a plant to death by overwatering or giving it too much light,” said Albert, who admitted that he is addicted to the plants himself and has more than 1,500 of them growing in his own greenhouse.
Judging takes place the morning of April 17 and winning orchids will be displayed throughout the weekend. The Orchid Fair is open to the public April 17 from noon to 8 p.m.; April 18 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and April 19 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission is $10.
For more information about the Orchid Fair, visit www.orchidsalberta.com.
