By Eleanor Wilson
Berwick Senior Citizens Hall will be transformed into an orchid oasis later this month, as hundreds of plants move in for the Berwick Orchid Spring Show.
A plethora of native and exotic orchids will be sized up for awards and prizes, while hundreds of plants will also be available for plant lovers to purchase.
Berwick Orchid Show president Murray Harding said the show is an annual delight for the community.
“I can tell you almost everybody has an orchid story,” Mr Harding said.
“You’ll be at a show and people will constantly come up and have stories about the orchid mum had before she died, or an orchid they were given as a gift.”
Mr Harding’s own passion for the flowering plant came when he was asked to look after his father’s orchids.
He now has a personal collection of about 10,000 plants – a “hobby gone mad” for the orchid expert and judge.
“It is probably the most prolific flowering plant in the world, there’s only a couple of continents that don’t have orchids.”
The Berwick Orchid Spring Show will take place on September 23 and 24 from 9am to 4pm, with orchid experts attending to offer horticultural advice.
