Eumundi Voice - Issue 96, 27 July 2024

MEET A LOCAL

Amy’s Orchids

Amy Gibson has a passion for flowers and colour – especially orchids. At the recent Mother’s Day Show of the Noosa District Orchid & Foliage Society in Cooroy, Amy was thrilled to win two 1st prizes, two 2nd prizes and three 3rd prizes, along with taking out the Grand Champion Foliage.

The smile on Amy’s face when she talks about her plants is infectious. “My plants help me de-stress from work, and I just love working with all of them,” said Amy.

Amy sometimes takes a flowering orchid to work to show the residents at Kabara Aged Care in Cooroy. She loves seeing their faces light up at the variety of colours and shapes of orchids. She has lost count of how many plants she has but says it’s definitely over 500. Amy said, “I find it so hard to sell any of them to make room for more.”

Amy and her husband came to Tewantin 9 years ago from Broome without a single orchid or plant. She grew up with plants and soon started collecting. Amy said her husband is very supportive. “He built several pergolas with shelving and a 12.5m greenhouse for my plants, but he is not a gardener himself,” said Amy. She does the growing and caring of the plants, moving them lovingly around the garden over different seasons to ensure balance in the plants’ growth.

For those wanting to know more about plants –not just orchids – Amy recommends using apps such as World Flora or Pl@ntNet.

Rhonda Piggott