Ikebana Flower Takes 'Best of Show' at Orchid Fest

It was a group effort that brought Ikebana Flowers the win for "Best Interpretation of Show Theme" during this year's 21st Annual New Hampshire Orchid Society Show at the Radisson Hotel in Nashua.

Ikebana owner Antoinette Drouart enlisted the help of several of her floral arrangement students. And the music department at Bishop Guertin High School was instrumental in bringing the theme to life.

"We decided two weeks ago to do this, so first we had to find instruments," said Drouart. "Bishop Guertin was kind enough to lend us most of them you see here, and an anonymous donor came forward with some of the antique instruments, like the glockenspiel."

The annual event draws orchid lovers from around New England to take in the exotic beauty of these flowers, which have become a bit of an obsession among growers.

It has everything to do with the infinite combinations of color, shape, detail and fragrance found in these flowers, which makes every orchid show a bit of an adventure for those on a mission to find the most desirable orchid in town.

During the three-day extravaganza, visitors mostly browsed and purchased from local vendors. There was also much snapping photos and takers for the educational tour with one of several NH Orchid Society experts, including Norm Selander-Carrier, who was fascinating his tour group with his explanation of "psuedo bulbs," a feature of some orchids for moisture storage.

He used a pointer to highlight the various features of the flower's complex anatomy, which struck Cynthia White of Merrimack as pretty obvious.

"It looks like a teeny tiny penis," said White, leaning in to get a closer look at the particulars of the elaborate-looking orchid on display, saying out loud what most everyone in the group was likely thinking.

"These are very sexual flowers. They're like an aphrodesiac for the bees," White said.

White is just starting to learn the finer points of rchid cultivation.

"I got a lot of good information here today. I got this one for my daughter," said White, lifting the covering from her purchase and showing off a planter with delicate blooms she was cradling in her arms. "She has a sunny kitchen, so I think it will be perfect there."