"hybrid named for Laura Bush... Chadwick & Son Orchids ... have been involved in choosing the hybrids for the nation's most recent first ladies.... classic cattleyas whose colors are a striking combination of white petals with a contrasting purple throat. The flowers are very large, measuring up to 7 inches across, quite fragrant, and officially registered with the Royal Horticultural Society...
What makes the Laura Bush orchid distinctive is its "splash" or "starburst" of purple tips on the petals. ... Bush's predecessor, Hillary Rodham Clinton, accepted her orchid in 1995 and proudly showed it off in corsages. What makes Clinton's orchid distinctive is its frilly lip of iridescent peach. This year, the American Orchid Society recognized her hybrid as botanically superior by bestowing on it the society's Highly Commendable Certificate. ... Barbara Bush... Her orchid has a distinctive two-tone lip of purple and yellow. Other women who have had orchids named after them include... Margaret Thatcher, who pronounced her flowers "simply lovely"... The orchid industry's naming of hybrids after first ladies dates back 50 to 60 years and has included Bess Truman and Mamie Eisenhower." source : http://www.timesdispatch.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=RTD/MGArticle/RTD_BasicArticle&c=MGArticle&cid=1128768881872&path=!flair!hg ******* Regards, VB _______________________________________________ the OrchidGuide Digest (OGD) [email protected] http://orchidguide.com/mailman/listinfo/orchids_orchidguide.com
