Orchid days organized in conjunction with Growth Technology are proving to be a big hit with visitors to garden centres throughout the UK.

GTN Xtra joined customers at Huntingdon Garden & Leisure for the latest in a series of more than 70 orchid days and weekend events held this year alone. Peter White, who is President of the Orchid Society of Great Britain, was the guest speaker giving advice on growing and caring for orchids.

“Special events like this give orchid lovers the opportunity to find out how to best look after their plants, as well as have any queries answered,” said Peter.

These days are also a great way for garden centres to engage with new and existing customers, driving footfall, and achieving extra sales of plants and orchid-related products.

At Huntingdon Garden & Leisure, Peter delivered two 40-minute talks entitled ‘Tropical Orchids are Easy’ as well as giving free MOTs on plants brought in by customers. And his advice went down well with visitors.

One remarked: “I have picked up a lot of tips today. It’s great to get insights from people in the know.” Another customer said: “I found Peter’s talk very encouraging, and I’ll definitely be buying another orchid before I leave.”

Huntingdon’s Gardening Divisional Manager John Kay explained that the orchid day was the highlight of the centre’s orchid festival.

“We find the event creates a lot of trade for the garden centre,” said John. “Customers love it because they get the chance to listen to an expert and then get their questions answered.

“It helps to build trust between the centre and the customer because the expert is giving practical advice which is free and can be used straight away.

“We also encourage staff members to listen to the talks because there is a lot they can learn too.

“Having such an expert like Peter White visit our store and pass on his knowledge is a massive benefit to us.”

As well as listening to the talk, customers are invited to bring in orchid plants for a check over – an ‘Orchid MOT’.

The expert can repot customer’s plants provided they purchase the necessary pot and Repotting Mix from the garden centre.

One Huntingdon Garden & Leisure customer who took advantage of the ‘Orchid MOT’ said: “My plant was looking very sorry for itself. Now I know why, thanks to Peter. I will certainly give it a lot more attention in future because he’s given me the confidence to care for it properly.”

As well as Peter White, Growth Technology’s other orchid day experts are:

• Chris Channon – retired professional orchid grower; RHS Gold Medallist.
• Ian Parsons – former Chairman of the British Orchid Council.
• Sara Rittershausen – professional orchid grower; author; RHS Gold Medallist and RHS Orchid Judge.
• Philip Seaton – author of Growing Windowsill Orchids published by Kew Gardens.