Nestled amid vineyards and oak-studded hills on Highway 101 south of Los Alamos, a cluster of low-slung, dark structures hide a surprise - a verdant orchid nursery.

In the series of shade houses, Chisan Orchids Nursery carefully nurtures 30 acres of cymbidiums from sprouts a few inches high to full-grown plants with narrow arching leaves.

Chisan, which started its operation on the small frontage road in 2004, is already the single largest cymbidium orchid grower in California, said Joe Kim, executive vice president.

This season, the company expects to ship 500,000 plants. Sorry, folks, it's strictly a wholesale operation.

“They end up at Trader Joe's, Costco, Home Depot and grocery outlets,” said Stephanie Daum, a horticulture graduate from Cal Poly who handles customer relations.

A Canadian company plans to pick up 4,000 plants in November. Other plants have gone nationwide.

The Los Alamos site was chosen for availability of vacant land and the weather, said Kim.

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Warm days with cold nights trigger the blooms - in yellow, pink, red, green, white, mauve, burgundy and peach.

Flowering season is from now until May, with Valentine's Day, Easter and Mother's Day, as well as Chinese New Year, popular holidays for cymbidiums, said Daum.

From 101, the shade houses may look dark and mysterious. But inside, on a fall afternoon, light filtered through a mesh sunscreen onto the 1.7 million plants, which start as tiny sprouts in glass flasks from Korea. Transplanted into small pots, the plants reach maturity in about three years.

Most of the cymbidiums were not yet blooming, although Daum pointed out a colorful patch of a yellow variety called Sundust. Noting spikes on other plants, she said, “They're just starting to get buds now.”

A proposal for an office, warehouse, greenhouse and landscaping to face Highway 101 is currently under county review.

Visitors are welcome, Daum and Kim said, but call first (344-3905), they suggest.

Information is free to give. “I love to share,” said Daum.

Roadside Attractions is a weekly chronicle of sights along the Central Coast's main commuter routes. Sally Cappon can be reached at sjcappon@aol.com.

October 21, 2008