Hilo Orchid Show is in bloom, with local growers showing art, science behind the dynamic flower

The soft fragrance of thousands of vibrant, unique flowers fill the air just before the 72nd annual Hilo Orchid Show and Sale, which runs Friday through Sunday.

The show, hosted by the Hilo Orchid Society, brings together dozens of individual and commercial orchid growers at Edith Kanakaʻole Multi-Purpose Stadium in Hilo. There are exotic species and hybrids grown in diverse climates on Hawaiʻi Island.

“I would describe it as an orchid heaven,” said grower Caleb Houck, who has participated in the show for about 10 years. “It may be my favorite time of the year, even though it’s a lot of work.”

He said its an amazing time to see some friends he hasn’t seen in a while to connect with the community of people who love Hawaiʻi for the same reason.

Hawaiʻi Island’s nickname, the “Orchid Isle,” began gaining popularity after World War II when it began attracting farmers and orchid enthusiasts worldwide to cultivate the flowers and export the popular blooms used in Hawaiian lei.

The island’s lush, tropical environment fosters the ability to grow a massive variety of vibrant orchids. Large-scale commercial orchid fields and flower exports have turned the island —particularly the Hilo region — into a significant floral hub.

For Ben Oliveros, who had grown orchids for 12 years in Atlanta, it was love at first sight when he encountered the orchids growing from the volcanic soil in 2004. He decided to move to what he called the “best place on the planet to grow orchids.”

“I was visiting the Big Island on a business trip to source orchids when I worked for a commercial grower in Atlanta,” Oliveros said. “As a lifelong orchid lover, I knew I had to move to the island. Not only did I fall in love with this incredible, unique landscape, but I also fell in love with the aloha of the people.”

Oliveros brought 500 breeding plants with him to start his nursery on the slopes of Kīlauea and has since expanded his nursery stock to 40,000 orchids.

He now owns Orchid Eros, a mail-order, wholesale nursery that also serves as a research and development center. While maintaining a selection of traditional favorites, Oliveros focuses on cutting-edge plant cultivation.

“While I’m known for my Cattleyas (corsage orchids), which are popular worldwide, I am able to dive into species work since the windward side of the Big Island provides growing perfection,” Oliveros said. “The thing with orchids is that they are limitless. They require a mix of art and science, which I find fascinating because we, as humans, can create a brand-new species.”

While expanding his business of selling wholesale orders of orchids to retailers, Oliveros also has become a recognized figure in the broader orchid community. He recently spoke at the Houston Orchid Society in Texas, sharing his secrets, strategies and expert tips for cultivating a stunning Cattleya orchid collection.

“Like most people with a penchant for plants, it started with my mother and grandparents and their love of orchids,” he said. “I have always had an affinity to them, and it has become a never-ending passion.”

In April, 54-year-old Oliveros received the American Orchid Society’s Norito Hasegawa Award for 2026 for excellence in hybridizing. This award honors the lifetime achievements of living orchid hybridizers and recognizes individuals who have made extraordinary, sustained contributions to the advancement and development of new orchid hybrids.

“Receiving what is essentially a lifetime achievement award is an enormous honor for me as a person in my 50s,” Oliveros said. “The achievement acknowledges exactly what I love about orchids — creating and hybridizing rare species. Orchids are my never-ending passion.”

There are between 28,000 and 30,000 recognized species of orchids worldwide. Horticulturists have bred more than 100,000 artificial hybrids and registered cultivars, some of which will be featured on Friday, the first day of the Hilo Orchid Show.

Houck said his passion became “collecting these rare and incredible species, cultivating crazy, weird plants in nature.” But because there was not much of a market for them, he focused on growing the typical species of orchid: Phalaenopsis (moth orchids), Cattleya, Oncidium (dancing lady orchids) and Paphiopedilum (slipper orchids).

Originally from Oregon, Houck had always been interested in plants, but his specific fascination with orchids didn’t start until he had a job with his friend on an orchid farm after he graduated from the University of Hawaiʻi in 2008.

After graduation, Houck secured a job as an archaeologist for Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park and moved to the Big Island, which is where he began slowly building up an inventory of orchids for his own business.

As his stock grew over the years, Houck spent a majority of his free time taking care of his hundreds of plants — creating a combined work week of about 70 to 80 hours. This balancing act was ongoing for about 16 years.

“At some point, I realized that this was becoming unsustainable, and it was time for me to dive headfirst into growing orchids,” Houck said. “I needed to do what I wanted to be happy. I wasn’t happy on the computer.”

Houck now works for an orchid growing co-op, Puna Flower Power, which was created after the 2018 Kīlauea eruption destroyed a large part of the orchid growing industry. This has allowed him to downsize his stock of plants, which has made his life much more manageable.

However, Oliveros and Houck both had to put their businesses in the backseat as they prepared for the 72nd Hilo Orchid Show this week.

Local growers from around the island planned weeks ahead and started putting together their displays that follow this year’s theme of “Legends and Lore.”

Displays creatively showcase orchids in a way that tells stories. Some include little nods to the theme, and one features a stuffed Sasquatch.

By Thursday, the stadium was transformed into an orchid fairytale as the Hilo Orchid Society and the American Orchid Society judged the displays and the thousands of orchids to give awards and ribbons before the opening of the show.

This year, a record 18 vendors are displaying and selling orchids.

“The Orchid Show goes beyond making money, in my opinion,” Houck said. “While it is nice to get an influx in sales and clear our bed space in the greenhouses, I think being able to talk to other growers is an even better part of the weekend. The orchids really enhance the energy in the stadium. It feels like everybody who steps inside feels happy.”

Oliveros added: “The Hilo Orchid Show is a tremendous amount of work, but the room shows that dedication when all is said and done. It’s really nice to bask in the beauty with everyone involved.”

While orchids are still popular and highly sought after by residents and visitors, Houck and Oliveros both expressed concern for the future of the orchid industry as more people begin retiring and stepping back from leadership positions. They agreed that the biggest drawback to entering the industry is the overhead costs and gaining the knowledge needed to be successful.

“Orchids are an art form that involves a lot of science behind them,” Oliveros said. “You are playing with genetics, colors, fertilizers and climate. And, it can be difficult to get into, which is why higher education is so important to pursue if it’s possible.”

He also suggests people learn by doing the work on a farm.

“I worked for other farms for 10 years before I had the knowledge, capital and gumption to do it on my own,” he said. “It is a slow growth.”

Houck did not have a passion for orchids until he worked with a friend at an orchid farm.

“The variety of orchids, the intricacies of different species was fascinating to me, but that may not be fascinating to others,” he said. “I think a passion for orchids is something that finds you and not the other way around. You can’t force it.”

Due to this trend in the orchid growing field, the Hilo Orchid Society strives to extend the knowledge, production and appreciation of orchids by offering a yearly scholarship to a student studying agriculture or natural sciences at a Hawaiʻi college or university. The student should wan to promote and foster future development of the Hawaiʻi orchid industry.

Ticket prices are $6 for adults and free for youth 17 years old and younger. Discount tickets are available from Garden Exchange in Hilo, Paradise Plants in Hilo, and Akatsuka Orchid Gardens in Volcano, or from any member of the Hilo Orchid Society.

Proceeds from ticket sales will go toward the scholarship fund and organizing next year’s show.

The Hilo Orchid Show hours: 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Friday, July 24; 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, July 25; and from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Sunday, July 26.