Briza Publications author Hendrik has been growing orchids for nearly forty years (since the age of 10) and they have become an entrenched part of his life. After various careers in the finance world, as well as a spate of orchid articles in local and overseas publications, Hendrik decided to write a definitive guide for orchid growing tailored to South African growing conditions.
Hendrik is an accredited South African Orchid Council Judge and has been since 1995, and he has also served the SAOC in various capacities. He was the editor of the highly respected, semi-scientific journal devoted to all aspects of orchid growing in South Africa – the SAOC journal from 2006 – 2012. Hendrik is well-known in the orchid lecture circuit in South Africa and Australia, and talks on a variety of orchid-related topics.
Between 2007-2009, Hendrik was appointed as the Orchid Specialist at the Durban Botanic Gardens. He oversaw the orchid display house and managed the varied collection of orchids (over 10,000 specimens in 172 taxa), as well as part of the specialist plant nursery, especially bromeliads and cycads.
Hendrik is married to Anneen, and the couple have 2 teenage boys. The family relocated to Melbourne, Australia in 2009, where Hendrik was appointed as an Australian Orchid Council judge in 2010. He is now learning to grow orchids in a more challenging and cooler environment, and is concentrating mainly on growing species.
Books by Hendrik Venter
- Growing Orchids in South Africa a Gardener’s Guide
- Orgide in Suid-Afrika ‘n Gids vir Tuiniers
