Love in Blooms

Cattleya Horace ‘Maxima’ reflects the best traits of orchids. The classic flower is elegant, colorful and dramatic. STEVEN HICKS

Orchids inspire deep passion — and just a little patience

Betty Adamson with one of her favorite ‘pet’ orchids, Rlc Chia Lin ‘New City.’ STEVEN HICKS

Rare are the presents that keep on giving, that bring joy and beauty year after year after year. For the late Jim Adamson, that very special present was a Dendrobium phalaenopsis: The pretty orchid his wife, Betty, presented him on his birthday, about 40 years ago. 

“I thought it would be something different,” Betty said.

Jim so appreciated his orchid that he soon suggested they expand their collection.

“One led to another, and another and another,” Betty said. 

The hobby became a passion, fueled by information the Rockledge couple gathered by joining the Platinum Coast Orchid Society. When Jim went on to tend to orchids in heaven’s greenhouse, Betty continued her association with the array of award-winning orchids the couple had gathered — including the little orchid that started it all, many years back. Some are more than 30 years old, proof that the Adamsons put the knowledge they gathered from attending so many Platinum Coast Orchid Society meetings to good use. 

Betty hopes to enter some of her plants this year as the group celebrates its 60th annual orchid show extravaganza May 2-4 in Merritt Island. Last year, one took the “best” title, but this year — particularly given the snap of cold weather — the showstopper may not be in the mood to show off its blooms.

“Orchids teach you great patience, because they don’t always do what you want them to do,” explained Betty.

In addition to orchids, the Platinum Coast Orchid Society’s annual show features an array of gift baskets, many of them — as could be expected — orchid themed.

WHO’S TO JUDGE?

Rlc Hawaiian Venture ‘Dee’ displays alluring shades of yellow and orange. CHARLIE SCHOLES PHOTOS

Platinum Coast Orchid Society is one of the local groups that pay homage to a plant so beautiful and elegant, it is easy to forgive an often temperamental nature. While Brevard County Orchid Society is active, it does not host a show. Nearby orchid clubs include the Volusia County Orchid Society and the Central Florida Orchid Society.

The Space Coast — in fact, all of Florida — is replete with enthusiasts of Orchidaceae, the scientific name for a plant family with up to 28,000 different species. 

“Orchids do so well in Florida, so there is a huge interest in them,” said Arthur Katz, often a judge at the Platinum Coast shows. Involved in orchid judging for decades, the Kissimmee resident has traveled around the world just to weigh in on the pretty plants.

How does one become an orchid judge? 

“It’s a six-year process: three of them as a student and three as an apprentice,” Katz explained. “Part of the training is learning about the basics of the many orchids, so we know its history, what are its parents’ history. Every orchid is judged based on a database of previous winners.”

Katz is a judge with the American Orchid Society, to which Platinum Coast has belonged since 1956. This 100-plus-year-old horticultural organization boasts more than 10,000 members worldwide.

If you think orchid judging might be a fun job, just realize that you won’t get rich: all the judges are volunteers.

“We do it for the love of the orchids,” Katz said. 

Judges will carefully ponder the number of flowers, the shape of each bloom, the presentation of the plant, the positioning of the stem and many other aspects not obvious to the untrained eye. Shows usually require several judges, individuals so well versed in their subject that, by the end of the day, they pretty much all reach the same conclusion.

“Take any six or 10 judges and the probability is they would come within a few points of each other,” Katz said. 

IDEAL CONDITIONS

Betty Adamson’s Cymbidium Red Diamond captured the hearts of judges at a past Platinum Coast Orchid Society show. STEVEN HICKS

An orchid show provides valuable insight for both orchid groupies and newbies, and exceptional plants are available from the vendors, such as Phillip Hamilton of Bredren Orchids in the Apopka/Eustis area. Hamilton plans to be part of the Platinum Coast event again this year, as he has done for several years now. 

“Many high-quality plants are exhibited at this show by vendors, other Florida orchid societies and local society members alike,” he said. 

Hamilton’s nursery specializes in species and hybrids from the Phalaenopsis and Broughtonia genera, including unique specimens that include Broughtonia negrilensis.

“It’s a species endemic to Jamaica whose natural habitat is restricted to a very small area in the west of the island,” he said. “We also carry a wide assortment of orchids that are just as easy to grow here in Florida.” 

While Florida is second only to Hawaii in numbers of orchid growers, the plants these nurseries grow are usually aimed towards next-level hobbyists. However, novices can try out their green thumbs without much outlay. 

There may never have been a better — and less expensive — time to get into orchids than the present, for the inexpensive plants that often adorn the shelves at big box home improvement stores and even supermarkets are often mirror clones of award winners of yore. The majority of orchids for sale at these outlets hail from Taiwanese nurseries, which have mastered the art of quickly and cost efficiently cloning the plants by the thousands. You won’t get a trophy if you enter one of these plants at an orchid show and you won’t discover any champion thoroughbred — a Seabiscuit of the plant world — with these orchids. But they’re still a pleasure to see and own. 

“You’re still getting a very nice plant, because the quality of today’s orchids is much better than what it was 30 years ago,” Katz said.

They may be expensive or modestly priced, but orchids consistently draw attention wherever they are. They embody luxury, beauty and love. In some cultures, they symbolize prosperity. Unlike other flowers, orchids bestow their beauty for weeks, and when they’re done blooming, they retreat to modest green leaves, until it’s showtime once again.

According to a quote, attributed to English writer W.E. Johns “One of the most delightful things about an orchid is the anticipation it provides.” That sentiment so perfectly explains the allure of orchids, a friend had it framed for Betty Adamson to prominently display in her home — among her orchids.

Checking out the orchids at the Platinum Coast Orchid Society’s annual show offers the perfect opportunity to enter the hobby or hone already established proficiency. CHARLIE SCHOLES

An Orchid Jubilee

60TH ANNUAL ORCHID SHOW AND SALE

When: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Friday and Saturday, May 2 and 3, and 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Sunday, May 4

Where: Kiwanis Island Park Gymnasium, 951 Kiwanis Island Park Road, off State Road 520, Merritt Island

Admission: $5 at the door

More information: platinumcoastorchidsociety.org

Entered by a novice grower, Dtps. Tiannong Yellow ‘Nice’ proved a winner at a Platinum Coast Orchid Society show and proof that even enthusiasts new to the hobby can snag a blue ribbon — with the right orchid. CHARLIE SCHOLES

Platinum Coast?

The name Platinum Coast still pops up here and there, particularly with well-established organizations such as the Platinum Coast Orchid Society, which was founded and affiliated with the American Orchid Society in 1956.

The origin of the name has been lost, even to members of the Orchid Society, but Tammy Moon, librarian archivist at the Catherine Schweinsberg-Rood Central Reference Library, discovered it was a popular 1950s-era nickname for what is now the Space Coast.

The Dec. 12, 1958, issue of the Cocoa Tribune credits Jim Argo — a manager at Florida Power & Light Co. at the time — with unofficially marketing the moniker Platinum Coast in reference to the area.

See the original article in print publication