Linda Thorne / Orchids Are Not Difficult, Just Misunderstood

Linda Thorne is an American Orchid Society judge, past national assistant trainer for the American Orchid Society, and past AOS trustee. After years of holding the position of treasurer for The Slipper Orchid Alliance, she passed on the position to someone else. Linda loves orchids and helping others learn about their care and explaining just how special they truly are.

Seagrove Orchids was established in 2000 after a move from the Washington DC area. Dear friends and mentors from Maryland provided encouragement for this new career move. Linda grew over two hundred individual orchid plants in her Maryland home and had an orchid propagation laboratory. By the time she decided to move to NC she had accumulated over 500 potted orchids and over three hundred bottles of baby orchids. All made the trip with her. After the initial culture shock of city life to country life, Linda was pleased with her decision to pursue Seagrove Orchids. I can say that leaving an amazing job in Washington DC in hazardous materials was hard. A bonus included in her move to Seagrove Nc is that her parents live only an hour North in Greensboro, NC.

Twenty-three years later, Seagrove Orchids is a success story holding the title of the premiere orchid grower in North Carolina. Never too busy to help others, Linda shares her years of orchid trials, errors, and triumphs with fellow orchid growers and beginning orchid enthusiasts.

Linda is confident about orchid culture and the proof is the in the AOS cultural awards that Seagrove Orchids has received in the last 23 years. I love getting culture awards, for the award goes to the grower and not the individual plant. As of August 2023, Seagrove Orchids has 18 cultural awards.

Seagrove North Carolina boasts over 140 individual pottery shops making it the pottery capital of the world. Linda thinks it is also the orchid capital. Seagrove Orchids is open Friday and Saturday but she is also willing to open the greenhouse with notice for private visits. Linda is available in the greenhouse on Fridays until 3pm when she must leave for the weekend to work a more serious role as a hospice nurse, like previously mentioned, Linda likes helping others. During greenhouse visits on Saturdays, you will be served by her knowledgeable orchid team.