Orchids Strut Their Stuff at 53rd Orchid Show

Orchids took center stage at the 53rd annual Orchid Show. (Yellow Cedar)

The 53rd annual St Croix Orchid Society (SCOS) Orchid Show “Orchids Thrive in ‘25” filled the Great Hall at St. George Village Botanical Garden (SGVBG) in Frederiksted with the wonder of beautiful and exotic orchids. To find so many gorgeous orchids all in one place is truly a delight for the senses. It is hard to imagine how the beauty of nature could be on display in any more impressive fashion.

The huge park setting of SGVBG is so wildly splendid, so remarkably filled with nature at its finest, that it could easily be acclaimed one of the Wonders of the World. For St. Croix to be graced with such a palace of exotic and indigenous plants and trees and flowers is truly a gift from the  angels. And the orchids, the orchids grow everywhere on the grounds. They grow off of old mysterious trees, in wonderful hidden places, they fill up the corners and crevices of the esteemed ancient Sugar Factory behind the Great House, and they strut their stuff on the dozens of tables set up to show them off at the annual Orchid Show.

“I am very pleased how everything turned out,” said Angie Ortiz, the President of the St. Croix Orchid Society. “The ladies and gentlemen of the Society hold it all together. They do an incredible job. I couldn’t have done it without them.” 

The SCOS was founded in 1963 by a group of local orchid hobbyists. Nine years  later the society was incorporated as a 501(c) 3 tax exempt organization. The mission of the Orchid Society is to accumulate and disseminate knowledge on the growing of orchids and to stimulate interest in the hobby by publicly exhibiting orchids. The SCOS is dedicated to conserving and preserving the native orchids of St. Croix.

The Orchid Show has been held at the SGBVG since 2018. The gardens are the perfect setting for all things Flora. When you walk among the rows of orchids in the Great Hall you can’t help but feel the beauty and the delicacy of these stunning flowering plants. They feel so intimate, so inviting, as if they were some tiny creature that had just landed on earth from some other planet and were beckoning you into their peaceful lair. Their blooms are so exotically colorful, hitting every known point on the spectrum, with fragrances that inspire the loveliest of perfumes. Estee Lauder, Chanel, Dior, have no doubt fallen into a creative swoon over a whiff of their powerful intoxications.        

Following the devastation of Hurricane Maria in 2017, the members of SCOS undertook an ambitious community service project to reestablish the decimated orchid collection on the 16-acre grounds of SGVBG - a former sugar cane plantation. Since that time, SCOS members in an entirely volunteer capacity have redesigned and restored the Orchid House, nurtured hundreds of orchids back to health, maintained a nursery (and ICU) for orchids, and continue to provide twice-weekly maintenance for all the orchids on the grounds. 

The Sugar Factory ruins is arguably the centerpiece of the Garden. Over the centuries, the north end of the Sugar Factory has been reduced to three standing walls, with an interior of rocks and rubble. In 2020, the Orchid Society was offered the opportunity to grow orchids within and on the old Sugar Factory walls. When members of OCOS first saw the space, one of them remarked: “We could put 500 orchids in here!” Without hesitation another responded: “We could put 1,000!” And thus the Sugar Factory 1,000 Orchid Project was born. It is certainly a wonderment to see, hundreds of orchids cascading around and down the terraced stone walls of the old Sugar Factory Space. A contiguous seating area was made possible by a gift from AARP VI and was crafted and installed by the fine folks of My Brother’s Workshop. The benches form a sanctuary like place for visitors to rest and admire the wonders of nature. Three sculptures by Waldemar “Waldy” Broadhurst also adorn the space. 

A recent grant which SCOS applied for through the AARP Community Challenge Grant program enabled the complete refurbishment of the Mandrake Orchid House, which was severely damaged by Hurricane Maria. The project was completed with the help of SCOS volunteers and now hundreds of fascinating orchids have a new home on the grounds of SGVBG.

“Locals grow orchids in their own gardens,”said Tom Callahan, past Vice-President of SOCS. “And then they bring them to the Botanical Gardens to be judged.”

“I grow orchids in my house in Jersey,” Karen Bruel, who owns a house on the East End of the Big Island, told Yellow Cedar Media. “The sheer beauty brought me out to the Show. The people we come across who win prizes grow orchids under their trees. If you give the plants what they require, they will respond. With orchids there are just so many different varieties and each one is beautiful in its own way.”

The juried show is complete with awards in many different categories. The American Orchid Society (AOS) provides the judges who are flown in from Puerto Rico. This manner of implementing awards ensures that all orchids at the St. Croix show are judged by the AOS gold standard which rules the roost across North America. 

“I have been growing orchids since way back,” said Rosemary Wolcott, a past AOS Show Trophy winner. “We always had orchids when I was little. My mom loved plants. When you have plants around you it makes for such a calming effect.”

     In this year’s judging the AOS Show Trophy went to Daina L. Fernandez Soto; the Grand Champion of the Show - Magda Finch; the President’s Award - Monsita Diaz; SCOS Artistic Trophy - Kimiah Simon, Jr Exhibitor; Best Native Species - Magda Finch; Best Specimen Plant - Jan McBean; Best Botanical Plant - Edna Hamilton; Best Species - Vickie Wessel; Best Brassavada Nodosa - Kimia Simon; Best Dendrobium Flower - Mafda Finch.

There were a number of other winners in various categories.   

“Our 53rd Orchid Show is a celebration of nature’s artistry,” said Angie Ortiz. “It allows our members and the community to showcase their exquisite blooms and share their breathtaking diversity of orchids with friends and neighbors.”

This year’s poster was created by photographer and illustrator Toni Lance, a St. Croix resident. She is the Executive Director of the St. Croix Avian Sanctuary, where hundreds of birds have received her care over the years. Toni is an avid bird watcher with a passion for wildlife.

“I don’t think any of us would be here if we didn’t love what we do and have a great deal of fun in doing it,” said Mr. Callahan.