Step into a misty greenhouse and you’re stepping into spring with its seductive scent of flowers. It’s time to banish winter as Canada’s largest orchid fair gathers for its 45th anniversary from April 4-6 at the Salisbury’s Enjoy Centre.
Organized by the Orchid Society of Alberta, the exhibition and competition offers plenty of resources for both newcomers and veterans.
The fair will feature massive floral displays, an orchid competition judged by American Orchid Society, an art exhibition, national and international orchid vendors, and demonstrations.
Currently, the society proudly boasts more than 200 members, but only 26 will display their flowers.
“The exhibitions are the ones that are in bloom at this time. You could call it a snapshot in time,” said Darell Albert, show chair.
The society, formed by local orchid enthusiasts in Edmonton in 1976, was crafted to advance hobby growing. Initially, the hobbyists and horticulturalists by trade met regularly to share plants and information.
“At the first Orchid Fair in 1976 we set up a couple of tables at Southgate Mall. It was like the coast, where groups on an island would set up a table at a mall,” Albert said.
Once the society expanded the fair’s scope featuring a floral competition, it moved to the Muttart Conservatory common area for a number of years. But by the late 1990s, its membership was growing steadily, and it travelled to Grant MacEwan’s South Campus gymnasium, Albert explained.
The full-size gym accommodated the fair’s steady growth. However, by 2013, the south campus was listed for sale and the society was once again searching for a new home.
News travels quickly and Jim Hole, the Enjoy Centre’s former owner, phoned Albert and suggested shifting the orchid fair to the St. Albert greenhouse’s 15,000 square foot space. The society's first showcase at the new venue was in 2014.
“The Enjoy Centre was really the best space we could hope for. It’s a big room with a glass ceiling and natural light, and you can see a flower’s true colours. In MacEwan gym, the fluorescent lights changed a flower’s colours. Mercury vapours miss part of the spectrum and the colours are not true.”
The fair features 13 orchid growers from local to international levels. International growers include Ching Hua Orchids from Tainan, Taiwan; Ecuagenera from Cuenca, Ecuador; Ten Shin Gardens, Yuanli, Taiwan; Tropical Exotique, Chiang Mai, Thailand; and Sunset Valley Orchards, Vista, Calif.
Nationally two Toronto greenhouse growers, MagicOasis and Roehampton Orchids, are also attending the fair. Within the Edmonton area, Calade Orchids and Tropicals, Clay Necessities Inc., Maldawn Orchids, Terry’s Orchids, and the Orchid Species Preservation Foundation (OSPF) are attending.
“Most vendors go home with far less than what they came with. Friday is always a feeding frenzy, so get here early for the first pick.”
Exhibition hours are Friday from noon to 8 p.m., Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. General admission is $10 at door. Children under 12 enter free. On-site parking is free.
