Calvin and Sherry Abe may have retired from their teaching careers, but their passion for growing orchids has inspired them to continue sharing what they know. The couple’s tip-filled slide shows for the Honolulu Orchid Society are a natural extension of what they did at Pearl City High School, where they taught for 34 years.

“We love flowers,” said Calvin Abe, who is a sensei, or master, in ikebana, the Japanese art of flower arranging.

The Abes started growing orchids after taking a flower arranging class about nine years ago. But they don’t like to cut and arrange flowers as much as they like to grow them.

“We applied what we learned and use it in the landscape,” Calvin said.

Calvin Abe, 69, is a retired photography teacher. His wife Sherry, 68, is a retired English teacher. The Mililani couple met at a PTA meeting. “Calvin asked me if I wanted to check out his rock collection,” Sherry Abe said with a chuckle.

Although Calvin still has his rock collection, the couple now maintains a collection of orchids and air plants.

“Originally, we joined the orchid club to keep our plants alive, and now we share our knowledge with others,” said Calvin, who will do just that at a lecture with Melvin Waki on Honohono culture at 2 p.m. Friday during the club’s annual orchid show.

The Abes are so into orchids that they’ve traveled to Japan for the past two years to attend the Tokyo Dome Japan Grand Prix International Orchid Festival. They continually learn — and lecture — about all the different varieties of orchids they encounter.

Many of the tips they offer are a result of their own failures. They have learned what works through trial and error.

Calvin spends time in a work area he’s carved into the back corner of his garden. He’s often busy replanting, caring for plants and creating wire hangers to keep what he’s growing off the ground.

“Most of the plants are hanging because it helps with aeration and keeps the bugs away,” he said. “And the snails don’t get them.”

Blooms can last for a couple days or a few months, depending on the species, Sherry said. “Some of them are so delicate and small,” she said, referring to a Dendrobium toressae, a miniature orchid plant that has tiny pale yellow blossoms.

The Abes love to include trinkets and knickknacks in their garden because they provide balance, they said. They’ve found places for toys, wind chimes and souvenirs from trips, including a Buddha statue and a bronze rocking horse.

Throughout the yard, the Abes have placed interesting sculptures that were given to them or left behind by Pearl City art students, including vases, abstract ceramic pieces, an angel, ceramic chickens and frogs. “These all contribute to a different but calming look at every turn,” Sherry said.

Calvin also photographs the plants, and he and his wife use the images to create unique greeting cards.

The couple has created what they consider a stress-free environment in their garden.

Areas full of blooming plants can be seen through windows of different areas in their home.

“We have tried to bring the outside into our house by placing the blooming flowers near our windows and glass sliding doors so we can enjoy them as we look out,” Sherry added.

The exotic flowers bring them joy, and the Abes have even set their alarm (more than once) so they can wake up at midnight to view the night-blooming cereus, a plant that blooms once a year for a single night.

“We come in the garden and enjoy it,” said Sherry. “Sometimes we bring wine in the backyard to relax and enjoy the blooming plants.”

Her husband added, “It cultivates happiness.”