Alan C. Salzman, Orchids

Alan C. Salzman, Orchids has been in business for approximately ten years, but I have been an orchidist and grower for upwards of thirty years.  What began as a hobby with the purchase of two plants has developed into an extensive collection of all manner of orchids, with particular focus on the genus Paphiopedilum.

Early on in my study of the orchid, I found that I had a particular interest in Paphs., especially in the variations in flower and leaf type between clones of the same species. I began a hybridization program, working to this end, and my business developed when Paphiopedilums and Phragmipediums were placed on Appendix I of CITIES. My friends and associates began coming to me for ladyslipper species. Paph. species continue to be my primary interest, with a particular emphasis on my favorite, Paphiopedilum rothschildianum, and its related hybrids.

Presently I am growing my orchids in my second greenhouse, having "worn out" my first one. It houses several thousand plants and, as with most orchidists, is full to bursting. My wife, Suzy, and I have watched our two children experience orchids, seeing them growing in their appreciation, preparing their own orchid exhibits, and making their own hybrids. 

In the past, I could be found exhibiting, lecturing, and, of course, selling orchids here in the United States and in Canada.

 In recent years, however, I have been staying closer to home, making a study of the variables of culture, always with a drive toward the unattainable cultural perfection, and appreciating the fruits of my hybridization program. The operation of my business has been a satisfying experience, overall, and one of the greatest pleasures is to be able to say that many of my customers have become personal friends.