"Bob Fuchs... with partner Michael Coronado... 3,800-square-foot house in Homestead shares 10 acres with his business, R.F. Orchids...
Fuchs, 60... co-chair of the 19th World Orchid Conference coming to Miami in 2008, is a third-generation orchid grower. When Bob Fuchs' grandfather Fred married in 1920, Charlie gave him 10 acres... soon began collecting orchids, including several new species he discovered in the nearby swamps. ... ''I made my first international [orchid] trip to the Dominican Republic... when I was 13,'' recalls Fuchs. ``We collected for three days...'' ... These days, he continues to makes international trips... As part of his business, he... leads expeditions... in search of interesting species. This fall... he will lead a group... to Southern China, Hong Kong and Bangkok. ... As a youngster, he kept his own orchids in his father's greenhouse... By 19, he had discovered a new species in Nicaragua, which he registered with the Royal Horticultural Society. ... he became a teacher... On weekends... , however, he tended his small orchid business ... In 1984, one of his flowers won the grand champion prize at the Miami World Orchid Conference and the fame that came with it helped him quit the teaching job. He has since devoted himself full-time to his beloved plants and has won more than 700 American Orchid Society awards. pieces... eye-catching: ... Brazilian wood carved rendition of laelia purpurata, a cattleya... found in Brazil in 1995... A trophy case chockablock with awards from orchid shows. ... the orchid theme is expressed in various artifacts... a 1997 painting of the Vanda Memorial Fred Fuchs orchid by botanical artist Angela Mirro... A cabinet houses his 150-piece porcelain collection with... painted orchids on the pieces... library with dozens of orchid books... a tiny jeweled orchid sculpture nestled inside a gold-and-ruby Faberge egg. ... Hand-colored lithographs of orchids from the 1880s line the walls. ... a perfectly blue pool -- with an orchid mosaic... a childhood interest became a lucrative adult passion." Article URL : http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/living/home/15473716.htm ********* Regards, VB _______________________________________________ the OrchidGuide Digest (OGD) [email protected] http://orchidguide.com/mailman/listinfo/orchids_orchidguide.com
