Love of Orchids Forges Perennial Friendships
By Fern Gavelek
Mention the word “orchids” and smiles light up their faces like girls gazing at a dollhouse. These eight Kona women, who eagerly banter over growing media and ant control, are enthusiastic charter members of the Kona Daifukuji Orchid Club.
For 27 years they’ve been coming to monthly meetings and sharing their love for orchids. They are each other’s cheerleaders, encouraging the successful bloom of a new hybrid or the carefully timed pollination of vanilla plantifolia.
Joining in their enthusiasm for orchidaceae—which is the largest family of flowering plants—are charter members Betty Matsuo, Janet Kawamoto, Emi Ueda, Yoshie Tanaka, Hilda Sugai, Nancy Shibata, Carol Zakahi and Alice Jenkins. The ladies joined the club when it first started in 1981; it began as an offshoot of the Daifukuji Soto Mission’s Fujinkai, or Ladies Club, with membership open to the public.
The opportunity to learn about orchids, which botanists claim have the most advanced and intricate flowers in the plant kingdom, is one of the lures of the Kona Daifukuji Orchid Club. The club’s educational programs and hands-on workshops keep members abreast with the latest orchid know-how.
The “orchid ladies” claim camaraderie—plus the club’s programs, projects and activities throughout the year—“keep them coming back.” That includes the annual circle-island field trip to wholesale nurseries aboard a chartered motorcoach; it’s known for delicious shared snacks, friendly conversation and a luggage-hold filled to the brim with newly purchased orchids.
The club’s annual show and sale on Sunday, July 26 has an educational theme, “Growing Orchids in Pots or Gardens-A Unique Hawai‘i Choice.” New this year is a Question & Answer Booth, which features the expert advice of the “orchid ladies” and other club veterans.The club meets monthly at 7:30 p.m. on the second Wednesday at Daifukuji Soto Mission Hall in Honalo. For more information, call 938-2123.
There are several other orchid clubs on the island. Hilo Orchid Society meets every second Saturday afternoon at the Kamana Senior Center in Hilo. Call 982-7753 or visit the Hilo Orchid Society’s website. The Kona Orchid Club meets at the Kona Outdoor Circle on the first Friday of the month. Call 334-9760. ❖
Fern Gavelek
A native Hoosier, Fern moved to Hawai‘i in 1988. Ever since, she’s been writing about what makes Hawai‘i so special. She has extensively covered the state’s tourism, culinary, and agriculture industries and was named Hawaii County’s Small Business Administration Journalist of the Year. Also a public relations professional, Fern promotes a half-dozen Big Island events, several trade associations, and local businesses. The Holualoa resident is an avid community volunteer and was by tapped the Kona-Kohala Chamber of Commerce 2009 Member of the Year. She enjoys gardening, time with husband John and playing with their pup, Sweet Pea.
