Kim’s grandmother on her father’s side was Elmina, who lived all her adult life in South Pasadena. She grew flowers that were used on Rose Parade floats for years. She had an extensive Cymbidium collection, along with other orchids.
When we visited her to say that we wanted to get married, she said, only half-joking, that I would have to pass a test first. I would have to learn from her how to correctly repot a cymbidium. She was actually fairly brutal when handling the transplants, pulling off back bulbs and dead roots. She used a wooden dibble made from a broom handle to pound down the bark in the pot. When she finished, she could lift the whole thing, plant and pot, just by the leaves, and the plant held firm in the pot.
I succeeded on the third try and was given the blessing to marry her favorite grand-daughter.
Most of our cymbidiums are Elmina’s, divided and repotted many times.
May 2026 MGOC Garden Tour 
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