Tam then walked over to a group of plants budding from large pots on the floor in the corner of the greenhouse.
He knows the science behind how a tiny seed grows into a massive orchid or a towering redwood tree, but pretending it is magic adds to the mysticism of it all. Holding a small orchid pot that recently came back from being propagated in an off-site lab, Tam said he sometimes likes to tell himself that plants have magical powers. Striking stanhopeas – which bloom only for 24 to 48 hours – were suspended from the ceiling, while a ghost orchid ( Dendrophylax lindenii) clung to a piece of bark fastened to the wall. He said that unlike the blue-dyed orchids that can be found at many groceries and florists, this flower was the real deal – true blue.Ī Cleisocentron-gokusingii orchid in bloom inside one of the orchid collection greenhouses at The Huntington.Īlso in the space, other intriguing orchids were present. Looking around the greenhouse, Tam pointed to a vibrant, blue Cleisocentron-gokusingii.
It involves hands-on work like pruning and planting seeds, he said, as well as learning the science behind how plants work, down to the cellular level. Tam, who received a bachelor’s degree in plant science from Cal Poly Pomona, said plant science is the middle ground between botany and horticulture. He soon became the Huntington’s orchid collection specialist and was recently promoted to his current role as associate curator of the orchid collection. “That was when I got bit by the orchid bug,” Tam said, noting that he began volunteering at the Huntington when he was 14 and landed an orchid collection internship two years later. He remembers noticing a plant with white flowers and becoming fascinated by its beauty. Growing up, he often gardened with his grandmother in the yard of her home in Baldwin Park. His grandmother first piqued his interest. Tam has been intrigued by orchids since he was a kid. Each greenhouse is packed with orchids of every shape, size and colour, from the tiny yellow Platystele misasiana to the large magenta Phalaenopsis gigantea.īrandon Tam working inside one of the orchid collection greenhouses in San Marino, California. Therefore, the Huntington’s orchid collection is split into three temperature- and humidity-controlled greenhouses – totaling more than 20,000sq ft (1,858sq m) of space or the size of 1.5 Olympic-size swimming pools – based on which climate they are best suited to. He said the Huntington’s goal is to propagate as many orchid species as possible to preserve them for future generations to appreciate. Tam humbly regards this as merely “a drop in the bucket”, compared to the 30,000 recognised species of orchids worldwide. What makes the Huntington’s collection special is that it contains at least 10,000 orchids with 1,500 unique species. He runs horticultural operations, including conservation, propagation and acquisitions, and supervises more than 40 volunteers.
Tam, 30, is the proud guardian of one of the largest and most diverse orchid collections in the world. “Gardens are gateways to cultures,” said Brandon Tam, associate curator of the orchid collection at the Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens in San Marino, the United States, as he unlocked the door to one of the Huntington’s orchid collection greenhouses on a hot afternoon in July.
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