Orchid Show Set for This Weekend

Area orchid lovers will gather this weekend for the third annual Conejo Orchid Society show at the Thousand Oaks Library.

The free show, at 1401 Janss Road, will feature orchid exhibits grown by members and professionals, potting demonstrations and plant and supply sales.

Orchids vary in size and shape, with colors ranging from purple to bright pink to orange to green. The size of the plants ranges from two-inch flowers to vines 50 feet long with a foot-long flower. Despite the variations, all orchids have three sepals and petals.

The show runs from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and 1 to 4 p.m. Sunday.

Kathy Boals of Newbury Park, the society’s president, said she was impressed by the beauty and variety of the plants. “Most orchids that are cultivated are epiphytic, which means they grow on or outside the tree,” she said. “They don’t grow on the ground. It’s just really interesting to see a spectacular purple flower handing down from a tree. You can’t help but be captivated.”

The Conejo Orchid Society began 19 years ago when a group of 16 couples decided to break away from the Ventura County Orchid Society, Boals said. Those 32 people were tired of driving up to Ventura every month and decided to form a local society. The organization now has 65 to 70 members.

There are more than 2,500 species of orchids, Boals said.

“It’s the largest plant family on Earth. They aren’t all big and spectacular, but lots of them are. They are so beautiful,” she said.

The show is one of two large fund-raisers for the nonprofit organization, the other being a plant auction held in November. Organizers expect to raise at least $2,000, which pays for the speakers at monthly meetings.