The International Orchid Festival is in its eighth year and will take place Friday, Saturday and Sunday, March 12-15, 2010, from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Admission prices: Adults, $20, seniors, $15, children 6-17, $10 and free to members and children 5 and under. Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden is located at 10901 Old Cutler Road, Coral Gables, Florida. Additional information about the International Orchid Festival may be found at www.fairchildgarden.org.
The International Orchid Festival at Fairchild Starts This Friday!
Check out These Interesting Facts about Orchids!
- Orchids are the largest family of flowering plants
- There are more than 25,000 documented orchid species throughout the world, and more are being discovered every day
- Although generally thought of as a tropical plant, orchids grow on every continent, in every climate, from the Arctic Circle to the southernmost jungle (except Antarctica)
- The smallest orchid is the size of a dime, while the largest weigh several hundred pounds
- The vanilla orchid (and its vanilla bean) is the only commercially grown orchid crop (Vanilla planifolia)
- Orchids have the tiniest seeds in the world, making them a challenge to grow and cultivate
- There can be up to 3 million seeds in a single orchid seedpod
- It takes patience to grow an orchid – the plant’s first flowers won’t appear until at least 5 to 7 years after germination
- Some orchid flowers bloom for mere hours, while others last up to half a year
- Orchid plants can live to be up to 100 years old
- Orchids have become one of the most popular houseplants of all time, recently surpassing even the popularity of African Violets