Ballado Orchids

I still remember when I climbed a small hill one Saturday morning of May, 1985 in the State of  Veracruz, Mexico. It was fog, the grass and trees looked fresh from the dew. The peculiar smell of the rain...we're walking for some hours into the mountains. Then my eyes could not believe the spectacular fragrance that came above one tree...."there! I exclaimed, what a beauty"! The scent was almost like honey dew, sweet. Several flowers blooming from a plant growing on the branch of a tree, one indigen said to me: "this is not an orchid, we called them parasites" they destroy our trees". So I picked it very carefull to avoid any damages. It grows in a cluster of twenty plants,so once I've got it in my hands the color of the 3 inch flowers looked like sea shells of purple stripes inside, the scent was totally out of this world! The foliage was soft bifoliar, elongated pseudobulbs and thin roots attached to some pieces of moss.... "Yes, it is an orchid! they do not destroy the tress, they used them to sustain, they take the nutrients from the water, air and insects to survive". This orchid was called: coco shell, scientific name: Encyclia radiata, why? well the purple rays formed inside the shell. From then on I've learned the methods and techniques how to propagate them. 

I remember my first time I went to collect orchids from the wild, it was 1985 in Mexico and one thing that caught my attention was the unique beauty of the orchids, the way they grow in the natural habitat so delicate and yet very hardy...

From then on my passion for orchids grew as time went by I became one of the first orchid growers in my country with over 18,000 plants plus the seedlings that came out from the laboratory wich I called them: "my babies", learning a lot from experts and knowing the process of how to save them and enjoying at the same time.

Many people helped me out to participate at different shows, giving lectures at several societies in the United States who became my second house which I still grow and enjoy to share my experiences with friends and customers to be involve in the world of orchids that are one of the finest flowers with different colors, frangrances and sizes to choose from.

Orchids are great for any occasion that will impress anybody.

If you are visiting Connecticut please give us a call, send us an e-mail or just simply check out our website at www.balladorchids.com

Happy growing!

Connie Ballado