Virginia Farm Grows, Sells and Boards Orchids

Virginia Farm Grows, Sells and Boards Orchids Chadwick & Son Orchids of Powhatan, Va., grows, sells and boards upwards of 10,000 orchids at a time. “Orchids were the 80-year hobby and passion of our founder, Art Chadwick Sr.,” says Art Chadwick, Jr. “I’m his son, and I spent my early career working as an electrical engineer in corporate America. In 1989, I joined my father in turning his orchid hobby into a business.” Chadwick Sr. began growing orchids as a hobby in 1945. He carried a special affinity for Cattleya orchids and first obtained plants from estate growers outside Philadelphia. Eventually, he and his father built a greenhouse to care for them. Chadwick Sr. passed away in 2021 at 90, but his legacy lives on. Today, the showcase farm has grown into a business spanning 18 acres in Central Virginia, with 13 greenhouses totaling 15,000 sq. ft. The farm initially sold wholesale, then switched to retail and opened two storefronts in Richmond, one in 2004 and a second in 2020.  According to Chadwick Jr., the farm’s most popular orchid is Phalaenopsis. “They’re the number-one houseplant in America and can even be found in grocery stores,” he says. Still, his favorite remains Cattleyas, like his father. “Cattleyas date back to Victorian England, and they became the corsage orchid in the U.S. from the 1920s to the 1960s.”  Once established, Phalaenopsis, or “Phals,” are relatively low-maintenance and require only weekly watering and indirect light. Many can live for decades, some even over a century. Most orchids grow to between a foot and 18 in. tall. They’ll bloom for two to three months, then go dormant for the rest of the year. This extended dormancy fuels their “orchid boarding,” which makes up a significant part of the business. “It’s the bread and butter of our farm,” Chadwick Jr. says. “Most of our 13 greenhouses are devoted to boarding.” He notes that it’s an ideal solution for people who love orchids but don’t have the space or time to care for plants when they aren’t blooming. Some customers board just a few plants, while others keep hundreds in rotation. Pricing starts at $2.25 per plant per month, with rates varying.  The business also breeds orchids, including a project focused on developing hybrid orchid seeds in honor of the First Ladies of the United States. The process can take years to yield results. “Breeding orchids takes five to seven years from seed to maturity, so that’s a sideline for us,” Chadwick Jr. says. The seeds grow in sterilized laboratory beakers for two years, then are placed in community pots (10 plantlets per pot) until the most robust plants are transferred into individual pots a year later. “We have two orchid books that have been very popular,” Chadwick Jr. shares. “Art Sr. wrote ‘The Classic Cattleyas,’ which is now in its second edition. I wrote ‘First Ladies and Their Orchids: A Century of Namesake Cattleyas,’ which ties in nicely to the 250th Anniversary of the United States and will be featured in our orchid exhibit at the Philadelphia Flower Show in February.” Looking ahead, the farm will expand its agrotourism offerings, which currently include a perennial garden and a barn/event space. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Chadwick & Son Orchids, 1240 Dorset Rd., Powhatan, Va. 23139 (ph 804-598-7560; greenhouse@chadwickorchids.com; www.chadwickorchids.com).

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