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Orchid show brightens Langley

Orchid growers showed off their finest blooms in Langley.
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Yolanda Breck is president of the Fraser Valley Orchid Society and grower of the tiny

Orchid growers came from all over B.C. to show off their prize creations last weekend at The Allure of Orchids.

The 2016 show organized by the Langley-based Fraser Valley Orchid Society drew cultivators from Vancouver, the Okanagan, Victoria, Nanaimo, and Richmond.

Each regional club did their own display showcasing some of the best of their blooms, said Yolanda Breck, president of the Fraser Valley Orchid Society.

There were several thousand orchids on display in total, said Breck, despite the fact that the local climate is not exactly ideal for tropical flowers.

“It’s amazing what the people in B.C. can grow,” said Breck. “It’s not exactly Hawaii.”

The scheduling of the show is always a bit of a tossup when it comes to whether or not the best blooms will be ready.

“This year they’re a little out of sync,” said Breck.

Some bloomed last week, some have yet to bloom.

But enough orchids were out that visitors walking through the George Preston Recreation Centre has plenty to look at.

They could also buy new orchids. Half the space in the rec centre’s meeting rooms was taken up by vendors, with companies from Equador to Vancouver Island, Minneapolis to Taiwan, as well as local Fraser Valley growers.

It was briefly a one-stop shop for orchid supplies, including pots and growing media.

Also present was the Orchid Preservation Society, based in Alberta.

Their goal is to preserve endangered orchids and the rain forests in which they grow, said Breck.

The club meets at the George Preston Centre on the fourth Tuesday of the month, and new members are welcome to drop by.

 

 



Matthew Claxton

About the Author: Matthew Claxton

Raised in Langley, as a journalist today I focus on local politics, crime and homelessness.
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