Lifestyle & Entertainment
19 September, 2026
Ready, set, bloom
ORCHIDS will fill the Stawell Entertainment Centre this weekend as growers and enthusiasts descend on the town for the Stawell Orchid Society’s 28th Spring Show. The three-day show opened yesterday and features a wide array of displays, plants for sale, growing advice and weekend potting demonstrations aimed at showing newcomers that orchids are not nearly as difficult to grow as they might think.
Long-time Stawell Orchid Society member John Welsh, who has grown orchids for more than 40 years, said visitors could expect an impressive display.
“The whole hall should be full of orchids,” he said.
Mr Welsh said the event traditionally attracted visitors from well beyond the district, including Melbourne and South Australia.
For people intrigued by orchids but reluctant to try growing their own, Saturday and Sunday’s potting demonstrations will provide practical advice from experienced growers.
“Everybody’s a bit frightened of them,” Mr Welsh said.
“They reckon they’re hard to grow, but they’re not. They grow very easy.”
Visitors attending the demonstrations may even leave with something to start their own collection.
“When we break a plant up, we give them the bits we break off to grow in a pot,” Mr Welsh said.
The show also includes an indoor plant competition open to the public.
The Stawell Orchid Society Spring Show will be open at the Stawell Entertainment Centre from 9am to 4pm today and 10am to 3pm Sunday.
Entry is $5, children are admitted free and tea and coffee are included.
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