Gardening : East West Orchid Show Set for Oct. 28-29
A prom dress wouldn’t be the same without one. A son or daughter who forks over the cash for one on Mother’s Day becomes the apple of mother’s eye. The orchid is a delicate-looking flower that often separates the special occasion from the ordinary event, but it’s also a plant that is surprisingly easy to grow, bringing beauty, fragrance and prestige to a home or garden.
To give you an idea of how easy, the New Otani Hotel and Weller Court in Little Tokyo are sponsoring the third annual East West Orchid Show next Saturday and Sunday. More than 3,000 orchids will be exhibited, and some will be for sale.
It’s one thing to see thousands of colorful and exotic blooms in pots, but at this show, hobbyists will display their orchids in lavish 9-by-12-foot exhibits. The orchid displays are expected to rival last year’s scenes, one of which included a stuffed monkey and Japanese bridge and showcased orchids along a stream, and another that had 10-foot-tall pillars covered with orchids reflected in a mirror.
Because orchids have a reputation as “special-occasion” flowers, some people might not think of growing them at home.
“I’ve been growing orchids all my life,” says Ernest Hetherington, retired president of Stewart Orchids in San Gabriel. “They are by far the largest and most diverse flowers and have the greatest varieties.”
Growing orchids gained popularity in the United States right after World War II, Hetherington says.
“In the last 40 years we’ve gone from a few wealthy people in the Northeast to hundreds of thousands of people growing them all over the country.”
Two of the three major types of orchids will be in abundance at the New Otani show: cattleyas and Phalaenopsis. The third, cymbidiums, grow primarily in the spring.
“The most popular in America are the Phalaenopsis,” Hetherington says. “They’re No. 1 . . . because they’re so easy to grow. Cattleyas and Phalaenopsis both are very easy to care for.”
There will be a few cymbidiums to eye at the show, and these, Hetherington says, are ideal for the shade garden. They can be grown in leafy soil with a high organic content.
Among the rarest of orchids are the vandas, found primarily in Hawaii. “They’re so dark red-purple that they’re almost black,” Hetherington says. Orchids come in just about every color: white, pink, cocoa, tan, blue, yellow and, of course, purple.
Commercial growers and hobbyists from the orchid societies sponsoring the show will give lectures and demonstrations both days and will answer questions and give advice on growing orchids.
“You can live without beauty,” Hetherington says, “but why should you?”
New Otani Hotel & Garden, 120 S. Los Angeles St., Downtown; Weller Court shopping center, 2nd and San Pedro streets. Hours: Next Saturday, 10 a.m.-6 p.m.; Sunday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Free admission.
