Orchid Society Recognizes Phipps

By Aayush Boghara

At Phipps, orchids are a big deal. To Katie Schuller however, they’re a passion. As our Orchid Manager, Katie has brought hard work, leadership, extensive know-how and, of course, passion to the Phipps orchid collection — enough to earn her recognition from the Orchid Society of Western Pennsylvania (OSWP). At their monthly meeting on Sun. Feb. 16, the OSWP awarded Katie with a certificate of appreciation to acknowledge the years of expertise and care she has brought to our collection.

Following the award presentation in Botany Hall, the audience followed Katie as she gave a tour of Orchid and Tropical Bonsai Show: Out of This World and the orchid range of the Production Greenhouse. While the orchid collections are a fan favorite, Katie knows it’s taken a lot of hard work to get it to where it is today. 

In the three years that Katie has been our Orchid Manager, she has helped Phipps receive multiple other accolades. In 2018, the OSWP honored the Phipps’ 2018 exhibit with a best-in-class award, while also giving awards to 16 other individual plants. The National Capital Orchid Society also recognized two of our slipper orchids with honorary awards that same year. Much of this can be attributed to the efforts of Katie and her team.

To Katie, we thank you for all of your work and care on the beloved orchid collection and congratulate you on your success thus far! Your recognition is very well deserved.