A Visit to the 2012 Orchid Show

The annual Orchid Show at Missouri Botanical Garden is, for an Orchid lover, one of the best days of the year.  Each year the botanical wizards at MoBot create a stunning masterpiece with Orchids and other trees and plants.  This year’s spectacular display- “Flora of China” is no exception.

George and I really enjoy the Orchid Show, so this year we arrived early on opening day.  The sky was a cloudless blue and the warm sun made the day seem almost like spring.  The Ridgeway Center was full of visitors anxious to see the new display and purchase some orchids as well.  

In previous years the Orchid Society of St. Louis held a plant sale and show in conjunction with the unveiling of the new display.  We were a little disappointed to find that the sale has been changed to this weekend, February 4^th and 5th.  That didn’t stop us, though, from getting some really unusual Orchids in the gift shop! 

As an added bonus, all Orchids, Orchid books and Orchid fertilizers are 20% off.  If that great discount doesn’t wet your whistle and get you to pull out that credit card, I don’t know what will.  After carefully selecting some fabulous new Orchids to bring home, it was time to see what the creative team behind this years show produced.

Upon entering the Orthwein Display Room at Ridgeway Center, the transformation was just amazing.  You enter the space via a Moon Gate.  Staghorn ferns, Foo Dogs, tropical plants and moss decorate the entrance.

A large number of colorful lanterns of all shapes and sizes hang from the ceiling.  The lanterns that hang from the ceiling give the visitor a hint of the upcoming Chinese Lantern Festival. The massive event will grace the grounds of the Missouri Botanical Garden beginning in late May.  The festival will rival the Dale Chihuly exhibit in 2006- a “must see” for any garden enthusiast. 

George and I began at a leisurely pace, looking at the Orchids, ferns, Croton, Staghorn ferns, and all the large trees that have Orchids growing on them.  George recalled that on his trips to Peru and Nepal, it was very common to see large areas covered in Orchids.  They would climb up the trunks of trees exactly the same way they did at the display. 

The back wall of the room has a large photo of Mt. Kilimanjaro, adding another visual element and a smile to George’s face, remembering last October when he trekked up the mountain for 9 hours to set up a medical clinic in Nepal. 

Each and every inch of the display is covered in plants, moss, Orchids, Air plants, statuary and moving water.  Numerous stone garden lanterns evoke the feel of an Asian Garden.  A tall fountain with four “spitters” emits the soothing sound of water falling quickly into a low basin.  Enormous Boston ferns block portions of the sun, making shadows on the floor of the display area. 

Lovely Lady (botanical name Paphiopedilum) Slippers, my favorite Orchid of all time, line the walk with brightly spotted foliage.  Blooms of the Lady Slipper vary from pinks, to bright yellow, to pale cream.  I even spied a white Lady Slipper!  It was the first time I ever saw a colorless Lady Slipper. 

By the way- if you’re wondering how the plant got its name, check one out when you visit the show.  The bottom portion of the bloom looks just like a small, dainty foot could slip right into the bloom!  Unfortunately, my massive size 10 clodhoppers would never slip into a Lady Slipper!

I couldn’t help it: each turn brought another “oohh,” “aahhhh,” and “wow!”  There was so much to see that it was impossible to take it all in at one time.  We’d look up to see the lanterns, bend down to view the Lady Slippers, peer around large trees to see Bromeliads, and peek into corners to see the Bird of Paradise.  I think we ended up spending over an hour taking it all in. 

I love to photograph flowers and I snapped over 150 photos.  Visiting the show just once is never enough, so I will go again this week with my garden club. 

We are thrilled to have Carol Gravens give us a tour of the exhibit.  Carol is one of the most knowledgeable people around when it comes to Orchids.  As a Master Gardener, she gives tours of the show until it wraps up in late March.  If you’re interested in getting the most out of the show, you really must book one of Carol’s tours. 

You can find out more about the tour at www.stlmg.com  Click on “Speakers Bureau” in the right hand corner to find more about Carol and the tour she offers.  I guarantee that in one hour you’ll learn more about Orchids than you ever thought possible.  Given her vast knowledge about Orchids though, Carol is still very down to earth. 

I remember a few years ago when I asked her where she buys most of her Orchids.  I expected her to give me the name of some exotic nursery.  She replied, “Anyplace that sells Orchids.  Home Depot, Trader Joe’s or the Garden Gate Shop.  All Orchids are beautiful and I’m not picky at all!”  I found that very refreshing!

As George and I were leaving the display, we began thinking that we could recreate one of the moss-covered trees that we saw at the show.  George has a really tall ceiling in his living room, and he’d love to create a replica of the Orchids that crawl up the trees in Nepal. 

We’re pretty crafty and certainly don’t mind tackling a big project.  After all, we just need an interesting looking dead tree, say 4 feet tall with 3 or 4 side branches, some fresh moss, a few spools of fishing line, about 10 or 15 Orchids, about 20 Air plants and, BOOM! A masterpiece! How hard can it be, really? 

Stay tuned-there just might be a blog this spring about our biggest craft project ever!  All thanks to the Orchid Show at Missouri Botanical Garden!