Orchids and Workshops in my neck of the woods

It starts out, as any addiction does, with just one or two.


I can handle this, you tell yourself. It’s only one…or two.


But soon you’re not satisfied with one or two. You need more. And more and more.


Pretty soon, you’re dipping into the grocery money to feed your habit.


And renovating the house so you have a special place to go to while you’re enjoying your habit.


And you’re never satisfied. “Just one more, then I’ll quit,” you tell yourself.


Uh huh. We’ve heard it all before.


You’re an orchid addict.


This is not an intervention. This is an invitation, for those in Nova Scotia, to pop into the Orchid Society of Nova Scotia’s Spring Show on March 1 and 2nd.

The show will take place at Spring Garden Place, 5640 Spring Garden Road, Halifax, Nova Scotia, on Saturday, March 1st from 930-530, and on Sunday from 12 noon til 5 pm.

This spring show is an American Orchid Society judged show, with judging on Saturday; but for most of us, it’s just about visiting the show and seeing the incredible plants that the enthusiasts raise. They’ll have some for sale, too—did I mention I’d be leaving my bank card home? For its own safety, of course.


One of the highlights of the day will be Neville MacKay's demonstration of flower arrangements using orchids, on Saturday afternoon. Neville, for those of you not from around here, is owner of the incredible floral shop My Mother’s Bloomers, and is also a highly entertaining and sought after speaker. He’s a regular on Nova Scotia’s version of Breakfast Television on CTV Atlantic, and he’s just a terrific plant aficionado and personality.

For those of us with orchids on the brain, there’s going to be a second show and sale here in the Valley, on March 15th from 1030-4:00 at the KC Irving Environmental Science Centre at Acadia University. So as you can imagine, I’ll be lurking around there with camera and perhaps some grocery money…just in case an orchid is pleading to be adopted.


March is the month when a lot of us have finally had enough of winter, even though we have weeks of it left to go. Some escape to warmer climates for a few days or weeks; others haunt shows like these orchid events, or perhaps take in workshops.


Speaking of workshops, I get to blow my own horn here a bit: I’m scheduled to do two seminars at Lee Valley’s Halifax store, on March 8. The morning workshop is on butterfly gardening, which will actually take in a bit of information on other pollinating insects too, being as how I’m worried about them. Here’s the writeup from the Lee Valley website:

Butterfly gardening is gaining popularity and it is easy to encourage butterflies, hummingbirds and other delightful garden visitors. Enjoy a visual presentation with Jodi Delong as she helps you learn the secrets to creating a garden that welcomes winged friends all summer. A handout of plants for attracting butterflies will also be provided.

In the afternoon, we’re going to talk about Continuous Colour in the garden:

There’s no need to suffer from midsummer meltdown just because the big showy perennials are spent. Learn some tips and tricks from Jodi Delong for extending your growing season of color, from the beginning of summer right through to frost. Watch a colorful presentation featuring perennials and other great plants throughout the growing season. You will also receive a copy of the book Continuous Bloom to take home.

There are a lot of things I love about Lee Valley, as many readers know. What I like about their seminars is that they charge a reasonable fee for those who attend, which includes refreshments and often supplies, and then donate the proceeds from the fees to the United Way. The book they’re giving to participants of the Colour workshop is by Pam Duthie, and is another of those ‘must have’ volumes!

So if you’re interested in signing up for one of the workshops, or one of the many others that Lee Valley is hosting throughout the spring, just check their website or call the store at 902-450-1221. And I hope to see a few of you there.