A section of the nursery more or less open to the weather,
except for shading provided by netting.
William Chacón
Last update: 17 August, 2002
Should you
go to San Vito in the Coto Brus area of Costa Rica (almost on the Panamanian
border), ask any taxi driver to take
you to William Chacón's orchid nursery (that is, his 'finca'), and that's all
you need say. Without another word they will take you out of town, along a
winding but beautiful old road bordered with wild Heliconia flowers and their
resident humming birds, out to San Rafael. Within ten minutes, you will arrive
at a small hamlet spread out on either side of a quiet road. The only telephone
in the area is situated outside a small coffee shop run by William's mother, la
señora Chacón and his sister Xinia.
Everyone knows William (seen right with his mother) and not just within the confines of San Vito and Coto Brus. He is equally well known within orchid circles as far as distant San José.
A quiet and impeccably mannered man, William is an orchid expert. His nursery consists of several thousands of plants in various stages of cultivation, from seedlings to mature plants. He prides himself on the fact that he cultivates all the stock he supplies. Quite different to the man-in-the-street who will approach you in San José with an armful of wild-collected plants, selling them for a few dollars apiece. This practice is frowned upon by serious orchid growers in Costa Rica, and caters for the innocent abroad i.e. the tourist.
A section of the nursery more or less
open to the weather,
except for shading provided by netting.
William specialises in, but by no means confines himself to, native Costa Rican species. Indeed, he is a keen enthusiast of hybrids and grows many. All his orchids are grown out of doors in the mild, wet climate of mountainous San Vito. It rains several times a day here, and what rain! There are only two levels here – pouring and dry! There is good air movement here too, and these two factors guarantee thriving plants. Up on the mountains the climate is much more comfortable than in San José, being cooler and breezier. Down in the valleys very close to San Vito it is unbearably hot, but this variation of climate allows the cultivation of a wide range of orchids.
His nursery is a strange place. Such is the climate and the stock he maintains, that the trees in the immediate vicinity are festooned with small, seedling orchids! You could stock many a vivarium simply by going round picking the baby plants off the surrounding trees. Orchid seeds are so tiny that they are transported by the wind to all manner of places. It seems that William makes no attempt to harvest this 'wild' source of plants.
This section of the nursery is covered in
order to protect the plants from
excessive moisture from the frequent
downpours of rain.
This grower is responsible for the discovery of several new species of orchid. I would draw the reader in particular to Lepanthes mariposae, a most beautiful but small orchid which, I think, is William's latest discovery.
William has a growing market, and is extending his services to the export of cultivated stock. Private individuals can contact him, and by the end of the year 2000 he should be able to export living material. Contact him as follows (note new fax number):
William Chacón
Orquidario Happy Garden 'Xinia'
Apartado 10
San Vito
Coto Brus
Puntarenas
Costa Rica
Fax: (From UK) (00 506) 773-32-21
William speaks English. However, it must be said that he feels most comfortable communicating in his native Spanish language.
