October Orchid Festival

September 23, 10:58 AMPittsburgh Gardening ExaminerTC Conner

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Orchid 'Lemon Chiffon' at Phipps Garden Center

I received a very informative media packet in the mail recently from the American Orchid Society. A CD was included with pictures of their facilities in Delray Beach, Florida, and it's interesting to note that the inside of one of their greenhouses resembles a section of Pittsburgh's own Phipps Conservatory. Most conservatories feature a dazzling display of orchids and if you've not seen the one at Phipps, you're missing a beautiful collection. 

Want to learn more about orchids? Then plan on attending Pittsburgh's 2008 Fall Orchid Festival at Phipps Garden Center sponsored by the Orchid Society of Western PA. Activities begin on Saturday, October 18, from 10 AM to 5 PM and continue on Sunday, October 19, 10 AM to 3 PM. Phipps Garden Center is located at 1059 Shady Avenue, Pittsburgh (412-441-4442). 

What better way to spend a fall weekend? Especially with free admission.

Saturday, October 18,  lecture schedule:

• 11:30 AM "How Not to Kill Orchids 101" by Mike Kauffman of Main Street Orchids, Perkasie, PA
• 12:30 PM "Growing Warmth Tolerant Cymbidiums" by Jim Marlow, Marlow Orchids, Scottsville, NY
• 1:30 PM "The Culture of Odontoglossums," Russ Vernon, New Vision Orchids, Yorktown, IN
• 2:30 PM "The Culture of those popular Slipper Orchids - Paphiopedilums" by Joe Kunisch of Bloomfield Orchids, Pittsford, NY

Sunday, October 19, lecture schedule:

• 10:30 AM "What is my Orchid Telling Me?" by Edgar Stehli, Windswept-in-time Orchids (love that name!), Cleveland, OH
• 11:30 AM "Growing Cypripedium/Native American Orchids" by Wayne Roberts, Roberts' Flower Supply, Columbia Station, OH
• 12:30 PM "Tips for Growing Magnificent Cattleya Orchids" by Richard Sipko, Hillhaven Orchids, Pittsburgh, PA

Two years ago, a retired parish priest asked if I would take care of a few special houseplants for him, he hated to let them go but was moving and said there just wasn't enough room for all of them at the retirement home. One of these is an orchid that he said hasn't bloomed in a long time. I asked an orchid loving friend of mine to take charge of this plant and nurture it for a while in hopes to get it to flower. The jury's still out, but we have high expectations from this "holy" orchid and I just know its flower will be a heavenly sight.