Ralph Belk III, president of the Triangle Orchid Society, was first introduced to orchids when his partner gave him one in 2012 which Belk was able to rebloom in 2013 — this prompted his curiosity of orchids, and he inquired more on how to grow and pot them.
The 5th Annual Fall for Orchids show will be held at the Sarah P. Duke Gardens from Nov. 8 to Nov. 10.
“Most people, when they think of an orchid, they think of what we call a Phalaenopsis, which is the moth orchid or the type you see at the grocery store, and they think that that is all that it is, but they are actually the second most populous family of plants in the whole world,” said Sarah Patterson, a member of the Triangle Orchid Society Board of Trustees.
The orchid shows will provide attendees a way to see orchids in bloom and meet experts and other enthusiasts.
“Some people are into orchids because they like pretty flowers, some people are into orchids because they like the artistic arrangement of flowers,” Belk said. “Some people are into orchids because they like competing for awards, shows are places where you can engage people on a number of those things."
The Fall for Orchids also has educational opportunities for attendees to learn how to grow the flowers and see the vast types of orchids in the world.
“At the show, you can learn the basics of how to keep your orchids alive and get it to bloom again," Belk said. "We will definitely teach you that, even if you aren’t there for the classes. You can go up to people on staff and show them a picture of the orchid, and they will totally tell you how to take care of them.”
The show will host seven visiting orchid societies within and out of the state that will showcase different exhibits of orchids. In total, there will be eight displays, which are sanctioned by the American Orchid Society.
“The one thing people notice is, you walk in the room and see so many different colors and types of orchids, way, way more than most people even know to exist,” Patterson said. “Most people walk in, and they get their socks totally knocked off by the vast array of plants all in bloom.”
