The Kona Orchid Society will hold its first show and sale in over two-plus years on Saturday offering the public a chance to scoop up some new varieties and learn about orchids.
“Due to the chaos of the last couple of years, we are starving for the opportunity to buy plants and know everybody else is,” said Kona Orchid Society President Whitney Steele.
The club last held its popular Mother’s Day sale and show in 2019. Since guidelines were changing rapidly in May of this year, members decided to hold a summer sale instead.
“Our Mother’s Day sale will be back next year,” said Steele.
Saturday’s sale from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Makaeo Events Pavilion will include five orchid growers and five tropical growers presenting a wide selection of healthy plants from Hawaii Island. Attendees can also take a gander at a variety of orchids grown by members, though no official judging is planned.
In addition to numerous orchid varieties, air plants, bonsai, protea, cactus, succulents, fruit trees, tropicals, water plants, herbs, vegetable starts and bedding plants will be available. Jams, jellies and high-fire functional stoneware will also be sold.
Those looking to learn will have plenty of opportunity as well. Veteran club members will start demonstrations on re-potting orchids at 10 a.m. At noon, Plant Pono will offer a discussion on invasive species. Visit the “plant doctor” at 1 p.m. with a photo of your sick plant or a sample leaf in a securely closed bag to find out more about what’s ailing the specimen.
A drawing will be held at the end of the show, with the lucky winner taking home a basket full of orchids.
Entry will cost $2 with the fee helping to fund the club, as well as its scholarships and conservation efforts.
“There are a lot of conservation efforts going on around the world. A lot of fabulous people have come together to try and generate funds to help preserve these nature reserves so we can preserve orchids in the wild,” said Steele. “We are still discovering orchids every day.”
For example, funding has been used for preservation and propagation of three species found in Hawaii that haven’t been seen in years on the Big Island.
“One on the Big Island, we haven’t seen in the wild since the 1980s,” she explained. “A team of researchers came in from Michigan University. They took plants and seeds and have been working over the years to be able to cultivate them so we can eventually reintroduce them on the island.”
The club is also revitalizing the Orchid Isle Project started by the Hilo Orchid Society to place orchids in community spaces. Holualoa Elementary School is slated to be the next benefactor of the project that takes orchids from resorts and stores that would have been thrown away.
The nonprofit Kona Orchid Society was founded in 1985 to educate members and the public about the collection, culture and appreciation of orchids. Today, the club boasts 82 members including individual hobbyists and commercial growers who usually meet 6 p.m. on the first Friday of the month at the Makua Lani Academy Bridge House. New members of any knowledge level are welcome.
“We are working really hard on helping people how to grow successfully in their given areas,” said Steele.
For more information, visit www.konaorchidsociety.org.