The Early Show

Orchid Fever

By CBSNews.com staff CBSNews.com staff

May 21, 1999 / 3:58 PM EDT / CBS

Orchid lovers turned out for the recent Redland International Orchid Festival in Homestead, Florida, eager to get their hands on the array of mysterious shapes and exquisite colors for sale. CBS News Saturday Morning's Dawn Stensland spoke to some of those passionate about the plants.

One orchid lover said, "I didn't quite have to mortgage my house today, but this is a once in a lifetime opportunity to see growers from around the world." Several others said they started out growing one plant and ended up with hundreds or thousands.

Martin Motes has been growing orchids since age 10. Now he's in the business of making orchid hybrids.

This year Motes and other orchid aficionados saw their passions played out in the form of a best-selling book called The Orchid Thief. The actual "thief" who inspired the title is John Laroche, who was convicted of poaching rare ghost orchids from a Florida State preserve.

The book was written by Susan Orlean, who found herself being swept up in the sea of orchid obsession. "I think part of what makes orchids so appealing is that they are so maddening. They're very challenging. They are difficult. They resist," said Orlean.

On a trip to the New York Botanical Garden, Orlean checked out a flask of ghost orchids with curator Keith Lloyd and toured the orchid house. For orchid lovers, Lloyd said, one plant is never enough. "It is very addictive. People grow one and then they want more," said Lloyd. "There are people who told me they found it easier to quit drinking and smoking than to quit growing orchids," said Orlean.

Orlean made a point of remaining "an observer" of orchids while doing the book, but she too has now given in to the captivating powers of these plants.

Harry Zelenko, an orchid grower and illustrator of The Pictorial Encyclopedia of Oncidium, also owns a few orchids--3,000 of them! He keeps his specimens thriving on the roof of his New York City brownstone by making them right at home.

"If they love you they will flower. If they hate you they won't. You can only do the best you can with the conditions and then say a small prayer every day going in and out of the greenhouse," said Zelenko.

There are about 30,000 species of orchid. And the American Orchid Society boasts a member for every one of them.

Orchids are now even sold at superstores like Home Depot, and in south Florida growers like Kerry Herndon are riding the wave. He said, "There's been a tremendous increase in the popularity of orchids. We think that's a lot due to the fact that orchids are now available in the mass market at some very reasonable prices."

Third generation grower Bob Fuchs of R.F. Orchids is also a believer in orchids for everybody, but his mission is to perpetuate as many "rare" species as he can. "It's a true genuine love for them, you know,"/b> said Fuchs.

As Orlean said, "Orchids are still really the diamonds of the plant world, the champagne of the plant world."

For more information including a guide for beginners, an orchid glossary, and help finding orchid societies in your area, go to The American Orchid Society site.