82-Lancastw Farming, Saturday, April 18,1987
Easter
Blooms
BY SALLY BAIR
Lancaster Co. Correspondent
STRASBURG - Growing or
chids for commercial sale is not an
activity limited to Hawaii and
other exotic sounding locales.
Lancaster County boasts a
greenhouse devoted entirely to
raising orchids, and a step inside is
like a visit to a South Pacific
island.
Easter weekend will see the
depletion of the thousands of
beautiful flowers which have been
blooming over the last few months.
Easter is second only to Mother’s
Day in the demand for flowers,
according to Pat Yohn who nur
tures the beautiful flowers on a
daily basis at Lost River Orchids,
located on Millport Road east'of
Lancaster.
Although Pat spends a part of
almost every day at the
greenhouse, the business is really
an extension of her husband
David’s hobby.
This is the first year for the
greenhouse and commercial
operation, but it grew from a
Cymbidium orchids are perhaps the most frequently used
variety and remain Pat Yohn's personal favorite because of
their numerous flowers
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Cutting beautiful. jms is just one small part of the orchii justness. Here Pat Yohn
works with some of the smaller plants. Patience is required when working with orchids
because many varieties take years to mature and bloom
Celebrants Mil Deplete Colorful
Cultivated At Lost River Orchids
hobby which began when David’s
parents visited Hawaii and
brought back a plant for him. Since
Pat and David’s marriage in
August, they rented the
greenhouse and the business is now
firmly established.
She does the day-to-day work of
maintaining the more than 3,000
plants because her husband
travels widely as a snack food
consultant. Previously, she worked
asabank.teller.
Through phone calls and taking
samples to potential customers,
Pat has built up a business with
local florists. All flowers are sold
wholesale, while plants can be
purchased retail. Pat said the
flowers are used mostly for floral
arrangements. She noted that in
the fall, they will have divisions of
the plants available for sale.
Pat said it was difficult to decide
how many plants they needed for
the cut flower market. She added,
“A lot of people have come in who
have never grown orchids before.”
The first season has been a
learning experience for the couple,
and it has meant adjusting to the
conditions of the greenhouse,
which Pat characterizes as a “cool
house.” Experience has also
taught her where the drips afe
located.
A warm, dry February pushed
the buds too fast on many of the
plants, and caused the crop to
come on before the market. She
used the near-disaster as a
marketing tool, delivering the
flowers to potential customers.
She says many of the orchid
plants in the greenhouse are in
distress because of adjusting to the
growing conditions, and because of
the wide variety of plants growing
in one greenhouse. She added that
moving or shipping plants often
causes stress because of varying
temperatures and humidity.
Moisture and humidity are
extremely important, and when
the brilliant sunlight comes
streaming in, Pat shows up at the
greenhouse to make sure there is
proper ventilation. When to water
is a crucial decision, and is af
fected by the soil mix and the size
or pot. Plants at the greenhouse
range from seedlings to full grown.
Pat, who admits to being fond of
other flowers besides orchids,
speaks expertly about the orchids
under her care, easily naming the
exotic sounding plants. Part of her
expertise comes through David
and the seminars she attended
with him, and part comes from
experience on a daily basis. She
says, “It has been a ‘guess method’
for me. I don’t have a real green
thumb.” The beautiful, lush
blooms belie her modesty.
Pat almost makes it seem as if
anyone can grow an orchid. She
insists that cymbidiums, the most
commonly used variety, are not
difficult to grow. Indeed, she says
many varieties can be successfully
grown in a home with no
greenhouse or special conditions
necessary.
She says, “Most orchids are
fairly tolerant and the plants are
not fragile.” Nevertheless, she
candidly admits, “Some are easy
to kill. Somo can die overnight.”
But, she adds, “Very few people
can kill cymbidiums.”
One reason few people grow
them at home, Pat says, is “they
grow so large. They are definitely
the hardiest.” In this climate they
should be outside in the summer,
but must be sprayed before being
brought indoors for the winter.
Cymbidium orchids do not grow
well in Hawaii although they like
dampness and bright sunshine.
The heat of the islands is too much
jt . . woi one of the many stai :ya
orchids found in her Lost River Orchids greenhouse on
Millport Road in Lancaster County.
for them, and the only place they staying for up to four months,
can be found is high in some Standard cattleyas take up a
mountains. large share of greenhouse space.
The cymbidium remains Pat’s The lush large blooms are not only
personal favorite because they showy, but fragrant as well. Mini
“get a lot of flowers and last a long cattleyas are equally popular,
time.” Indeed, most orchids have however, because of the smaller
long-lasting flowers, some blooms ( Turn t 0 Page
9! (omestpad
xMotcs
jwy or, are .enopsis, a variety w
comes in a wide range of unusual color variations.
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