Orchids bright and beautiful

Everything you ever wanted to know about orchids – and more. That is what’s on offer at the annual two-day orchid extravaganza at the National Botanic Garden of Wales, on August 31 and September 1.

Nurseries from home and abroad will converge on the Garden for a weekend boasting an enormous variety of orchid plants for sale, ranging from the colourful and flamboyant to the beautiful and bizarre.

Organised by the Orchid Study Group under the chairmanship of botanist Dr Kevin Davies, this is the festival’s sixth year.

An exciting programme of talks and seminars has been arranged, covering cultivation and conservation. Talks entitled ‘Orchids: where do I start?’ and “Orchids for the windowsill” will prove invaluable for the beginner while talks on the Asiatic and South American varieties will satisfy specialists.

For those that like action there is Christopher Squire’s illustrated talk on ‘Brazil: In the footsteps of the old orchid hunters’ and, if you are looking for the perfect present for that special person in your life, why not sit in on Ray Creek’s presentation: ‘Orchids: the ideal gift’.

Whether you are new to orchid growing or an old-hand, there will be something for you. For further details of participating nurseries, talks and seminars, go to www.orchidstudygroup.org.uk

For more information about this and other Garden events, go to www.gardenofwales.org.uk email info@gardenofwales.org.uk or call 01558 667149.

* The OSG was established in 2005 to provide a focus for orchid study and cultivation in Wales. Indeed, its patron, Tom Hart Dyke, a prominent plant collector and founder of the World Garden at Lullingstone Castle, was himself kidnapped while orchid hunting in the Darien Gap, a region of the Panamanian jungle, and held captive for almost a year.