Fraternity of flowers
Plant lovers are in for a treat over the coming two weekends with two large shows being staged in the Nelson region. Among those preparing to display their treasures is a Nelson woman with a fondness for orchids. Vanessa Phillips reports.
Forty-two years ago, Gillian Lyster's neighbour did something for her that set her on the path to a lifelong passion. He gave Mrs Lyster some cymbidium orchid bulbs.
That was in 1967. Today the Nelson woman has hundreds of orchids of many different species, sizes and colours. "I'd hate to count," she says.
Entering the two orchid houses on her property is like walking into a wonderland, with orchids everywhere, sporting blooms in a rainbow of colours from rich purples to vibrant orange and pale yellows and greens.
Next weekend, Mrs Lyster will join other orchid enthusiasts in the Nelson Orchid Society and Nelson Alpine Garden Society combined show one of two popular annual shows in the Nelson region over the coming two weekends.
The combined show, on September 26-27 at Hope Hall, will feature a wide range of stunning orchids, as well as other beautiful plants in the alpine section, such as gentians, fritillaria, trilliums, small New Zealand natives and South African bulbs.
It follows the Brightwater Horticultural Society's large Spring Flower Show this weekend at the Brightwater Hall, where many different daffodils will feature, along with other spring flowers. Guests from England, Ireland and Scotland will be judging.
After receiving her initial cymbidium bulbs four decades ago, Mrs Lyster says she "pottered around for many years" with orchids. Starting with cymbidiums, she built up her collection, which now includes vandas, paphiopedilums and dendrobiums, initially by buying occasional plants from hardware stores or florist shops. Over the years, she has also gained new plants by swapping or dividing plants with other growers.
Orchidaceae, the orchid family, is a huge family with hundreds of genera and many thousands of species, so there is plenty of scope to grow collections.
"I joined the Orchid Society in the early 1980s when the bug started to get me," Mrs Lyster says.
The exotic appearance of orchids appealed to her, as it does to many people who become orchid enthusiasts.
"I just think they're so different," she says.
The challenge was also an attraction, as some orchids are hard to grow. "I've got lots of labels with no pots," she laughs.
Some thrive only in warm, humid conditions, such as in the tropics, while others need a cool climate.
Mrs Lyster, who is vice-president of the Nelson Orchid Society, is well set up to cater for the various conditions her orchids like. She has two large orchid houses on her property, one of which has a heater installed to keep the plants warm, and a pond with a pump to create humidity. The covering of the house is double skinned to help keep the heat in.
Ad Feedback Despite the special care her orchids get, this past winter has taken its toll on some of her plants. "I've lost a lot," she says. "It was very cold. Some will come away again but the constant cold has been bad."
While her wide variety means she has a large range of colours and there's always something blooming no matter what time of year she has a particular love of blue-purple shades.
Cymbidiums flower about now, and only once a year, but some others, such as vandas, can flower twice a year, she explains.
While a lot of the orchids Mrs Lyster would like to have displayed at next weekend's show have finished blooming, her sizeable collection means there's bound to be some gorgeous plants to enter.
She'll select her entries a day or two before the show, depending on what's giving a great display.
To keep her orchids in good condition, Mrs Lyster fertilises them regularly, and some need to be repotted every six months.
Mrs Lyster is a judge with the Orchid Council of New Zealand and says that when deciding on top orchids at shows she looks for shape, form and colour.
Some orchids also have a fragrance, although it's not always nice, depending on what sort of insect they are trying to attract.
"Some have a putrid smell on them," Mrs Lyster says. "Rotorua has nothing on it."
For those wanting to try growing orchids, cymbidiums are a good choice, she says. Keep them out of the frost, and repot and fertilise them regularly, "and not with the same feed every week".
"Just as we don't like the same food every day, they like something different in their diets."
In summer, Mrs Lyster will water her orchids almost every day.
Shows like next weekend's are good places to gain information on growing orchids and other interesting plants, and to pick some up at reasonable prices.
There will be plenty to see, Mrs Lyster says, with people coming from out of town, including Blenheim, Kaikoura and Christchurch, with displays.
Mrs Lyster says there was an explosion of interest in orchids in the 1980s and these days there are a lot of people - even those in their late teens - "who quietly collect" and don't belong to orchid societies.
"It's a good hobby," she says. "It's my enjoyment.
