Breathtaking displays: Ryan Tang (right) and wife Emily Tan, with their two daughters, admiring the orchids on display at the Penang Orchid Festival. — ZHAFARAN NASIB/The Star
GEORGE TOWN: Roland Foo’s four-decade obsession with flowers began with the gift of an orchid he received when he was 15 years old.
Foo, 58, has since cultivated hundreds of different types of orchids at his Balik Pulau farm.
Among them are hybrid orchids.
The construction supervisor was at the Penang Orchid Festival near Botanical Gardens yesterday to proudly show off his rare “black orchid”, known as the “FDK (Fredclarkeara) After Dark black pearl” orchid.
Foo said the orchid, with its dark petals, is not only rare but also difficult to cultivate.
“It needs some light but should not be exposed to direct sunlight and has to be watered frequently while growing,” he said, adding that the rare breed can fetch up to RM400 per plant.
Although he has hundreds of types of orchids at his farm, he only brought 15 rare and exotic species to the 10-day festival organised by the Federation of Malaya Orchid Society (Fomos) Penang.
Orchid breeder Ho Kwai Fatt, 55, said it was love at first sight ever since he started working at a farm in Rawang tending to orchids at the age of 14.
“Over the years, my 80-year-old employer has expanded the 4ha orchid farm with 500 types of orchids, and I take care of all activities since his children are not into orchid farming.
“I brought 50 types of orchids to the fair here, including the “Vanda Halimah Yacob Mohamed”.
“The hybrid orchid was named after the outgoing Singapore president to commemorate her first official visit to Malaysia in March this year,” he said.
Ho described the orchid as having white petals with purple spots and a fragrant scent, like a cross between Kanda Kulwadee and Wanda Tesseleta.
“Anyone can cultivate or buy orchids, but one needs to have years of experience, a keen eye and, above all, passion, as they are not judged by their beauty or fragrance but rather by their strong roots, bright and green leaves, and the blooms and petals, which should be wide and evenly balanced.
“My life has been all about orchids, which I take care of like a mother would nurture her children, as it is not just a flower that you buy to decorate your house but rather a labour of hard work, nurturing it into a full bloom of beauty and love,” Ho said.
Bonsai lover Faiz Mohd Noor, 48, said his love for the plant comes from attending to it every moment and watching it grow.
“I began having an interest in this plant when my father introduced it to me 15 years ago, and ever since then, I have been cultivating bonsai plants near my home in Sungai Lallang, Sungai Petani, Kedah.
“The characteristics of each bonsai plant are different, as some people have it in their homes as a symbol of harmony and luck while others have it just as an ornament,” he said.
Faiz said he sells each potted bonsai plant for RM150 to RM1,200, depending on the bonsai’s age.
“Some of the plants that are almost 20 years old can go for more than RM1,000, while those within 10 to 11 years are sold at about RM350,” he added.
The festival this year attracted orchid farm owners and breeders from all over the country, who set up a total of 40 booths to exhibit their flowers.
Fomos Penang treasurer Charles Tan said that for the first time, the festival attracted 23 schools from the state in the best orchid species grouping under the schools’ category.
“There has been an overwhelming response for the 10-day festival, which began on Aug 26, with judges coming from the American Orchid Society in the United States as well as Taiwan, Thailand and Singapore,” he said.
