Auction Highlights
This year there was a tremendous collection of generous auction donations from orchid nurseries around the world. The auction for all things non-slipper took place on Friday night, then all slipper orchids were saved for the auction Saturday after the Symposium presentations. I apologize if I have forgotten anyone, but some of the nurseries and individuals donating plants were:
Blumen Insel Orchids (Hanajima)
Ching-Hua
Hilo Orchid Farm
The Orchid Zone (John joined us at the Symposium and arrived bearing wonderful gifts!)
Hatfield Orchids
Ingram's Better Orchid Books
Krull-Smith
Mainshow Orchids
Marriott Orchids
Orchid Inn
Orchidaceae
H&R Nurseries
Peruflora (kovachii!!!)
Ecuagenera
Gold Country
Carmela Orchids
Kool-Logs
Lehua Orchids
New World Orchids
Waldor Orchids
Wilson Orchids
David Toyoshima
Carlos Fighetti
Bill Thoms
And the list goes on and on - there may be others of which I'm unaware, but the donations were plentiful and they were OUTSTANDING! It was the most successful auction in years for the American Orchid Society and people took home some really great stuff. There was a division of Miyamoto Award-Winner
Rlc. Memoria Rosa Vasquez 'Rafael', FCC/AOS that went for $4,000! A huge plant of
Bulbophyllum rothschildianum with the biggest, fattest, reddest flowers anyone had ever seen went for $3,000. It was crazy. Of course, there were many successful bids in the more affordable range as well.
Here are a few photos (please excuse photo quality - these shots are quite random because by the time I decided to try and get some photos, the only way to take these shots was from a distance whenever there was enough room between eager previewers to reveal the plants) of some of the paphs auctioned on Saturday night. Most of the in-flower paphs seen here were donated by The Orchid Zone:
Potential bidders getting one last look before the auction begins:
If this auction had a "star", this was it. Paph. Amber King (Telstar x Crazy Jolly) from The Orchid Zone.
MONSTROUS flower of incredible form and substance on a 12" stem.
Anyone see a little parvi in there?