As the sun shined and a cool breeze drifted through the air, about 3,500 people strolled throughout the gardens at the 25th annual Kanapaha Botanical Gardens Fall Festival.
Although attendance was down slightly, the young and old came to see and purchase a variety of orchids and other indoor and outdoor plants during the two-day event.
Alexis Caffrey, director of the gardens, said there were 45 vendors at this year’s festival.
“The attendance is slightly down because of other events, but there are still a lot of people that came out,” she said. “I think it’s going great.”
Georgia Shemitz, president of the Gainesville Orchid Society, said the other events worked to the festival’s advantage.
“People come out and about, making their rounds,” she said.
Shemitz said the two best sellers were the phalaenopsis, or “moth orchid,” and dendrobium orchid, both of which range in colors from white to orange and pink to purple.
“It’s a common misconception that are orchids are hard to grow, but most people can grow orchids,” she said. “Orchids are found on every continent but Antarctica.”
At the main area for vendors, the smell of barbecue chicken and ribs overpowered the smell of the orchids and flowers.
Some people took pictures of the plants, some leisurely wandered, and others walked with wagons that toted their flowers and plants from vendors like Byrd’s Orchids and Gainesville Bonsai Society.
Stacey Copenhaver, 51, and her husband, Bill, traveled from Winsor to sell plants from his Grassroots Nursery.
“We’ve been here for five years,” she said. “This is a great way to get people set for planting for the fall.”
UF alumna Sara Goldstein carried a red-flowered salvia in one hand and an orchid in another with her younger sister. The 24-year-old said they have been coming to the fall festival since they were young.
“We got a Lady of the Night orchid for our dad,” she said. “We love gardening.”
Kristina DeCarlo, 20-year-old UF family, youth and community sciences and sustainability junior, came to the garden with four other women. She said they came to the garden when they were freshmen because the festival was free.
She said the beauty drew them back this year.
“We loved it so much,” she said. “We were amazed with how beautiful it was.”
