Nancy Kline began growing and collecting orchids when she rescued one from the top of a neighbor's trash can six years ago.

That orchid still sits among the 300 orchids she has in her Treesdale home.

Kline and her friend Carol Panza of Adams Township are chairwomen for the second annual Pittsburgh Orchid Festival, which will be on Oct. 7 and 8 at the Bidwell Training Center at 1600 Metropolitan St. in Pittsburgh.

The two are members of the Orchid Society of Western Pennsylvania, a 300-member nonprofit group founded in 1954. Kline and Panza joined in 2003.

They knew each other from playing tennis at the Oxford Athletic Club in Wexford, then found out they both enjoyed orchids.

Kline was already interested in orchids after rescuing her neighbor's plant in 2000. Panza did not start collecting until her first meeting at the orchid society.

"After that first meeting, we started doing things together. We couldn't get enough orchids. We traveled to shows in Philadelphia, Columbus, all around," said Panza of her friendship with Kline.

Kline, who teaches water aerobics at the athletic club, has orchids in various stages of growth inside and outside her home. Panza works at the Piecing It Together quilt shop in Ross Township and has about 200 orchids.

After being planted, an orchid must be transplanted to larger containers as it grows. From a seedling to the orchid's first bloom can take about seven years, they said.

Usually Kline and Panza buy plants through the mail, from friends or at shows. These plants vary, but usually they are already mature when purchased and will bloom in six months to a year, said Panza.

Kline said she likes buying seedlings and mature orchids.

"I do both. I've done a lot of seedlings because I enjoy doing it myself," she said. "But sometimes you want a mature plant for that instant gratification of the bloom."

There are more than 25,000 species of orchid, and many more hybrid species. The world of collecting, hunting, selling and discovering orchids is vast, and, according to Kline and Panza, addictive.

"Part of it is that you grow it, not just the individual orchids, but the fact you raised it and it didn't die. It's a challenge," said Panza.

"It's also a networking thing, there's a social aspect to this," said Nancy, who said she enjoys the Orchid Society of Western Pennsylvania's monthly meetings, which are held in the Phipps Conservatory in Oakland.

Both women occasionally sell plants, especially cuttings of mature plants.

Kline said she can easily devote about five hours to the orchids in a typical week, not counting weeks when she must transplant them.

"And many members spend more time than that," said Kline.

Kline has a ghost orchid in her home, the sought-after plant featured in the film "Adaptation."

So what makes these ladies spend hours cultivating hundreds of fragile plants?

"Just seeing them bloom, that first time you see the bloom. Later there are ribbons, trophies, awards and competition. But at first it is just the excitement of the blooms," said Kline.

Panza suggested the society host a festival two years ago. The society's officers thought the Bidwell facility would be a good place to hold it, and the Pittsburgh Orchid Festival was born.

"It helps Bidwell; they can give tours of their greenhouse. It's a mutual benefit," said Panza.

The festival differs from orchid shows, where elaborate orchids are displayed and judged. The festival is focused on giving vendors a chance to explain and sell orchids, and there are no judges.

But there will still be plenty of beautiful orchids for people to peruse, said Kline.

"The society will have one large display, and a lot of the vendors display quite nicely. We like to show off," said Kline.

Among the vendors scheduled to appear are: High Tech Garden Supply, Hillhaven Orchids, Main Street Orchids, Marlow Orchids, New Vision Orchids, Roberts Flower Supply, Sharon Arffa and Windswept in Time Orchids.

Topics of lectures, which begin at 11 a.m. Oct. 7 and end at 2 p.m. Oct. 8, include: designing with orchids; how to care for orchids; antique and modern botanical art; how to grow orchids for your home; and growing under lights.

Potting demonstrations and greenhouse tours will begin every half hour, starting at 10:30 a.m. Oct. 7.

For more information about the society, visit www.oswp.org.

WHAT: Pittsburgh Orchid Festival, including vendors, demonstrations and greenhouse tours throughout the dayWHEN: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Oct. 7 and 8WHERE: Bidwell Training Center, 1600 Metropolitan St., PittsburghCOST: Free