Orchid Auction to Offer Rare and Exotic Plants

Gulf Coast Orchid Alliance will hold its annual orchid auction from 6:00 to 9:00 PM on Thursday, September 18, at the Naples Conference Center, 1455 Pine Ridge Road. Club members and prominent Florida-based commercial orchid growers donate hundreds of plants that include easy-to-grow species, rare plants no longer sold in stores or nurseries, large specimen plants, award-winning varieties, and seedlings of new hybrids created by club members. Plant preview starts at 5:30 PM. Admission is free, and light refreshments will be served. Cash, check, and credit card are accepted. Proceeds benefit the nonprofit organization’s education and outreach programs. For more information, visit GulfCoastOrchids.org or text 239-269-6389.

The club’s remaining meetings include:

October 16 – Avid orchid collector Courtney Hackney, emeritus professor of biology and the former director of coastal biology at the University of North Florida in Jacksonville, will discuss his book “American Cattleyas: Species and Outstanding Clones That Define American Hybridizing.”

November 20 – Club member John Ervin will discuss “How to Grow Orchids on Mounts.”

December 18 – The club hosts its annual holiday party with a potluck dinner.