Speaker: Courtney Hackney

 Growing Cattleya

Professor Hackney is the Director of Coastal Biology at the University of North Florida in Jacksonville, Florida. He began growing orchids in the Florida Keys in 1962 while working for a small orchid nursery and has continued his interest in both orchid hybridizing and orchid culture since then. He grows many different genera, but his favorite is the Cattleya Alliance. He has about 500 mature cattleyas and even more seedlings, but his favorites are classic clones, some of which appeared in orchid collections over 100 years ago. He makes 8-10 hybrids and species sib crosses per year in various genera.

He wrote a Growing Tips column for 20 years, which ended in December 2013 that appeared in newsletters around the country and has published in Orchid Digest. In 2004, he published “American Cattleyas”, the culmination of a decade of study and interviews, which summarizes in old photographs and print how all of the modern cattleyas came to be. The book also describes what we know about cattleyas and cattleya hybrids, how to grow them, and what to expect from modern hybrids.

He and his wife Rose live in Jacksonville, Florida adjacent to a tidal swamp. Rose paints and he enjoys the Epi. conopseum growing in the trees in his backyard, while he conducts his research in the swamp. His orchids are now enjoying residence in a new 24’x25’ Florida shade house adjacent to the swamp.

Courtney and Rose will have plants and their books for sale.