We’re lucky to have a real-deal expert to help customers with one of the more intimidating plants to grow – the fragile orchid (or is it really?)  Over on our website we’ve posted her definitive “How do I get my Orchid to Bloom Again?” and recommend it highly.  Here’s the part where she explains how she knows so much about orchids:

“I started on my orchid journey when I was barely a teenager and went on to enjoy excellent tutelage from an orchid curator at the United States Botanic Garden in the 1980’s. More recently I returned to school, attended the University of Maryland, and achieved a Bachelor of Science degree in plant science.”

This is the very same Carol Allen who’ll be hosting FOUR Behnkes Orchid Q&A/Repotting Events, and here’s what she says about them:

“Holding orchid diagnostic and re-potting clinics was an idea I had when I was managing partner at a local orchid firm in the 1990’s.  Since those days I have repotted too many orchids to count and have guided thousands of ‘just folks’ to successfully grow and bloom their own orchids.  So come on down and visit me at one of the orchid clinics!”

Orchid Diagnostic and Repotting Clinics

Carol will answer all your questions and, for a minimal fee, she’ll also expertly repot your orchid.

Dates, Times and Locations
Saturday, Jan 22, Any time between 9 and 4:30, Potomac Store

Saturday, Feb 12, Any time between 9 and 4:30, Potomac Store

Saturday, March 12, Time TBA, Potomac Store

Saturday, April 16, Time TBA, Potomac Store

Carol’s Full Bio

A quick look at her resume reveals knowledge of waaaay more than orchids.   Looks like we could pick her brains on just about anything plant-related:

Carol Allen has been involved in gardening and horticulture since childhood.  She has worked in almost all aspects of the horticultural industry and confesses to being a confirmed ‘plant-a-holic’. Carol enjoys teaching people about plants and their care and occasionally teaches at the University of Maryland, College Park.  Fascinated by the interplay of pest and prey, Carol recently returned to college and earned a degree in horticulture.  She is currently enrolled as a graduate student in plant science at the University of Maryland where her research is in transfer of virus disease in orchids. Carol speaks to various plant groups and societies on a wide range of horticultural topics.  She can be heard at Brookside Gardens teaching organic gardening, speaking on building a butterfly garden at a local garden club, teaching master gardeners about houseplant care, or talking about pests and diseases at a regional orchid society.  She is an integrated pest management specialist and a licensed pesticide applicator in the states of Maryland and Virginia.  Readers are informed and entertained by her column in the Washington Gardener magazine on pest issues.  Carol confesses to growing a wide range of plants in and around her home that she shares with cats, anoles, tropical frogs, tropical fish, and pet snakes.

For more info, see our Events page.

Featured Houseplant of the Week

Croton's Colorful Foliage

Bring the colors of fall into your home with beautiful tropical Crotons, known for their bright multi-colored foliage.

They do best in a sunny window with direct sun. You do need to water them but can let them dry out between watering (not bone dry, please).  Keep them moist and don’t let them sit in water. Like many plants, Crotons are poisonous. Please keep them up and away from pets and children.

Saturday, February 20, 2010

Creating a Houseplant Container Garden with Randy Best. Time: 1 p.m. Fee: $25.

Randy will explain what to keep in mind when combining houseplants to create a beautiful container garden, and then assist you as you put together your own.

(Fee includes all the supplies for a houseplant garden plus a $5 coupon.)

Location: Behnke’s Beltsville Garden Center. Participants must register and pay in advance by calling (301) 937-1100, or stopping by the Beltsville store. Snow date: Saturday, February 27

We’ve moved this terrific overview of Moth Orchids to our website – just click here.

By Sonja Festerling

Many times I have been asked this question – why did my parents, Rose and Albert Behnke, decide to specialize in African Violets?

The answer takes me back to the mid 1940′s when I was in elementary school. Every day, mom took the bus to Washington, D.C. where she worked as a secretary at the IBEW – the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers. During school vacation times I liked to do simple embroidery. This, sort of, was the start of something big and I don’t mean exciting breakthroughs in embroidery.

A neighbor lady offered to help me with my embroidery and give me tips when I got stuck. While at her home in Beltsville, I noticed the pretty, dark blue flowers sitting in her window sills and asked about them. She gave me one with instructions on how to care for it also, and this is important to the story – she told me to “cut off a leaf, put the stem in a little jar of water, and you’ll grow lots of baby African violets!”

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