Best Blossoms at the Pacific Orchid Exposition

By Alex Chadwick

Published February 17, 2006 at 12:20 PM EST

San Francisco seems a natural place to host the annual Pacific Orchid Exposition -- there are just as many "microclimates" in the city as there are varieties of orchids. At any given time, the city can be wet, dry, warm and cool all at the same time.

The orchid show at the city's Fort Mason Center is said to be one of the biggest such shows in the nation, and attracts both amateur and professional horticulturalists alike. And the proud growers can get kind of crazy with their display areas. Some have extravagant landscape tableaux, complete with volcanoes, an igloo, meadows, hillsides -- all covered with orchids.

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Alex Chadwick

For more than 30 years, Alex Chadwick has been bringing the world to NPR listeners as an NPR News producer, program host and currently senior correspondent. He's reported from every continent except Antarctica.

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