With 28,000 identified species, the orchid comes from a heckuva huge plant family, one that doesn’t fail to surprise. (Who knew vanilla bean comes from the orchid Vanilla planifolia?)
Learn, shop, admire and just bust the winter blues at Orchid Quest, Feb. 3-4 at Olbrich Botanical Gardens in Madison (3330 Atwood Ave.). The annual event features 1,000 orchids – from common to rare – on display, along with classes (many targeted to beginning growers), competitions and plenty of captivating plants for purchase. The orchids will remain on display through March. 3.
