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September 2004
SEPTEMBER MEETING September 13, 2004 Paphs and Phrags with Bill Goldner See main article. Beginner's program (starts at 6:30 p.m.): Bring in your plants for a diagnosis of general issues and Jay Perez will do his best to help. Plant Table: Bring your blooming orchids to show. Sales Table: Members may bring up to 10 plants to sell. Raffle: Win a new orchid for your collection. COMING UP Get your plants ready for our annual Orchid Auction! There will be no speaker, no plant table and no sales table at our October 11 meeting—just lots and lots of orchids to bid on. Each member can bring up to 5 plants to auction off (and up to 6 more to donate to the Society). Details in the next newsletter. Got a suggestion for a speaker or program? Contact Jay Perez at at jay98116@comcast.net or 206-818-4363. FROM THE PRESIDENT Hope this issue of the NWOS newsletter finds everyone well and their orchids growing and blooming. I’ve lots blooming in the greenhouse—seems the Phrag season just goes on and on... Of course, I’m not complaining. Is it due to utilizing the tips I’ve received recently from some of the speakers we’ve had talking about culture and plant nutrition? I’m always looking to learn how to grow better orchids and recently read some interesting articles on orchid nutrition that I’d like to share with you. From participating Internet newsgroups and online forums, I’ve come to know a grower from Pennsylvania named Ray Barkalow. He occasionally sends out interesting bits of information to those on his mailing list. Recently he sent the following:
I did request permission from both Ray and Bill to include links to the articles in our newsletter. If you don’t have Internet access and would like to have copies of the articles, let me know and I’ll get them to you. On July 20, the transitional board meeting was held at my house in West Seattle. Among other things, we discussed the need to raise funds both to offset rising costs and to help fund better programs for our monthly meetings. The board decided to recommend raising the dues $5 to $25 for individual and $30 for joint/family memberships. We will also be including a donation line on the membership forum giving members the option to make a general or earmarked donation (“Speakers Fund” for example). That’s all from me. I’ll see you all at the September meeting. Did you pre-order from our speaker? Jerry Hoffmeister SEPTEMBER TALK: PAPHS AND PHRAGS WITH BILL GOLDNER Bill Goldner and his wife, Lynn Evans-Goldner, founded Woodstream Orchids in 1990 and have worked to develop the company’s reputation as a source for quality Paphiopedilums and Phragmipediums. He has a Ph.D. in plant physiology from Pennsylvania State University, and also holds degrees in ecology and botany. Bill is an accredited American Orchid Society judge in the National Capitol Center; and the co-chairman of the Paphiopedilum Forum, held annually in Washington, D.C. He is a frequent speaker on orchid cultivation, hybridization and adventure at conferences and orchid society meetings.
Lynn and Bill have spent a good deal of time visiting orchids in their natural habitats in Ecuador, Mexico, Panama, Thailand, Malaysia and India. They recently visited orchid habitats in Ecuador and Panama. Their plants have received numerous AOS awards, including two Certificates of Cultural Excellence in 2002 and their first FCC/AOS in 2003. Woodstream Orchids has grown and changed dramatically since 1990. In addition to their traditional line of Paphs and Phrags, Woodstream breeds, grows and distributes Lycaste and Epidendrum species and hybrids. In 1999, they accepted an offer to become the exclusive retail and wholesale partner for Maduro’s Tropical Flowers of Panama. This joint venture provides access to hundreds of nursery-grown or seed-produced species and unique hybrids from Central America, many available for the first time in the United States. Woodstream Orchids is the largest producer of seed-grown orchid species and hybrids in the Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Washington, D.C. area. In the last few years, Woodstream has become one of the largest breeders of Phragmipediums in the United States. In 2000, the nursery relocated from eastern Pennsylvania to Huntingtown in Maryland’s scenic Calvert County, near the Chesapeake Bay. Woodstream operates a 3,400-square-foot breeding and production greenhouse, an indoor light growing facility for flasks and seedlings and a dedicated laboratory for flask production. The Woodstream Orchid web site and online catalog is available at: www.woodstreamorchids.com. Bill welcomes pre-orders for delivery at the meeting. Pre-orders must be received by September 11. (Be sure to note you will pick up your order at the NWOS meeting.) FALL SHOW NEWS 2004 The Northwest Orchid Society’s Fall Show and Sale is coming up November 13 & 14 at Seattle Center and plans are coming together quickly. Posters featuring the beautiful photography of Mike Pearson will be available at the September meeting—start thinking of a great place in your neighborhood to hang one! There are six vendors confirmed and three more expected to confirm in the next few weeks. Here's who we know will be there:
We are still waiting on two more growers and a supply vendor to confirm. There will also be a table for NWOS members to sell plants. Instead of an admission fee this year, we are asking for a “suggested donation” of $3. Everyone who takes our suggestion will be entered in a special drawing for great prizes. What we need now are volunteers. This will be a judged show so we need ribbon judges. Judges spend Saturday morning examining beautiful orchids and then get a free lunch at a local restaurant. It’s a great way to learn more about orchid judging. Of course, we also need the usual suspects: cashiers, people to help setup and takedown the show, some to work the check-in and educational booths. There will be sign-up sheets at the September meeting. If you are interested in helping and can’t make it to the September meeting, contact Robin Kemph, Show Committee Chair, at (206) 297-3708. DUES INCREASE PROPOSED The Board has proposed an increase in annual membership dues of $5. If approved, the cost of an individual membership would be $25 and a joint membership would be $30. Per the Society bylaws, this announcement serves as official notice to the membership. Members will have an opportunity to approve or reject the proposal by voting at the October 11 meeting. If the proposal passes, the new rates would go into effect immediately. LAST CHANCE TO RENEW! Have you renewed your membership? You will receive an e-mail notice this week if we haven’t received your check. There are two good reasons to renew by September 15:
You can download a membership form from the NWOS web site or just mail us a check for $20 (or $25 for joint memberships) with note telling us to renew you right away! TRY SOMETHING NEW: From Jamie Notman: I am interested in starting a “project plant” this year. It would be a plant that is relatively easy to grow from a seedling to blooming size. Here’s the deal: the Society would purchase some flasks of something and everyone who is participating would get a plant. Then, a year later, we would all bring our plants in and compare how well we are doing. The person with the best growing plant would win something. Every year until they bloom we would do the same thing, until someone blooms their plant and they would win something cool. If anyone is interested I will have a sign-up sheet at the next meeting and all you need to put on it is your name, phone number and the type of orchid you would like to grow. APOLOGY The directions to the NWOS Picnic published in the August newsletter were, sadly, flat-out wrong. Due to a communication mix-up, your secretary wrote up directions to the Orchids Anonymous mailing address, which is quite different from their physical address. Fortunately, a good crowd of people either ignored my mistaken guidance or managed to find the place eventually. My sincere apologies for the error and the inconvenience it caused for many people. LIGHT STANDS AVAILABLE TO GOOD HOME Gynn Mallory, a long-time NWOS member, is getting out of the plant-growing end of the hobby and would like to part with four very nice tube light stands, made to stack on top of each other. All she asks is that someone come and pick them up. If anyone is interested contact Jamie Notman at (206) 545-7343 or houseofdevo@comcast.net for details. THANKS TO CHRISTINA TAI With her collection growing too large, Christina Tai has generously donated 30 orchid plants to the Society. These plants (a variety of species, some in spike) will appear on the September raffle table and possibly in the October auction. Many thanks to Christina for her generous donation. Got some extra plants you want to relocate to someone else’s house? Bring them to the October auction and make some money off them! WHAT WAS YOUR NAME AGAIN? Members are encouraged to wear nametags at the monthly meetings—it helps newcomers and guests (and those of us who have trouble remembering names). Do-it-yourself “peel-and-stick” nametags are available at the door as you come in. Members may purchase a hard plastic engraved nametag for $4; just ask Christine Peterson. NEWSLETTER EDITOR NEEDED The Society is seeking a volunteer to take over our monthly newsletter. The editor is responsible for gathering, writing and editing articles, laying out the newsletter and getting it copied and distributed. It takes a commitment of 8-10 hours per month and you will be best off if you have web and e-mail access and some basic editing skills. If you would like to know more or are interested in volunteering, please contact Brian Anderson at nwos_news@nwos.org or (206) 818-4364. IMPORTANT DATES OCTOBER 2 & 3, 2004 OCTOBER 16 & 17, 2004 NOVEMBER 13 & 14, 2004
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