Bloomin’ talented gardener grows stunning orchid with record 159 flowers
Now that’s a bloomin’ big orchid!
Green-fingered Kevin English (Canada) has broken his own record for most flowers on an orchid plant (monopodial) with an unfathomable 159.
Kevin grew his record-breaking bloom at his home in Waterloo, Ontario, unveiling it to the world in March.
He told us: “This year I wanted to break my previous record for most flowers on a monopodial orchid to push the boundaries of the achievement and set a new benchmark.
Not only do I want to raise the bar for the record, I also want to inspire gardeners around the world and show what is possible to achieve with these plants.
This record was originally set by Shi Yuanfeng (China) in 2014 with 91 flowers.
Karen Bartlett (UK) took the title in 2016 with 106 and Kevin broke the record in 2023 with 131, before coming back once more to take the title from himself with an even bigger plant.
A monopodial orchid is one that grows upright from a single stem to produce leaves and flowers… but no plant before has produced so many flowers.
Kevin gathered some witnesses, including a member of the Board of Directors at the Waterloo Horticultural Society, to oversee his mammoth task of counting each of the 159 flowers on his orchid.
And it wasn’t a simple task.
He explained: “To ensure a precise count, I attached markers to each orchid spike and branch, guaranteeing that every individual flower could be identified and counted accurately. With the markers in place, I systematically navigated the plant, methodically counting each blossom.
“Maintaining accuracy was paramount, so I conducted two thorough counts, removing the markers as I went to prevent any flower from being counted more than once. Throughout the process, impartial witnesses closely monitored each count, ensuring the integrity of the final number.”
Kevin’s stunning orchid has pale pink flowers with deeper pink spots splattered across the petals.
Multiple flowers are on each stem, and they all dangle gracefully in the unrivalled floral display.
As Kevin concluded his count, his witnesses cheered, applauded and high-fived him.
“And that should be a new world record,” Kevin said as he gave a thumbs up to the camera.
Well done, Kevin. We were rooting for you.