Ann Roberts Levine's thumbs are green - ask her orchids

LAKEVILLE — Ann Roberts Levine has a basement full of orchids, and to a visitor whose knowledge of the subject is solely derived from the detective novels of the late Rex Stout, it’s quite a sight.

Orchids in every imaginable color and configuration are in her greenhouse, and the scent easily overcomes a standard mid-winter head cold.

Levine has been growing orchids for more than 35 years, and has seen the trade go from the rarified to the affordable. Most of her plants are in the $20 to $45 range.

Many come from Taiwan, she said. “My prices are terrific, and they are better quality†than what buyers might encounter at a big box store, she said.

“The blossoms are bigger, and they reproduce. Most of them last three or four months, and then they start coming back.â€

Despite the wider availability, Levine said orchids still have a mystique. Pointing to a dendrobium, she described it as “dark and mysterious.â€

Levine also sells containers — baskets and pots — so she can design a complete presentation for her clients.

And now that she lives in Lakeville year-round, she’s anxious to get the word out that orchids are available.

The Web site is berkshireorchids.com.