ABOUT BEDFORD ORCHIDS

Bedford Orchids is run by Howard Ginsberg.  He has attempted to grow just about every kind of orchid known to man and has managed to successfully kill most of them. The phals proved to be more resilient than most so he knew that they were for him. He has had orchids for almost 30 years and finally learned how to grow them better about 7 years ago. Recently, he learned about the importance of good water quality.

He originally fell in love with the reds and yellows and slowly began to realize that the best were being bred in Taiwan. In the early 1990s, a friend (originally from Taiwan) promised to go there with him. At the last minute, this friend cancelled. The next year, the same thing happened and it seemed to Howard that the friend didn’t want him to go there. The next year (1994), he went to Taiwan on his own. He had made some arrangements but not close to enough to get him everywhere he wanted to go.  Most people in Taiwan do NOT speak English.  While there, he realized that he had been soooo right. Taiwan phals were where it was at! Immediately upon his return, he began Mandarin lessons, which continued for 5 years. He returned to Taiwan regularly. And, boy, had he ever been right! Since 1999, about 2/3 of all awarded phals are from Taiwan.

It was because of this first trip to Taiwan (and the obligation to make a minimum order of 120 flasks) that Bedford Orchids was born. There are minimum orders required by several suppliers.  The original idea was to sell surplus plants and flasks. Today, the business has grown somewhat. A lot of reds and yellows but any quality plant can find a home here. Plants are now grown under fluorescents lights at home and in a greenhouse.  We buy (or breed) for ourselves, sell what our clients want to buy and keep the rest. 

The high quality and mature size of the plants in our flasks has started a wholesale business.

Howard Ginsberg is an accredited AOS judge (the first one north of Albany, NY and east of Toronto, more or less) and now head of the Montreal Judging Center. He travels regularly to spread the gospel about Taiwanese breeding, having addressed orchid societies across the continent from LA to Miami and from Victoria, BC to Fredericton, New Brunswick in addition to having spoken to judges at several AOS judging centres and having been a featured speaker at AOS Trustees meetings. In 2002, he spoke extensively in New Zealand and Australia and, in 2005, at the World Orchid Conference in Dijon. In addition to traveling around the continent and the world, learning Mandarin, growing and breeding phals, and practising law to pay for this folly, he added web page creation to his list of follies.

Recently, he has come out of the closet and admitted his true love of mini catts. Most grow well right alongside phals and they are in bloom all year round. However, they do have one major drawback. Phals stay in bloom forever. With catts, they begin to bloom and, before you know it, they are already out of bloom. There are some exceptions.

Coming to Montreal? Come and visit. You’ll be glad you did!