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A Fertile, Lovely Business

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By STEPHEN HAMMILL

The Tampa Tribune

Published: June 4, 2008

CITRUS PARK - When Paul and Patricia Phelps began selling orchids from a single greenhouse on their five-acre property 22 years ago, they never envisioned becoming a nationally recognized nursery.

Today, the couple spends eight to 12 hours a day watering and feeding their stock of 30,000 plants, many of them award winners, from which they ship across the country.

Phelps Farm Orchids specializes in breeding, propagating and selling the world's largest family of the flowering plants.

Tucked away in a rural residential neighborhood, the nursery lacks walk-in traffic and instead relies on word-of-mouth business and a strong Web presence.

The couple breed and sell orchids of all varieties, from the popular Cattleya, or corsage orchid, which can be grown in a rainbow of colors, to the award-winning, $350 "Brassia Sunrise Glow" spider orchid, with its 18-inch-long flowers. That one is a special Phelps Farm variety, one of the nursery's 818 orchid hybrids and an Award of Merit winner from the American Orchid Society.
Hybrid plants grown from seeds are a lot like people, Paul said. Each looks a little different from the parent in unpredictable ways.

"Our clientele are collectors, hobbyists, gift buyers - just anybody who loves beauty," he said.

The nursery is open by appointment from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday and 9 a.m. to noon Saturday.

Phelps' introduction to orchids came from his wife, who began cultivating the plants more than 25 years ago.

"I knew I would be a grower of something," said Patricia, a Tampa native. "I knew I would want to do it as a business, but if it weren't for Paul, I never would've got this far."

Phelps and his wife can talk about hybrids, fertilizer and watering methods for hours. Sometimes they quiz each other on species names.

They stress, however, that no minimum knowledge of orchids is necessary for customers.

"We try to teach people how to grow orchids," Phelps said. "If somebody buys an orchid from me and is successful with it, they'll buy more."

Other outreach efforts, such as competing against vendors in statewide orchid shows, help sell plants and grow the nursery's brand. In March, the couple won the American Orchid Society trophy for best display at the annual Tampa Bay Orchid Society show.

Despite the accolades, the nursery has cut down to about six shows a year from more than a dozen.

"It's nice to compete, but it's not what I live for," Paul said. "Once we started getting more traffic here at the nursery, we wanted to be here for it."

The couple built a second greenhouse in 1992, with a third, designed solely for hanging plants, currently under construction.

For information or to schedule a visit, call (813) 961-8427 or go to www.phelpsfarm.com.

PHELPS FARM ORCHIDS

LOCATION: 15808 Timberwood Drive, Citrus Park
CONTACT: (813) 961-8427; www.phelps farm.com

HOURS: The nursery is open by appointment Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturday from 9 a.m. to noon.

Reporter Stephen Hammill can be reached at (813) 865-1523 or shammill @tampatrib.com.

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