The Lost Slipper
There are more than 20,000 different species of orchids in the world. They grow naturally in every country and in every state in the Union—even Alaska. In 2004, a top Seattle gardener acquired one of the most breathtaking specimens she had ever seen. Bu
By Roger Brooks
THE FLOWER WITH THE RETINA-BURNING pinks and the bright yellow center was on display at Volunteer Park Conservatory for just one day. Attractive, yes, but you’d never guess it was a rare, award-winning specimen, an orchid so cherished as to be named after the conservatory’s senior gardener, Stephanie Johnson-Toliver. Patrons who waded through the conservatory’s humid, musty air to catch a glimpse of the orchid that day were lucky. Less than 24 hours later the orchid would vanish from public view forever, stolen from a conservatory staff that loved—yes, loved—the plant, leaving Johnson-Toliver with a heavy heart, and nothing but a muddy footprint for a clue.
Larry Boyce’s Northgate house is filled with woven tapestries, hand-carved stone figures, and other trinkets from his travels to more than 70 countries. He’s worked as a teacher in Ghana, Germany, and other parts of the world. In Seattle he’s simply Orchid Larry—the affable, gray-haired man far more concerned with donating his time at the conservatory than tending to his faded clothes or the salt-and-pepper stubble dotting his chin. His enclosed sunroom has been home to hundreds of orchids—_Paphiopedilums_, cattleyas, and various hybrids.
In 2002 he toured Hawaii’s Big Island in search of new specimens for his collection, especially “natural crosses” (hybrid orchids that have cross-pollinated naturally). He’s not known as Orchid Larry for nothing—the man can talk orchids, and that opened the doors to some of Hawaii’s best orchid nurseries, many of them with private greenhouses filled with hard-to-find plants for big spenders and knowledgeable collectors.
He bought a community pot of young but established Paphiopedilum Gloria Naugle orchids and shipped it back to Seattle. The Paphiopedilum genus, also known as Paphs or slipper orchids, includes more than 70 species, most from southern Asia. The lips of the bloom resemble a lady’s slipper and are the orchid’s defining characteristic. The slipper traps pollen-carrying insects, forcing them (and their pollen) past the plant’s stamen, ensuring pollination. Because Paphs grow well in relatively low light and moderate temperatures and humidity, they make popular houseplants. There are thousands of hybrids, bred to create new color combinations, bigger slippers, and longer-lasting blooms.
Boyce placed the new Paphs in his sunroom and essentially forgot about them. But in midspring of 2004, the orchids began to bloom. One of the flowers in particular grabbed his attention. Its petals and slipper were large and perfectly shaped; the bloom’s symmetry was rivaled only by its vibrant hot pink and yellow-striped coloring. Orchid Larry didn’t know what he had yet, but he knew it was exceptional. He had to show it off, and he knew just the place.
The Northwest Orchid Society is one of the largest regional chapters of the American Orchid Society. Its members are as eclectic as the thousands of orchid species they follow. Some, like Orchid Larry, are eccentric singles who own hundreds of plants. Others are parents with young kids who only have time for a few select favorites. Almost all of them are obsessed. On the second Monday of every month, they convene at the Center for Urban Horticulture at the University of Washington to talk shop, show off their orchids, and trade and sell plants to each other and curious guests.
Published: April 2008
