My interest in orchids began in my early twenties with an occasional purchase at the floral market. In no time, I filled my small greenhouse with a variety of tropical specimens and began collecting every rare species I could get my hands on. I was addicted, under a spell others before me have been entranced by. Through Dr. Stephan Brenneisen at the Zurich University of Applied Sciences, head of the Green Roof Competency Center, I learned about the spectacular native orchids of Switzerland and theirspontaneous colonization of several green roofs. Because Stephan was interested in natural orchid habitat and I was looking for an advisor, we began a fruitful mentorship driven by our common commitment to ecology, nature, and biodiversity. In 2008,1 created my own green roof for testing orchid colonization using native topsoil removed from a neighbor's garden when they built a swimming pool.
展开▼
