Kids in Orchids

Within a couple weeks in October, I met two kids who were really interested in orchids. I was reminded of just a few or our well-known orchid personalities who began the hobby young. Ron McHatton (AOS Director of Education), Glen Decker (Piping Rock), Nina Rach (AOS judge), and Andy Phillips (Andy's Orchids), all began growing orchids in or before their teens. What they found was a hobby to last a lifetime and a passion that for some, became a career. The AOS is aware and reenergized to the reality that today's youth is tomorrow's AOS.

The love of orchids can last a lifetime. Hunter Stein pals around with Ernest Hetherington.

Hunter Stein
Hunter Stein was having a blast rubbing elbows with the orchid cognoscenti at the recent Longwood AOS meetings. This young Texan's easy, outgoing nature and youthful innocence served him well to meet some of the top orchid experts and ask them anything he wanted. His grandmother, Kay, was usually close at hand but because they share the hobby, was finding answers to her own questions. You could easily tell though, that she was very proud of her grandson. Hunter is 12 years old and has been growing orchids for a year or so. Hunter told me that he first learned about orchids from his grandma wafter she had discovered them in Hawaii. His collection presenly numbers about 3-4 dozen plants from varied genera. The night of the Heritage Collection auction, Kay was inside deciding how much she was willing to bid on the Blc. Pamela Hetherington 'Coronation' FCC/AOS while Hunter was in the lobby buying dwarf Dendrobium species. That tells you something about his taste which he describes as liking "oddball orchids". My conversations with him usually found their way to catasetums or bulbophyllums. In a culture where the tradition has been mothers and daughters sewing or baking together, and dads and sons building radio-controlled boats, Hunter Stein and his grandmother have discovered the world of orchids to share.

Michaela Passero
The judges had already split into teams and were evaluating the nominated plants at West Palm Beach judging on October 25. I noticed a tall slender young lady standing near the entry table and turned to talk to her and her mother. Michaela Passero had brought in a plant to be judged. On the table was an Oeceoclades maculata with two inflorescences, beautifully presented in a blue cachepot draped with Spanish Moss.

Michaela Passero shows off her Oeceoclades maculata

We talked about her cosmopolitan orchid but frankly, there was not much I could tell her that she didn't already know about Oeceoclades. I learned that Michaela is 12 and has been growing orchids about a year and a half. Her first orchid, a Home Depot Dendrobium, interested her enough that she started checking orchid books out of the library. That's where she learned about the American Orchid Society. After the family's first visit to the AOS gardens and greenhouse, Michaela was hooked. She signed up for some of the Saturday classes to learn more about orchids. Michaela, with her younger sister Renata's help, maintains a mixed collection of about 15 orchids that includes Trichoglottis brachiata. She has a couple favorites, but the one at the top is probably Aganisia cyanea. She loves the delicate blue color. Being home schooled allows a more flexible schedule and Michaela has been volunteering at AOS one morning a week since summer. She helps Brenda maintain order in the production greenhouse and arranges plants in the display greenhouse. Michaela has a bright future ahead and plans to be a botanist when she grows up.

Investing today’s youth in orchid education is critical to the long term success of the American Orchid Society. We know that young people are active in conservation initiatives, learning to ‘be green,’ and taking their carbon footprint seriously. School systems are incorporating horticulture objectives in science curriculum, but what as an organization are we doing to insert orchid education and habitat conservation into the radar? It is our obligation to these young people to nurture and support their thirst for learning. The AOS Education Committee wants to know how societies are connecting with kids like Hunter and Michaela. We want to gather that information together to share with all societies. We want to share your successes with societies, public gardens and AOS membership to guide them in their efforts. We're interested in hearing your ideas, thoughts, and solutions to the challenge.

Greg Allikas, Chair Publications Committee
Rhonda Heide, Chair Education Committee

If you have local orchid education ideas that have worked, or ideas that haven't yet been tried, please contact Rhonda Heide

If you have any kids' orchid success stories, we want to hear them! Please send newsworthy items to newsflash@aos.org