Casa del Mar orchids grow up under Williams' care

As unit owners leave Casa del Mar for the season, they often have one last request for General Manager D.M. Williams.

“Hey, D.M.,” they often say. “Will you baby-sit my orchid for me?”

It’s a request that Williams is happy to oblige. The orchids wind up in the resort’s orchid garden, which Williams began more than two decades ago. Today, that garden is home to more than 250 orchards.
Williams loves the orchid garden because, every day, something new is blooming.

“Every time you walk into the garden, it’s like going into a new garden,” he said.

Over the years, Casa del Mar staff, guests and owners have contributed to the garden. Along with the plants that they’ve contributed, there have also been additions such as the orchid-garden sign — a gift from the community’s board after last year’s annual meeting; the fountain, which was added to the garden by landscape supervisor Eldon Arellano; and the various pieces of driftwood that Assistant Manager Mark Meador has found over the years. (One piece resembles a horse; Williams has nicknamed it “Ben.”)

Williams admits that he probably has a green thumb — similar to that of his mother, whom he said could “plant what looked like a dead stick in the ground and make something grow.”

When it comes to orchids, Williams said he doesn’t have any special secrets, although he keeps them shaded, monitors their temperatures with a thermometer and reads various orchid books.

He said that his orchid garden has recently begun to get more attention.

“I’m always happy to show it,” he said. “Plus, it’s not far from the world’s largest cotton plant.”

Williams is referring to Casa del Mar’s arguably most famous plant. Williams said that Guinness Book of World Records officials will be onsite measuring it at 10 a.m. Friday, July 15, to see if the plant will earn the resort its fifth record.

But, although Williams loves his orchids, he said it’s doubtful that Casa del Mar will grow a world record-breaking orchid.

“I don’t know that much about orchids,” he said.

Contact Robin Hartill at [email protected].