Mountain Orchids, an Bio.

Darrin Norton, a native Vermonter, has never been a stranger to nature. The beauty of Vermont’s rolling hills, mountains, farmlands, and crystal-clear waters has surrounded him all his life. Like many professional horticulturists, Darrin’s affinity for planting things and watching them grow developed as a youngster. His love affair with orchids began as a teenager when he read an article about them in National Geographic. The multitudes of forms, shapes, sizes, colors, and characters of orchids instantly captivated Darrin, and he has now been growing them – in one form or another – for over 22 years. He loves all that this plant family has to offer, and incidentally, has also experienced all of the trials of growing orchids on windowsills, under lights, in “wardian” cases, and in both large and small greenhouses.

Darrin built a fine collection of species, and nearly 10 years ago he began to propagate some of his choicest plants, artificially, through seed. Growing orchids from seed proved to be a rewarding – and prolific – experience, and soon he simply outgrew his small “hobbyist’s” greenhouse. With necessity indeed being the mother of invention, Darrin embarked on a commercial venture to distribute some of the species and hybrids he had cultivated and thus, Mountain Orchids was born.

Mountain Orchids is known for the cultivation of “choice species, miniatures, and others.” Darrin will be the first to admit that Mountain Orchids is a very small nursery by today’s commercial standards, but this is precisely what allows him to offer outstanding customer service and support.

Among many orchid-growing accomplishments, Darrin is perhaps best known for his propagation of Dendrobium cuthbertsonii, and for the line of artificial hybrids that have been evolving from this species over the past few years. A close runner-up to his work with the Dendrobiums is his efforts within the Pleurothallids. During his professional career, Darrin has been honored with numerous awards and citations (Among the many Flower Quality awards received have been an FCC and several CCM's not to mention the numerous show trophies for his artistic displays.) His expertise in the field has also made him a highly sought-after speaker and consultant throughout the country.

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- Darrin Norton