Return to Transcripts main page
CNN Saturday Morning News
Douglasville, Georgia Hosts Flower Show
Aired April 20, 2002 - 09:51 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Well, if weather puts you in the mood for spring flowers, then Douglasville, Georgia is definitely the place to be this weekend. Joining us from the Foxhall flower show, our own Jacqui Jeras with the most beautiful background. I just wait to see where you're going to be, in between what flower, Jacqui?
JACQUI JERAS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: These are orchids that I'm in front of, actually, here, Kyra, and they all look different, but these are all from the same family, I guess, the orchids. They're absolutely stunning and very beautiful.
When I think of orchids, personally, I think of exotic, I think of tropical, and I think of very difficult to take care of and maintain. However, Barbara Ellenberg from Peach State Orchids is here to tell us that's not the case.
BARBARA ELLENBERG, PEACH STATE ORCHIDS: Absolutely. Orchids have become one of the most popular house plants in the last 10 years, because more and more people are realizing, they're not difficult to grow. There are bizarre species from exotic locations that are more difficult, but many, many orchids can be grown successfully in a home environment.
JERAS: OK. So you want to do this in your house rather than outside?
ELLENBERG: Than outside. Correct. Now, as always, there's an exception to the rule. Orchids can summer outside beautifully in Georgia, and places like that, under a tree.
JERAS: OK. Because of the shade?
ELLENBERG: Out of the direct sun, correct.
JERAS: All right. And see, we're in the direct sun. So you've been watering these.
ELLENBERG: I've been spraying them. Absolutely.
JERAS: They're very beautiful.
ELLENBERG: Well, thank you.
JERAS: And this one in particular is absolutely gorgeous. And this is actually a gold winner?
ELLENBERG: Yes, it is. The arrangement took the gold award in tabletop settings, and the featured orchid, this is a calaallia (ph). It's actually lalia purpurata (ph), that's a species that's found in nature like that.
JERAS: Wow. There are a lot of different varieties of orchids, too, aren't there?
ELLENBERG: Yes, there are. Yes, there are. Tens of thousands.
JERAS: Tens of thousands?
ELLENBERG: Yes.
JERAS: That's a lot to keep track of.
ELLENBERG: Yes, it is.
JERAS: And we have a couple of varieties, though, in this winning piece here?
ELLENBERG: Yes. The lalia purpurata (ph) is the featured plant that's up high, that's this orchid here. And then I have different cuts. These are all failenopsis (ph) orchids, but each set of blooms is a different type -- a different hybrid of a failenopsis (ph).
JERAS: And you called this thing pink, but the blooms are actually very purple-looking.
ELLENBERG: That's another thing. Orchid people, while they're not color blind, they've squashed orchids into just a few colors. For example, we call all of these pinks.
JERAS: OK. Not as they appear to be.
ELLENBERG: No. We call this orchid a red, and it's quite pink.
JERAS: They look very delicate, by the way. When I think of orchids, I think of like these white ones over here. Just kind of your traditional orchid.
ELLENBERG: Yes. Yes. A failenopsis (ph) orchid.
JERAS: I had no idea that something like this with these clusters was also an orchid.
ELLENBERG: Yes, it is. Now, failenopsis (ph) is an actual type of orchid. It is a class, the failenopsis (ph). This beautiful orchid here is an inter-generic (ph) hybrid. And it's very similar to inter-breeding a dog, a cocker spaniel and a poodle, you get a cuckapoo (ph). Well, this is a miltenedium (ph), so it's got miltonia (ph) and enphidium (ph) in it. So we took two different types of orchids and bred them together.
JERAS: OK. So if we have it inside, then just water it. Anything other special that you have to do?
ELLENBERG: They like to be watered when they get dry, and they don't like to stand in water. They like the water to run through. So we mist often when the humidity is low, literally misting them down. That doesn't hurt them at all, but you can't mist instead of watering. You have to mist in addition to watering.
JERAS: In addition to. OK. Beautiful. So it's that easy?
ELLENBERG: It's that easy. It's that easy.
JERAS: Something you can try at home. And I understand the price range is not too bad, (UNINTELLIGIBLE)?
ELLENBERG: Not too bad. Absolutely.
JERAS: And they bloom for a long period of time?
ELLENBERG: They are in bloom for months. A failenopsis (ph) orchid will stay in bloom somewhere from six weeks to six months. So you really get your money's worth.
JERAS: Beautiful. And no matter where you live, then you can have one.
ELLENBERG: Absolutely. And they are available -- I'm thrilled to be here through Home Depot, and most Home Depots have got orchids available. If they don't and you want them, ask.
JERAS: Easy to find.
ELLENBERG: Absolutely. They're easy to find.
JERAS: Thank you, Barbara. Appreciate it.
ELLENBERG: You're welcome.
JERAS: We're going to have more in the next hour, live from the garden show. Back to you.
PHILLIPS: All right. Great tips. Thank you so much, Jacqui.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
