 A Product of the SEBS and NJAES Office of Public Outreach and Communication  A talented group of Cook College and SEBS alumni, staff, volunteers, and students collaborated on a beautiful, award-winning display at this year’s North Jersey Orchid Society show at the Douglass Student Center. Photo by Daniel Jacobs The North Jersey Orchid Society show returned to the Douglass Student Center on the Rutgers–New Brunswick campus this January, featuring a dynamic botanical display that showcased some of the plants growing at the Floriculture Greenhouse.
 Danielle Lohrman (SEBS’27) makes sure the display plants look their best. Photo by Daniel Jacobs Held January 16–18, the free annual event welcomed hobbyist growers, commercial producers and plant enthusiasts to enjoy and connect over this much-loved flowering plant family. Rutgers Gardens was a 2026 co-sponsor and exhibitor. Daniel Jacobs, assistant director: greenhouses for Rutgers Gardens, coordinated the activities for students to show off their skills and creativity in this year’s exhibit.
“I was excited to have such a great crew of students—eight Rutgers Gardens student horticulturists and two Floriculture Greenhouse students—involved in the creation of our display. The students worked alongside me, greenhouse assistant Sophia Gonzales, alumni Michael Bowell and Katie Majorossy, Nicki Graf (former Floriculture Greenhouse manager), and Plant Biology staff member Gary Huntzinger to select plants, spruce them up, and design and construct a 48-square -foot display that showcased the 28 individual orchids competing for ribbons at the show.”
Aidan Icasiano (SCI’26), who helped build the display, learned in his Intro to Horticulture class that New Jersey was once a prominent figure in the orchid industry. “Seeing all these people at the NJOS show who are really passionate about orchids reminded me of that,” illustrating how student experiences at events like this can amplify classroom-based learning.
Aidan’s fellow interns at Rutgers Gardens include Solana Garcia (SEBS ’27) and David Ackerman (SEBS ’26), who is earning a bachelor of science in landscape architecture (BSLA) degree. All were new to working with orchids but enjoyed collaborating on the display design with the group. “It was eye opening,” Solana says. “I didn’t know this world of orchids existed. But it’s a whole community of wonderful people who are all so nice. It was also cool to see Rutgers alumni support the event.”
One such alum is Michael Bowell (CC’78), who spearheaded the construction of the display. He shared details of his time working alongside the students:
 Rutgers Gardens student horticulturists and Floriculture Greenhouse Assistant Sophia Gonzales construct the orchid display. Photo by Daniel Jacobs “When I started with Rutgers Alumni Growers and Exhibitors (RAGE) many years ago with my friend Nicki Graf, I had no idea where it might lead. This year, I had the best team yet at the NJOS annual show. I came in with some building blocks such as flowering orchid plants and props. I was greeted by eight very enthusiastic students who built the exhibit. It was especially interesting having Landscape Architecture students on that team. Their observations and suggestions were spot on.”
Throughout the show weekend, the students answered questions about their display and championed the Rutgers Gardens Internship Program to members of the community. Danielle Lohrman (SEBS’27) was even asked to judge orchids and displays at the show.
She shares how this invitation came about. “I helped set up the display with the group of Rutgers Alumni Growers and Exhibitors. I was able to use my perspective as a Landscape Architecture major to create a beautiful arrangement of several orchid varieties. When the display was finished, I took the opportunity to talk to people at the event and had a wonderful conversation with Carrie Buchman, past NJOS president and show chair, and an accredited American Orchid Society (AOS) judge. She gave me the opportunity to be on the judging panel for the show, and I was quickly thrown into the world of orchid culture! Before the event, I didn’t know a single thing about orchids. Now, I can ace a round of orchid trivia and have a newfound appreciation for these beautiful plants. I even bought two of them at the show! This was a rare and wonderful experience and I’m so grateful for the opportunity to be a part of this community. I met so many incredible people, made many new friends, and gained extensive knowledge of this field.”
 Kaitlin Gotting (SEBS’28) readies the plants in the Floriculture Greenhouse. Photo by Daniel Jacobs. Lauren Errickson, director of Rutgers Gardens and campus stewardship, says “co-hosting the NJOS annual orchid show reinforces how Rutgers Gardens, as the university botanical garden, can facilitate key connections between our students, community and the horticulture industry, including with alumni who continue to engage with our school and help support the next generation of plant enthusiasts along the way.”
This was the first year in recent memory that Carrie Buchman wasn’t a co-chair. She took a break because she spends much of her time as an AOS judge, traveling to orchid shows all over the country and even internationally. Judges are not paid for their services. When asked why she volunteers both her time and her travel costs, Carrie responds, “You see some amazing stuff.”
She’s also thrilled that this annual show at Trayes Hall in the Douglass Student Center has continued. “There are now 11 AOS awards given out at the NJOS Annual Show, which is practically unheard of, in a good way.” That is an indicator of the growth potential this collaborative event has, with countless opportunities for student involvement and volunteering, both with future events and within the local orchid societies to continue gaining experience and education. “It’s a huge effort to put this event on. The partnership between the NJOS and Rutgers is a big win and a mutually beneficial relationship for everybody.”
At the NJOS show, Carrie is responsible for creating all plant labels and ensuring they are correct at each display, which is a very involved and detailed process. She notes, “It’s like pulling teeth,” to get all the plant registration sheets with the information to perform these duties. This year, the students managed the process for the RAGE display, and according to Carrie, “They did an amazing job. Everything was delivered on time right to my email address without any issues or need to chase down the information.”
 Rutgers Gardens students celebrate their collection of ribbons for the orchid display they helped create. From left to right: Danielle Lohrman, Solana Garcia, Grace Silva, and David Ackerman. Photo by Moira Keihm Daniel Jacobs continues, “The group was awarded 15 total ribbons, including 8 first place ribbons for different orchid categories, and the exhibit won second prize in the display category! I’m proud of how well our students did, many of whom hadn’t handled an orchid until this weekend. It brought me joy to watch our students connect with alumni and learn and laugh with them.”
“I am so proud of them,” states Michael Bowell. “Dan is doing a great job there at the Floriculture Greenhouse. I am committed to serving as a volunteer with Rutgers students as long as they’ll have me. It’s my way of celebrating my success in horticulture and giving back to RU. I spend some of my best years as a Rutgers student, building the Hortus Society and helping organize the flower show in Blake Hall in 1978, as well as being a member of the RU Marching Band!”
North Jersey Orchid Society volunteers come to the Rutgers Floriculture Greenhouse four to six times per year to pot up and care for orchid plants, and to share their knowledge with students. At the annual show, Rutgers Gardens staff were also given a special behind-the-scenes tour by Joseph Rohal, co-chair of the NJOS Annual Show. Says Jacobs, “The team learned about the American Orchid Society and its judging criteria, the role local chapters like NJOS play in building community and spreading knowledge, and a little bit about this very diverse plant family. Despite the cold and snow, I would call the show a success!”
A version of this article originally appeared in the January 2026 Friends of Rutgers Gardens newsletter. Subscribe to receive monthly updates from Rutgers Gardens here.
 One of the gorgeous orchid displays at the NJOS annual show. Photo by Bayard Saraduke 
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