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Below are links to photos of several of my displays. It is very rewarding and a lot of fun to display these marvelous little plants in a duplicated natural setting. Anyone who has a number of these plants in bloom at the right time can do this.
My first display was done with the Quito Orchidarium. While I couldn't put more than 5 or six plants in the Orchidarium, I devised a design that made it appear the "environment" I created spilled out the front of the case and around the side. What I discovered after several of these setups was that the pleurothallid plants on the outside of the case became quite stressed in the dry atmosphere of most shows. I included other plants like Phragmipediums on the outside of this case, but eventually wanted to just concentrate on the pleurothallids. For this reason, I built a case of my own design that breaks down, transports flat, and can be assembled and disassembled by one person (although one part of the assembly and disassembly goes quicker with the help of a second person for about 10 minutes). Now all of my plants are inside the case. The size of the case is 28" deep by 42" wide by 36" tall. I have had as many as 30 plants displayed inside this case - depending upon the size of the plants. There are two computer fans in the top of the case near the front that blow downward to keep the front of the case from fogging up and to keep air movement inside the case. There is a 3- foot fluorescent light at the top that sits on the outside of the case so as not to heat things up inside. I used a piece of egg-crate over the top of the case and under the light so that visitors could not see all the "junk" laying on the top (electrical cords, light, etc.)
Inside the case, I have sometimes used pieces of driftwood that can be found in pet supply stores and tied various plants and moss to it with fishing line. Recently, I devised two "mountains" out of chicken wire that cover two large bowls underneath containing water and misters to help keep humidity up. On these "mountains" I used spray foam insulation painted black to give me little nooks and crannies to put my plants in. This also gives me various heights at which to display the plants.
If you would like any additional information on my setup, you can contact me at freespirit@pleurothallids.com.
AOS Show Trophy - Ann Arbor OS Show - 4/18/1998 AOS Show Trophy - Saginaw Valley OS Show - 11/25/2000 AOS Show Trophy - AOS/Mid-America/Illinois OS Show - 4/11/2002 Artistic Certificate - Greater Lansing OS Show - 02/24/2001 Display - Ann Arbor OS Show - 3/17/2001 Display - Ann Arbor OS Show - 4/20/2002 Display - Michigan OS Show - 4/7/2001 Display - Michigan OS Show - 3/16/2002
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