Santa Barbara International Orchid Show draws massive crowd despite cold weather
SANTA BARBARA, Calif.—The 75th International Orchid Show has been called the “Rose Parade” of Santa Barbara, and is one of the oldest, largest, and most prestigious flower shows in the nation.
“This place has a fantastic selection of orchids and every kind of color and shape and size you can imagine,” said Lucy Heyming, who is visiting from Riverside.
The show features a wide variety of orchids spanning multiple continents.
“They’re really intricate plants, you know, even if their morphological traits, you know, the way that they get pollinated in the wild by specific pollinators is really fascinating. And there's over 30,000 species of orchids and even more hybrids,” said orchid grower José Lopez.
Vibrant hues of purple, red, orange, and yellow could be found throughout the fairgrounds.
“I get kind of religious thinking about how many different colors there are in nature, because in orchids, my goodness, we saw every color in the rainbow,” said Frank Heyming, who is visiting from Riverside.
Walking into this fragrant space was a mood boost for many.
For some recovering stroke patients, these flowers are therapeutic.
When it comes to buying an orchid, orchid growers want people to know that you're not just paying for the rarity of the orchid, but also the number of years it's taken for it to grow.
“We grow orchids for years and years and it takes quite some time for them to mature. But every year, the reward us with beautiful blooms and we get to see the fruition of our hard work,” said José Lopez.
Though many orchids take years to grow, they can last a lifetime.
“I had one for 15 years and it was magnificent. It would flower like three times a year. But I wasn't allowed to bring it with me to California, unfortunately. So I'm hoping to get another one,” said local orchid lover Marna Lynne Toporov.
“I love to have them rebloom and I think they're sort of an eternal thing to me. They just keep coming back,” said Lucy Heyming.
Orchid experts say it’s not too difficult to take care of an orchid, as many of them just need minimal water and indirect sunlight to thrive.
They say that these unique looking flowers have the ability to completely transform your space and your mood for the better.
