Phalaenopsis Al Pecker
Orchids are spectacular plants with intricacies that are often overlooked. They can mimic wildlife, release quirky aromas and produce blooms that range from minute to massive. In Richmond, Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden offers a place to explore their wondrous world.
The garden is home to around 300 orchids, including tropical, native and cold-hardy varieties. Nestled inside the majestic conservatory, the collection was one of the structure’s original displays when it opened in 2003.
“[The orchid collection] started through joint efforts of staff curating and volunteer donations. We’ve also collected some of our plants from other public gardens,” says Jayton Howard, conservatory horticulturist at Lewis Ginter.
While it might seem that summer would be the ideal time to enjoy their blossoms, the conservatory’s orchids are most spectacular during the spring and fall, Howard says. The plants spend the warmer and cooler months resting and storing energy for future blooms. “They spend more time building up energy reserves for flowering than they do actually flowering,” he says. “When you see an orchid on display here at the garden, odds are it has been carefully cared for to rebloom for nine to 10 months out of the year and is in bloom for a month or two.” But, Howard notes, he is speaking generally. Depending on the variety, some blooms will last for months, while others only open for a day.
Orchids in the Palm House at Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden
Because of their varied blooming needs, not all of the garden’s orchids are on display in the conservatory. Once a plant is done flowering, often it will be transported back to the botanical garden’s greenhouse for a rest in private until it’s ready to bloom once more.
“We are just at the tail end of the cymbidium collection display, which I consider to be the grand finale of the orchid display for the season,” Howard says. These are large, terrestrial orchids known for their distinctive size, growth habits and big, showy flowers. But don’t worry if you missed them — a handful of the native and cold-hardy orchids are currently blooming.
While Howard manages the conservatory, behind the scenes is a skilled volunteer team that assists him with caring for these plants. Part of that team is Virginia Orchid Society President Irina Neverova.
A longtime orchid enthusiast, Neverova began assisting with the collection after moving to Richmond from Canada in 2015. “First thing I did after the move, I joined Virginia Orchid Society,” she says. “A few members of VOS at that time were volunteering with the orchid collection at LGBG and needed a pair of helping hands.”
Each week for half a day, Neverova and eight fellow VOS volunteers prep, groom and clean the plants to ensure they stay happy and healthy. “The collective knowledge, experience and wisdom allow us to keep the collection in good shape,” Neverova says. “Also, the enthusiasm and comradery of the members make it a great team.”
“We truly could not do it without our amazing orchid-loving volunteers. We are very lucky to have very passionate and knowledgeable volunteers to care for the collection,” Howard says. “I get the fun task of displaying all of their hard work and taking care of the orchids when they are on display in the conservatory.”
Phalaenopsis orchids on display in the conservatory at Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden
While the lack of greenhouse space is a current challenge, the garden is always looking to expand its collection. “We’ve most recently added some phalaenopsis orchids with very unique blooms that will give us years of beauty and a variegated vanilla orchid donated to us from another public garden,” Howard says.
Perhaps the most dazzling plants — and Howard’s favorite — are the maxillaria orchids. “[They] have incredibly fragrant blooms that smell heavily, like coconut with a hint of chocolate,” he says. “The whole conservatory will fill with its scent when in bloom.”
The botanical garden also hosts the annual Virginia Orchid Society show. The late-winter event has been held at the garden for years and showcases orchids through art, lectures, fabulous displays and the opportunity to purchase plants. It’s a great way to chat with orchid lovers and experts to learn more about these distinctive plants.
“Our collection is robust and diverse enough that, any time of the year you come to visit, there should be something exciting going on in the world of orchids,” Howard says. “For exciting blooms, interesting growth habits and wonderfully fragrant flowers, we’ve got an orchid in our collection that appeals to all plant-loving folks.”
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