Family-owned nursery Ecuagenera will partner with D’Vine Plant Market to host dozens of plant, food and craft vendors for its inaugural Tropical Plant Fest from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. this Saturday, Oct. 11. 

“I feel like it’s gonna be one of the biggest events around this area,” salesperson Jorge Portilla said. “We are well known in the business.” 

D’Vine Plant Market is helping Ecuagenera Apopka with the festival’s marketing and vendor registration, according to branch manager and Portilla’s cousin Dayaneth Portilla. Ecuagenera Apopka will host the festival at its property on 3600 Plymouth Sorrento Rd.  

An Italian priest and one of Jorge Portilla’s uncles founded Ecuagenera in 1992 in Ecuador. The company specializes in conserving orchids and registers over 200 new orchid hybrids annually. 

“Ecuador is known as the country of orchids, because we have the most amount of orchids per square feet,” Jorge Portilla said. 

Ecuagenera opened its Apopka location around the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. While the company still specializes in orchids, Ecuagenera also sells aroids and tropical plants. Vendors at the plant fest will reflect a similar variety, offering begonias, succulents and more. 

Dayaneth Portilla expects a crowd of 500 to 1,000 guests on Saturday. The $30 VIP package has sold out already, and Dayaneth Portilla had sold 500 tickets as of Monday afternoon. 

Jorge Portilla recommended Cattleya orchids and Anthurium luxurians for new plant buyers and collectors. He also recommended examining plant leaves to determine how easy they are to take care of. 

“The thicker the leaf, the less difficult it is,” he said.  

As Ecuagenera co-owner Ivan Portilla’s son, Jorge Portilla grew up attending plant shows with his father. But salesperson Tiffany Ward has just entered the plant business and said she discovers something new every day at Ecuagenera. She has also started paying closer attention to the plants surrounding her outside of work, like at the Journey of Water exhibit at Walt Disney World.  

“Everybody’s playing with the water, and I’m like, ‘Can I get over this fence?’” Ward said. “I was actually surprised with the plants they had—scindapsus, philodendron, bromeliad.” 

Ultimately, she loves how plants have connected her to various cultures. 

“I feel like Ecuagenera connects everybody to the world,” Ward said, referring to the wide variety of languages plant names come from. “I’ve learned a little bit of French, a lot of Spanish, and then I’ve learned some—even a little German.” 

To purchase general admission for $10 per person, visit the D’Vine Market at Ecuagenera page at ecuageneraus.com.