Orchid Jubilee at Naples Botanical Garden

On February 16-18, 2024, the Naples Orchid Society (NOS) honored 50 years since their first American Orchid Society-judged show with the theme “An Orchid Jubilee.” The show featured a dizzying collection of prize-winning orchids of many species and hybrids shown by hobby grower members and individual orchid exhibitors.

The Orchid Show and Sale had orchids for newbies, hobbyists, growers and enthusiasts, all having the opportunity to get an up-close look at the diverse display of orchids. It was an immersive experience, both visual and sensory, with orchids such as the cattleyas having a sweet, floral, citrusy scent.

The Naples Orchid Society has a lot of history to celebrate. For many years, the Show was held in the Naples Depot, then moved to the Conservancy of SW Florida. In 2009, when the Conservancy closed for renovation, they moved the Show to the United Church of Christ on Seagate. In 2012, they moved to the Moorings Presbyterian Church and, in 2016, to the Naples Botanical Garden. 

Looking back to 1992, according to NOS’ history, there were five commercial orchid growers in the Naples area that were active in the Society: Gulfshore Orchids (Paul and June Carlson), Jade Orchids (David and Judy White), LeBuff Orchids (Laban and Jean LeBuff), Rum Orchids (Richard and Ursula Malone) and Taylor Orchids (Bill and Joanne Taylor in Alva, Florida). In 2012, there was only one commercial orchid grower in East Naples, Jade Orchids (Judy and David White), and they are still at the same location today.

The major “attraction” and fundraiser for NOS has always been the Annual Orchid Show usually held in February or early March. According to NOS, they offer an annual scholarship to be awarded to a qualified student pursuing a program in Botany, Conservation, or Environmental Science. Preference will be given, but not limited, to a student studying/working in Southwest Florida on a worthy orchid-related project that relates to their mission. 

According to the American Orchid Society, with about 30,000 known orchid species, and many thousands of hybrids to choose from, it can be a challenge settling on the right orchid for beginners. A trip to your local supermarket will introduce you to the Phalaenopsis (moth orchids) - the most common and affordable orchid varieties. A bloom from a moth orchid can last up to four months and comes in a wide range of colors including white, pink, red, green, yellow, orange, and purple. 

So often you’ll hear, “Orchids don’t make good houseplants – they are temperamental,” but then you bought the Phalaenopsis/Moth Orchid for Easter, and its blooms lasted three months. You are hooked!

You often ask yourself, “are they locally grown?” Are they native to Florida or exported from some exotic tropical rainforest?”

In January 2024, I met with Bill Gorski, a Marco resident and orchid hobbyist growing orchids from seeds. I also met with Dr. John Finer, who has created over 200 hybrids in the Florida Gulf Coast University lab at Naples Botanical Garden. John also has a very popular YouTube program where he is known as The Plant Propagator. According to Dr. Finer, many orchids are grown from seeds or cloned from superior plants in a laboratory.

After retiring to Naples in 2021, Dr. Finer has been expanding his orchid collection and making new hybrids, focusing on Cattleyas. He grows his orchid embryos in petri dishes, and I often join him to deflask orchid seedlings into small starter containers. I asked him the following questions:

1. How long does it take for an orchid to flower? Three to five years from seed to flower.

2. How many seeds are in an orchid seed capsule? Orchid seed capsules can have 100,000 – 1,000,000 seeds.

3. Are orchids tropical? It is a large family and many grow in cold regions.

Congratulations to Bill Gorski and Dr. Finer for their award-winning entries at the 2024 Orchid Show.

Though the Show is over, the LaGrippe Orchid Garden at the Botanical Garden is bursting with a stunning array of orchids and air plants for easy viewing.