An orchid exhibition from March 1st to March 10th in the University of Tartu Botanical Garden
Orchid exhibition this year features fascinating orchid species directly from Ecuador. As part of the exhibition, there will also be an orchid contest in which it is possible to participate with one's own orchid. The exhibition program is filled with exciting events, workshops, and excursions.
University of Tartu Botanical Garden's orchid exhibition, lasting for ten days, features various orchid species from Ecuador, sourced from the local orchid nursery Ecuagenera. Among the arriving plants for the exhibition, there are species that are widespread in Central and South America, but also those unique to Ecuador with a very narrow natural range, known as endemics.
Additionally, as part of this year's orchid exhibition, there will be an orchid contest inviting everyone who currently has an interesting orchid blooming at home. The top three in the orchid contest will be determined through a popular vote – all visitors of the orchid exhibition will have the opportunity to assess the plants and choose their favorite. University of Tartu Botanical Garden will award worthy prizes, exciting orchid plants, to the winning trio.
Ecuagenera nursery's decades-long efforts have resulted in numerous discoveries of orchid species, their conservation, and propagation, the ongoing establishment of protected areas, and the breeding of new hybrids. Ecuador is one of the richest countries in terms of natural diversity worldwide, with over 4200 known orchid species alone! Several of these species and genera have recently been given Estonian names.
In addition to workshops, there will also be guided tours during the orchid exhibition. The tours will take place on March 1-3 and 8-10 at 11 AM. Participation in the guided tours is subject to a fee, with the ticket price being 10 euros per person, and a maximum of 12 people can participate in one tour. Participants in the guided tours will receive a botanical garden logo sticker from the botanical garden. Pre-registration is required for participation, either via email at botaed@ut.ee or by phone at 737 6180.
During the orchid exhibition, workshops will take place on March 2nd and 9th at 2 PM, where orchids will be introduced, and tips for their care will be provided. The workshop will be conducted by the botanical garden gardener Ingrid Akkermann and Anni Oja, who has enhanced her knowledge at the Lankester Botanical Garden in Costa Rica, focusing on the propagation of local orchids and their reintroduction.
The workshop will involve practical work using the botanical garden's own plants. Up to 15 people can participate in each workshop, and participation is subject to a fee – 10 euros per person. Pre-registration is required for participation via email at botaed@ut.ee or by phone at 737 6180. For more information about the workshops, you can contact Anni Oja at cashmir@gmail.com.
As part of the orchid exhibition program, there is also a Nature Evening on March 6th at 6 PM, titled „On the Mating Habits of Orchids – Drunken Wasps, Perfume Masters, and Beautiful Deceptions,“ where the city gardener and orchid enthusiast Anni Oja will talk about the mating habits of orchids.
On March 10th, at 2 PM, the orchid contest awards ceremony will take place, followed by a guided tour of the exhibition at 3 PM. The tour will be succeeded by a concert at 4 PM featuring Lisanna Kuningas. Lisanna, a 27-year-old singer and songwriter, has been creating music for almost 15 years, following the example of her brothers. The concert is part of the Arts of Survival Creative Nature Festival's bird jam concert series, known as „bird's nest,“ and is included in the main program of the European Capital of Culture Tartu 2024.
University of Tartu Botanical Garden's 13th orchid exhibition will take place from March 1st to March 10th. In addition to the orchid exhibition, visitors can also see artist Tõnu Tamm's orchid paintings in the botanical garden's classroom during the same period. For the duration of the orchid exhibition, the botanical garden will be open on weekdays for slightly longer hours: you can come to see the exhibition from Monday to Friday, 10 AM to 6 PM, and on weekends from 10 AM to 5 PM. Admission is with a botanical garden ticket.
All orchid enthusiasts have the opportunity to purchase plants. During the exhibition, orchids will be sold by the flower shop Rikets in the University of Tartu Botanical Garden.
