Christopher Satch: The Orchidist

Creating a jungle in our living and working spaces is the goal of many plant parents, especially during the Covid-19 pandemic when leaving home is less of an option. Some people are drawn to beautiful foliage and others are drawn to bright colorful blooms.

For Christopher Satch, it’s fragrance that he collects. The Plant Scientist and Instructor at the New York Botanical Garden is also an avid orchid collector.

His passion for orchids didn’t begin until his college roommate introduced him to the diversity of these delicate plants.

“I actually wasn’t interested in orchids in the beginning…”

For Christopher, orchids just seemed uninteresting, but walking into a space with so many different varieties completely changed his perspective and his interest grew from there.

“I was just blown away by the colors and the fragrances.”

Christopher is a firm believer that orchids are for everyone. No matter what kind of space you have, there’s an orchid that will grow there.

Not wanting to keep his knowledge and excitement to himself, Christopher uses his social media platform and website to answer people’s plant questions. His Instagram is full of information, as well as a fun perspective on plant care.

In describing an orchid in his collection, Paphiopedilum delenatii, he writes, “It just hangs out and doesn’t complain.” 

He also comments, “If I can grow them [orchids] in a Manhattan apartment with no outdoor space or greenhouse, then you can grow them too!”

Visit Christopher’s website and follow him on Instagram.

This episode was produced, filmed, and edited by Robert Capria.