Jean Inouye just judged an international orchid show in Rio de Janeiro.
ByGeorge F. Lee, Star-Bulletin
Many of them are prize-winners, and Inouye will enter some of her best plants in next weekend's big orchid show. The Honolulu Orchid Society, of which she is president, will hold their 57th annual Orchid Plant and Flower Show Oct. 17 through 20 at Blaisdell Center Exhibition Hall.
Inouye recently returned from the World Orchid Conference in Rio de Janeiro, an every third year event that is the World Series of orchid culture. Inouye wasn't there merely as a delegate, but as a judge, a high compliment to her knowledge of orchids and her judging ability.
"I worked on the panel judging the masdevallias," she explained. "They're my new favorite, even though we aren't at the right altitude in Hawaii to grow them. They come from the high Andes, so you have to simulate an environment.
"In the beginning I tried growing them in the shade, and most of them died. Then I found a rabbit cage at the Salvation Army. It had a little tray underneath where I can put water to keep the humidity high, and the masdevallias are thriving in the cage. I don't sleep well, so I get up in the middle of the night to spray them with ice water."
The plants are compact, usually no more than 12 inches high, and while the flowers are small, each of its three sepals has a long tail curling from the blossom. It gives the flower a kind of predatory look, and one variety is named Dracula. Masdevallias may not the be orchid of choice for the casual collector, but Inouye said that they are gaining popularity worldwide.
"If you are getting started with orchids, don't just buy one. They are like children," said the mother of three daughters. "If you have only one, you scrutinize it too much, but when you have more, they help each other. Mass the pots together, rather than spreading them all over the place."
Jean Inouye learned most of what she knows about orchids from her late husband, Kiyoshi Inouye, an orchid judge and hybridizer of dendrobiums. He was one of 14 founding members of the Honolulu Orchid Society in 1939, and its second president.
"In 1944, I was finishing my nurse's training at St. Francis Hospital, and I took my father to see his doctor there. Through Dr. Inouye I met his brother. He asked me if I would like to see his orchid collection."
The young nurse expressed interest in seeing the orchids, and Kiyoshi Inouye took her to his orchid house on Punawai Lane. She was fascinated, evidently both by the flowers and her host.
"At my graduation, most of the girls got vanda corsages, but I was the envy of everyone when he sent me two dozen cattleyas," she recalled.
They were later married, and their mutual interest in orchids led them to the idea of starting a commercial orchid nursery. Kiyoshi Inouye's father announced that no son of his would be a farmer. Since the younger Inouye was supported by family money, his father's decision held.
"So we never had a nursery, but we made several dendrobium crosses. One of them received the highest award an orchid can receive from the American Orchid Society, the First Class Certificate. With that plant, we made several more crosses, and we named them all for famous women: Lady Hamilton, Cleopatra, Madame Butterfly, Lady Godiva," Jean Inouye said.
Kiyoshi Inouye felt that one orchid judge in the family was enough, and discouraged his wife from going through the highly technical six-year program it takes to become accredited.
"Nine years ago, when my husband passed away, I decided the time had come," Jean Inouye said. So for three years she clerked at shows, assisted judges and studied orchid manuals. She spent another three years as a probationary judge, and was 74 years old when she was finally recognized as a judge by the American Orchid Society. She has since judged orchid shows throughout the state and on the mainland.
Essentially, what a judge looks for first is the shape of the flower, which should be roughly a triangle, and have no flaws and a clear color or colors. "But there's more," she said. "You should look at it and say to yourself, 'Oh, this is very good.' It should have a kind of magnetic force.
What: Honolulu Orchid Society Orchid Plant and Flower Show
Bob Chisari, who gave advice last week on growing indoor gardens, wants readers to know that the plants need misting with distilled water at least once and sometimes twice daily. Avoid getting water on the flowers, but spray both surfaces of the leaves.
