Hybrid Moth orchid, Phalaenopsis
Celebrate spring at Powell Gardens with a visit to its highly anticipated fourth annual “Orchid Delirium” exhibition. This year’s show continues the garden’s tradition of celebrating the exquisite beauty of orchids with a display of hundreds of stunning blooms from its 2,000-piece orchid collection.
It also offers a unique opportunity to step into an enchanting world where the natural elegance of orchids meets the charm of the Victorian era.
“Orchid Hunters of the Victorian Age” is the theme of the 2025 exhibition, which explores how British botanists in the 19th century ventured to the far corners of the globe in search of rare orchids, revolutionizing horticulture in the process, according to Powell Gardens lead horticulturalist, Brent Tucker.
The exhibit includes an orchid hunter’s encampment where orchids are being collected and documented as well as a Victorian parlor that brings stories of Wardian cases to life. Invented by Dr. Nathanial Bagshaw in 1829, the Wardian case was instrumental in transporting and cultivating orchids, serving as a precursor to the modern terrarium. Visitors will learn how these delicate blooms survived long journeys and tough conditions and about the collecting hysteria that ensued from the botanists’ discoveries.
Tucker said he became obsessed with orchids when he was 14 years old. “There was a phrase at the time, which I don’t hear very often anymore, I was bitten by the ‘orchid bug.’ It was the unique shapes and colors that I had never seen before that entranced me even to this day,” he said.
Readers can experience these unique shapes and colors — and perhaps catch the “orchid bug” themselves — in the following pages, featuring a selection of images from the 2024 “Orchid Delirium” display captured by KC Studio photographer Jim Barcus.
From regal to ebullient, mystical to magical, the pictured varieties include the familiar and widely available Hybrid Moth orchid, Phalaenopsis, in shades of purple and white, the brilliant orange and yellow Hybrid Reed Stem orchid, Epidendrum, and the mysterious Hybrid Lady Slipper orchid, Paphiopedilum.
Special events in conjunction with the exhibition include a garden tea March 8, an orchid symposium March 29 and an orchid sale, including Moths, Dancing Ladies, Dendrobiums and other varieties, in the Powell Gardens Marketplace, March 1-April 13 while supplies last. Whether you’re an orchid enthusiast or a history buff, there is something for everyone to enjoy at Orchid Delirium.
“Orchid Delirium” opens March 1 and continues through April 13 at Powell Gardens, 1609 N.W. U.S. Highway 50, Kingsville, Missouri. Hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday-Sunday. General admission is $15 for adults, $12 for seniors and active-duty and retired military with ID, and $8 for ages 5 to 12. For tickets and more information on events and classes visit www.powellgardens.org/events-and-classes.
photos by Jim Barcus
