DVOS Meeting

June12, 2025 – Mary Gerritsen: The Orchids and Tribes in Papua New Guinea

Doors open at 6:30pm for Show & Tell setup and conversations

Mary Gerritsen

Our Speaker in June will be Mary Gerritsen

Mary will be speaking to us about one of her favorite orchid destinations; Papua New Guinea (PNG) offers an incredible visit to a country that is tangled in time. Her lecture, The Orchids and Tribes of Papua New Guinea is based on multiple PNG expeditions, covers the Port Moresby area (nature parks, the amazing cultural museum, Varirata National Park), the Western and Southern Highlands, Mt. Hagen area, also Mt. Wilhelm, New Britain, and the islands of the eastern cape (Normanby, Fergusson). Fantastic scenery, visits with some of the many tribes, a sing-sing, a moo-moo (traditional pig roast), birds of paradise, and of course, orchids. Expect incredible photographs of orchids in the wild, many rarely if ever seen in cultivation.

Mary has been interested in plants for most of her adult life, and has been growing orchids on and off for the last 40 years, despite several cross country moves as part of her “other life” as a biomedical scientist. Her passion for orchids was rekindled when she moved to the San Francisco Bay area in 1997 and attended an orchid show. Returning home with a few plants, she decided to join a local orchid society to learn more about taking care of them, and from these beginnings, her current passion grew exponentially! Now Mary truly has put her roots down, and has orchids in two greenhouses, five lath houses, her front porch, sun room, and anywhere else she can put them. Her collection of about two thousand plants, mostly species, is rich in masdevallias and other miniature orchids of many different genera. Mary has traveled extensively to see orchids in situ, including many countries in Central and South America, Southeast Asia, as well as Australia, Papua New Guinea, South Africa, Madagascar, Europe & Mediterranean islands, the USA and Canada. She has co-authored six botanical books with co-author and photographer Ron Parsons “Masdevallias, Gems of the Orchid World”, “Calochortus, Mariposa Lilies and their Relatives”, “A Compendium of Miniature Orchid Species” (a two book set), “A Bay Area Guide to Orchids and their Culture” “The American Orchid Society Guide to Orchids and their Culture”, and the recently released “The Compendium of Miniature Orchid Species, 2nd edition” (a four book set).

Mary has served as president and vice president for both the Peninsula and San Francisco Orchid Societies, and is currently president and chief executive officer of the Orchid Conservation Alliance and a director of the Orchid Digest.

Dinner with the Speaker

Members of DVOS are invited to a no-host, pre-meeting dinner with our guest speaker, Mary Gerritsen. We will meet for dinner at 5pm on Thursday, May 8th at:

Yan’s Garden,  2223 Morello Ave.  Pleasant Hill, CA

This restaurant is a 10-minute drive from the meeting venue. If you wish to attend, please RSVP to dvosshowandtell@gmail.com by 5PM Wednesday, May 7th so we can make reservations.

May 8, 2025 – Dennis Olivas “All you wanted to know about orchids: Orchid 101”

Doors open at 6:30pm for Show & Tell setup and conversations

Dennis Olivas

Our Speaker in April will be Dennis Olivas

Dennis was born on the island of Kauai, Hawaii. As a child, he helped his mother and aunt grow their orchids and got hooked. He joined the Future Farmers of America, and his project was raising and selling these beautiful and exotic plants. In 1980, he moved to the mainland and swore off orchids, but not for long, as he went to Rod McLellan’s Acres of Orchids in South San Francisco. From there, his whole life became one downward spiral. First, he filled his home with upwards of 6,000 plants. Later, he leased greenhouse space for his ever-burgeoning orchid collection. Glutton for punishment, his collection grew to overflow that 3,000 sq. ft. greenhouse in Half Moon Bay.

In November of 2013, with the help of close friends from the Bay Area, Napa, and Fresno, Dennis moved his obsession to a greenhouse in Daly City. A whole new ball game of learning how to raise orchids, still without heat but in an area that gets more sun and higher temperatures, with good water year-round. That original 3,000 sq. ft. greenhouse space has since expanded to 5,500 sq. ft.

Dennis has been the President of the Peninsula Orchid Society, San Francisco Orchid Society, Diablo View Orchid Society, and Santa Cruz Orchid Society. He is an accredited judge of the American Orchid Society. Dennis belongs to over 14 orchid societies and tries to assist them whenever possible.

Dinner with the Speaker

Members of DVOS are invited to a no-host, pre-meeting dinner with our guest speaker, Dennis Olivas. We will meet for dinner at 5pm on Thursday, May 8th at:

Yan’s Garden,  2223 Morello Ave.  Pleasant Hill, CA

This restaurant is a 10-minute drive from the meeting venue. If you wish to attend, please RSVP to dvosshowandtell@gmail.com by 5PM Wednesday, May 7th so we can make reservations.

April 10, 2025 – Bridget Uzar: Journey of a Seedpod

Doors open at 6:30pm for Show & Tell setup and conversations

Our Speaker in April will be Bridget Uzar

Bridget Uzar, from Carter and Holmes Orchids, will tell us about the Journey of a Seedpod. This presentation takes the listener from the why and how one creates an orchid seedpod, all the way through growing seedlings in the greenhouse and readying them for sale. Few people understand the time and patience it takes to produce orchids from seed. Bridget originally created this presentation as part of an interactive educational exhibit for her local orchid society’s show. It has since received an Educational Award from the AOS

Bridget is a fourth-generation green thumb, and a second-generation orchid grower. Following in her father’s footsteps, she has been at Carter and Holmes Orchids in Newberry South Carolina for over twenty years but has been around orchids her whole life, essentially growing up under the benches. (Her father worked at the Rod McClellan’s Bay-area orchid company, Acres of Orchids, for a decade before it was sold to Taisuco Sugar Co.)

Bridget began working at Carter and Holmes in 2002 in an everyday potting and watering capacity, eventually being given charge of the collection and breeding houses. She made her first Cattleya cross in 2008 and hasn’t stopped since. In 2009, she began working on digital photography, catalog publications, and other marketing work for Carter and Holmes Orchids. Selling Quality Orchids since 1947, Carter and Holmes Orchids is a family-run business with one of the world’s longest-running orchid hybridizing programs. Today, Bridget has been the chief grower and hybridizer at Carter and Holmes for over a decade, overseeing greenhouse management and production. She also handles the company’s marketing emails as well as promotional material and social media.

Carter and Holmes will be providing plants for the opportunity table and is offering a 15% discount to DVOS members on all additional individual purchases. You should have received a separate e-mail with the code. If you order before April 6, 2025 will be shipped with the DVOS plants and you’ll save on shipping costs.

Note that Bridget will be joining us “virtually” via Zoom. Although we hope you’ll attend the meeting in person, the presentation will also be available to watch remotely. To obtain the Zoom meeting link, send an e-mail request to dvosshowandtell@gmail.com; the link will be sent to you in an e-mail reply.

Because our April speaker will be joining us “virtually”, we will not be gathering for dinner prior to the meeting.

March 13, 2025 – Bruce Rogers: “Magic Orchids”

Doors open at 6:30pm for Show & Tell setup and conversations

Our Speaker in March will be Bruce Rogers (aka “The Orchid Whisperer”)

Did you know that orchids have been used primarily for medicinal purposes for centuries? Both here in California and around the world, orchids are used to this day for treating various ailments. You’ll be surprised at the species used that you thought were only used for their flowers’ beauty. After Bruce’s talk, “Magic Orchids”, you’ll never look at an orchid in the same way again!

In the 1980s, Bruce founded Bruce Rogers Orchids, an orchid consulting and management company based in San Francisco. The business continues today and includes many private and commercial accounts. In 2002 he followed his passion and started growing and hybridizing Sobralia orchids. In 2007 the late Dr. Eric Christenson named the magnificent orchid species Sobralia rogersiana in Bruce’s honor for his work with the genus Sobralia. Today he is known around the world for his unique and popular hybrids and is the largest wholesale and retail supplier of Sobralias.

Bruce is an internationally known orchid expert. He is the author of the best-selling orchid book, The Orchid Whisperer, Expert Secrets for Growing Beautiful Orchids, as well as numerous articles on orchid culture and design. He is on the Advisory Council at the San Francisco Conservatory of Flowers and has served as the Ambassador for the San Francisco Orchid Society.

Dinner with the Speaker

Members of DVOS are invited to a no-host, pre-meeting dinner with our guest speaker, Bruce Rogers. We will meet for dinner at 5:00pm on Thursday, March 13th at:    Aung Burma,  2151 Salvio St Suite E,  Concord, CA 94520

This restaurant is a 5-minute drive from the meeting venue. If you wish to attend, please RSVP to dvosshowandtell@gmail.com by noon on Wednesday, March 12th so Henry can make a reservation for the appropriate number of attendees.

Saturday February 8, 2025 – DVOS Orchid Show and Sale

DVOS Valentine’s Day Orchid Show and Sale

Ribbon judging begins at 8:30 am

AOS judging right after ribbon judging is finished

Show begins at 10 am

Talk on orchid care and culture 2 pm

Show Closes at 4 pm

Cleanup starts at 4 pm

January 9, 2025 – Diane Bond: “What my computer can teach me about my orchids.”

Doors open at 6:30pm for Show & Tell setup and conversations

This month’s speaker will be our own Diane Bond. Diane’s talk is titled “What my computer can teach me about my orchids”. She will take us on a walk through various websites and computer programs that we can use to learn about our orchids.

Diane has been growing orchids for….let’s say a long time. She became much more serious in 2014 when she had more free time. Currently she is a board member of DVOS, an associate judge in the California Sierra Nevada judging center of the American Orchid Society and avid collector of… well it would be easier to say what she doesn’t grow. She doesn’t have a single Sarcochilus. She grows in the mild climate of Oakland with a moderately sized, heated and cooled, hobby greenhouse, as well as plenty of protected outdoor space for Cymbidiums.

We will not be having dinner with the speaker prior to the meeting this month.

 

December 12, 2024 – DVOS Holiday Celebration

It is that time of year again. Our annual holiday party is coming up.

Thursday, December 12, 2024

Set up 6:00 PM, Dinner 7:00 PM

Pleasant Hill Community Center

320 Civic Drive

Pleasant Hill, CA

Free for all for potluck, but if you’d like recommendations:

  • A-G Hot Dish
  • H-O Desserts
  • P-Z Salads

We will have many of our favorite activities:

  • Potluck dinner
  • Gift exchange
  • Dennis Olivas is providing a plant for members who have renewed their membership (for 2025) BEFORE the party.
  • We have a liquor license, so you can bring wine or beer if you would like.
  • If you’re bringing something Vegan, Gluten-Free, or Allergens, please bring a note card so people know what’s in the dish.

November 14, 2024 – Dennis Olivas: Asian Cymbidiums

Doors open at 6:30pm for Show & Tell setup and conversations

Dennis Olivas

This month’s speaker will be a perennial crowd favorite- Dennis Olivas. Dennis will tell us about Asian Cymbidiums. The presentation will include live demonstrations, Q&A, and a PowerPoint presentation.

Dennis was born on the island of Kauai, Hawaii. As a lad, he helped his mom and aunt grow their orchids and got hooked. He joined the Future Farmers of America, and his project was raising and selling these beautiful and exotic plants. In 1980, he moved to the mainland and swore off the orchid family, but not for long, as he went to Rod McLeallan’s Acres of Orchids in South San Francisco. From there, his whole life became one downward spiral. First, he fills his home with upwards of 6,000 plants. Later, he leased a greenhouse space for his ever-burgeoning orchid collection. Glutton for punishment, his collection grew to overflow the 3,000 sq. ft. greenhouse in Half Moon Bay.

With the help of his close friends from the Bay Area, Napa, and Fresno, they moved his obsession to a greenhouse in Daly City in November of 2013. A whole new ball game of learning how to raise orchids, still without heat but in an area that gets more sun and higher temperatures, with good water year-round. Also, the 3,000 sq. ft. greenhouse space now expands to 5,500 sq. ft.

He was President of the Peninsula Orchid Society, San Francisco Orchid Society, Diablo View Orchid Society, and Santa Cruz Orchid Society. He is an accredited judge of the American Orchid Society. Dennis belongs to over 14 orchid societies and tries to assist them whenever possible.

 

Dinner with the Speaker

Members of DVOS are invited to a no-host, pre-meeting dinner with our guest speaker, Dennis Olivas. We will meet for dinner at 5 PM on Thursday, November 14th at:

Yan’s Garden,  2223 Morello Ave, Pleasant Hill, CA

This restaurant is a 10-minute drive from the meeting venue. If you wish to attend, please RSVP to bonddiane9@gmail.com by 5PM Wednesday, November 13th so that she can make reservations.

October 10, 2024 – Kathy Barrett: What ever happened to the orchid business?

Doors open at 6:30pm for Show & Tell setup and conversations

Our speaker this month will be one of our own. Kathy Barrett has been growing orchids since the mid 1990s. She’s been a long-time
member of the DVOS (where she held every job except president) and the AOS where she was co-chair of the AOS Publication Board,
and member of the AOS Conservation Committee. She was also a member of the Orchid Conservation Alliance board. She edited
OrchidSafari an internet chatroom and email list – assuming anyone remembers that far back.

Kathy will give us a look at the past 40 years in the orchid business. She will cover the winding up and dissolving of the mega orchid ranges, the advent of the internet and today’s specialized small businesses and what this all means for orchid collectors. She will give us her view of the future of orchid collecting.

Kathy will not be joining us for dinner so the speakers dinner has been cancelled for this month.

Sunday September 15, 2024 – DVOS Fall Auction and Picnic

 

SAVE THE DATE

DVOS Fall Auction and Picnic will be Sunday September 15, 2024

 

DVOS Fall Auction

SAVE THE DATE

We need EVERYBODY to participate. Please:

 

  • DONATE, DONATE, DONATE
  • Now is the time to get out there and divide. Donate your established divisions to the auction.
  • Communicate with your orchid growing friends about donating to our auction. They don’t need to be members of DVOS to donate!

More details will be made available in the next few newsletters. The important thing for you to do now is:

  • SAVE THE DATE
  • Start identifying and preparing plants to donate.

Our auction is coming up Saturday September 14 at 10:00 AM.

Pleasant Hill Park

147 Gregory Ln, Pleasant Hill, CA 94523

Area #3 (just north of the parking lot in the southeast corner of the park)

Sunday, Sep 15, 2024, 10:00 AM

Pleasant Hill Park, Gregory Lane , Pleasant Hill, CA  USA

 

What to expect?
Please see 86 entries in the catalog so far.

DVOS Auction 2024 Catalog

Catalog-Addendum