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

Our Speaker in August will be our own Diane Bond

Diane’s talk will be on Zygopetalum species and their Hybrids in the Bay Area

Diane has been growing orchids in one way or another since high school.  Her interest in orchids led to a degree in molecular biology and an early career in plant biotechnology.  Her collection has grown and shrunk through moves to Oklahoma, The Netherlands, Iowa and finally back home to the Bay Area and a career in DNA sequencing technology.

Her local orchid society is Diablo View Orchid Society where she has held the office of both President and Vice President and is currently a Board member. She is an Associate Judge for the American Orchid Society.

She currently has one temperature-controlled greenhouse and two outdoor growing areas in Oakland.

Zygopetalum mackayi

Dinner with the Speaker

Members of DVOS are invited to a no-host, pre-meeting dinner with our guest speaker, Carol Klonowski We will meet for dinner at 5:00 pm on Thursday, July 10th at

Aunug Burma
2151 Salvio St, Suite E
Concord CA 94520

This restaurant is a 5-min drive from the meeting venue. If you wish to attend, RSVP to dvosshowandtell@gmail.com by noon on Wednesday, Aug 13 th, so we can make a reservation for the appropriate number of attendees.

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

Our Speaker in July will be Carol Klonowski

Carol will be presenting a seasonally appropriate talk: Taiwan and Beyond: Summer Blooming Phalaenopsis.

Carol has been growing orchids since the 1980’s when a friend in Berkeley, California, gave her a cattleya and it bloomed out with three big, dark lavender flowers and an intoxicating fragrance. She built an entire greenhouse in her backyard to accommodate the precious plant, which only led her to buy more orchids. Then another friend gave her a gift membership to the Orchid Society of California and it’s been a serious hobby and passion ever since. She can recall going to monthly meetings where orchid legends such as the late Frank Fordyce would be available to answer the many questions an eager hobbyist could ask.

Carol is currently the President of the Orchid Society of California and an Accredited Judge with the American Orchid Society, California Sierra Nevada Judging Center. She is a Trustee for the American Orchid Society and writes for Orchids Magazine.

Phal. violacea var. sumatrana Dark Devil x self

Dinner with the Speaker

Members of DVOS are invited to a no-host, pre-meeting dinner with our guest speaker, Carol Klonowski We will meet for dinner at 5:00 pm on Thursday, July 10th at

Sichuan Fortune House
41 Woodsworth Lane
Pleasant Hill, CA 94523

Note that this is different from our usual pre-meeting dinner place! If you wish to attend, RSVP to dvosshowandtell@gmail.com by noon on Wednesday, July 9th, so we can make a reservation for the appropriate number of attendees.

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.

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.

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

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.

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

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.

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.

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.