Orchids in show fascinate Whanganui crowds

People marvel at the many varieties in the Orchids for Everyone show in Whanganui. Whanganui Chronicle photograph by Bevan Conley.

There is one that looks like a cockroach and others whose scent is so powerful it could give you a headache.

Orchids come in thousands of varieties and many were on show at Orchids For Everyone in the Whanganui City College Hall on October 6 and 7. About 500 people came to marvel.

The show was put on by the Wanganui Orchid Society, which has about 40 members.

"I'm thrilled with it, considering we are a smallish club," president Kath Bourne said.

Orchids were judged in their species. Entry numbers were good, with some from Hawke's Bay and Manawatū. The grand champion bloom was a yellow Dendrobium grown by Palmerston North's Michael Loh.

Dendrobiums, from Australia, are the most highly scented of the orchids. Their smell percolated out of the school hall and into the foyer.

Wanganui Orchid Society president Kath Bourne points out the show's grand champion. Photos / Bevan Conley

"You couldn't really have it in your house, because it's so powerful," Bourne said.

"Cockroach" orchids have projections that look like the feelers of an insect. Other orchids are pouched, spotted or spiked. Some are tiny, others large and flat. They come in all colours.

"People say they can't really believe the variety."

The show had a summer-themed display, with orchids in a kayak. There were posies of orchids for sale, also sales of the plants in pots and of orchid food.

One man had a display of Tillandsia - "air plants" - with some in vivid flower.

Orchids flower in spring, and the blooms can last six weeks.

The orchid shows happen from late August to mid October. The Whanganui society had its 50th show last year, and Bourne said they were always popular.

Orchid plants have a reputation for being difficult to grow, but apart from those that require extra warmth she says they are easy. She keeps hers in a shade house, with good air flow.

The very small Dendrochilum Tenellum orchid. Photo / Bevan Conley.

The Phalaenopsis or moth orchids are among the most popular.

The show's theme was "summer", with flowers placed in a kayak.