(Photo by NOEL B. PABALATE)

MANILA, Philippines - The much awaited Orchid Show of the Philippine Orchid Society will open on February 24 at the Quezon Memorial Circle. It runs until March 7.

With its theme “Green Living with Orchids,” the POS aims to promote earth-friendly ways of growing orchids to help reduce the carbon footprints we dump on our Mother Earth.

We orchid growers can do our share to protect the environment. We can lessen the use of synthetic chemicals, recycle used plastic containers as pots, and refrain from using tree fern slabs as mounting and planting media. We can also plant our orchids in trees instead of using plastic pots. We must push for everyone to grow plants to improve our air quality in the city. We should also encourage hobbyists to focus on growing orchid hybrids as they are easier to maintain and are more prolific bloomers.

The POS Annual Orchid and Garden Show is usually held on the first month of the Chinese New Year. It’s apt for the show to welcome the Year of the Rabbit, as rabbits tend to be attracted to the plants. We thus hope the Philippine plant industry will have more luck and prosperity this year.  Our orchid industry is still one of the more dynamic industries in the country, what with the considerable demand for orchid cut flowers and flowering plants both here and abroad.  The industry can further flourish if we produce new hybrids, follow a cost effective way of growing them, and create a more dynamic market for it.

Orchid shows are always colorful events. After all, the flowers come in a variety of hues and shapes.  It’s the season of the fragrant Sanggumay (Dendrobium anosmum) and most Dendrobium and Phalaenopsis orchids.

The POS is presently pushing our orchid hybrids in the international market. POS president Kelvin Neil Manubay notes that orchid species are indeed valuable to our heritage but only the “purists” are inclined to grow these plants. “The purists compose just five percent of the market. The rest of the market goes for hybrids, which are more adaptable and easier to care for. They have bigger and showy blooms that come in many forms and varieties. They are oftentimes free bloomers and are more affordable than the local species,” he says.

There is also a need to protect and conserve our valuable orchid species as they are used as mother plants to produce more colorful hybrids.  Nevertheless, the POS reiterates the orchid species can never be effectively conserved if an orchid rescue and propagation program is not established.

The show will also hold free daily lectures on gardening and growing orchids and bonsais. They start at 2 pm.  For the schedule of lectures, you can call Jenny Rivera at 929-4425 or 0917-8485468.