Mountain View Orchids, LLC, is owned and operated by Kurt Studier. Kurt began growing orchids in 1975, with the purchase of a ladyslipper, Paph. Maudiae 'Magnificum'. Having grown up in a family of gardeners, Kurt has always loved plants. Upon seeing the beautiful green lady-slipper in bloom, he purchased it and the love affair with orchids began. On October 10, 1991, the single bloom ladyslipper had grown from a four-inch pot to a ten-inch pot and received the coveted Cultural Certificate of Merit from the American Orchid Society. When awarded, the plant had fifteen flowers and three buds. It was Kurt's first AOS award and his passion for exhibiting orchids was intensified. From that one plant, Kurt now grows several thousand orchids of various varieties.
His plants have received multiple AOS quality awards in recent years. Kurt's concentration is on the Paphiopedilums and miniatures. He also has a prized variety of Masdevallias that he is proud to display and discuss. He has grown orchids on the windowsill, in a variety of greenhouses, and under high intensity lights in his basement.
Kurt is proud to have been invited, and accepted in 2006, as a student judge in the Atlanta Judging Center of the American Orchid Society. He actively participates in the monthly judgings at the center and in various regional orchid shows.
Moving forward, Kurt is continuing his breeding program with concentration on the white and red Paphs. and Phragmipedium besseae. In addition, he plans to propagate the many species he grows to make them available for future generations.