Spring Orchid Show & Sale returns after 4-year hiatus this Friday, Saturday

The Garden Island Orchid Society is holding its first orchid show and sale in four years this Friday, at the United Church of Christ in Hanapēpē on the West Side of Kaua‘i.

“We’re getting back in. We have a lot of new people,” said Elizabeth Borchelt, the society’s president. “We’re looking forward to it.”

The orchid society held shows for decades before the COVID-19 pandemic prompted a hiatus, according to David Fastenau, the society’s newsletter editor.

“Many people in the community have been asking us when we’re going to do our next show because they enjoy it and enjoy coming every year,” he said.

The Garden Island Orchid Society’s 2024 Spring Orchid Show & Sale will run from 3 to 7 p.m. on April 12, and from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on April 13. Admission to the show located at 4481 Kona Street is free.

The centerpiece of the event will be a large orchid display showcasing plants from society members’ personal collections, including “hard to get” varieties. The sight may cause attendees to slip into orchidomania, that term used to describe humanity’s remarkable fascination with flowers belonging to the family Orchidaceae.

But fear not: Those who wish to bring an orchid – or two or three – home with them may purchase plants and supplies from vendors including Kapa‘a-based business Orchid Alley and the society itself.

“We’ve got a cookbook and some T-shirts … We’re going to have a bake sale as well,” Fastenau added.

Fastenau, while an active member of the Garden Island Orchid Society, is not a true devotee. But his wife Michelle is.

“She really is the orchid addict, as she calls herself,” Fastenau chuckled.

Michelle – who cultivated roses in California – was introduced to orchids when she and her husband moved to Kaua‘i in 2016: Their new home included a rock garden with five of them.

“My wife became really fascinated and interested in orchids … She would not be happy with me if I told you how many she has,” Fastenau admitted before spilling the beans. “Several dozen outside and another couple dozen inside.”

Borchelt is also a transplant who developed an orchid obsession upon moving to Kaua‘i.

“Every individual person is different. I know people who are really into the different types,” she said. “They want to know how you can hybridize them … People get really excited talking about, ‘I took this orchid and this orchid and made this orchid.’

“But for me, it was the beauty – and they’re really hard to kill. Although you can kill them, because I’ve killed a lot,” Borchelt continued, laughing. “In anybody’s yard, you can have this gorgeous or beautiful orchid.”

Plant care demonstrations will be held on both Saturday and Sunday. Attendees may consider joining the Garden Island Orchid Society, as well.

“What we really need to do is try to reach out to younger people and get them interested,” Borchelt said.

For more information about the Garden Island Orchid Society, visit its website here.