Past DVOS Meeting

October 14th, 2021 Tom Mirenda “Orchid Safari in Africa” has been postponed

Tom Mirenda’s presentation has been postponed to November 11, 2021.

Tom Mirenda

September 9th, 2021 Scott Barrie: “Cymbidiums”

Cym. Sweet Devon

Scott was our speaker in January, when he brought us up to date on the latest developments in the world of Sarcochilus. This month, he will be back with us on Zoom at 7:00PM PST on September 9, to discuss his work with Cymbidiums. There is no specific title for his presentation but he gave me the following quote which implies it should be a very interesting evening: “I’ve been around Cymbidiums all my life. They are our bread and butter and have given me some of my most significant moments. They have also given me some of my most frustrating and confronting moments as a crop and as a life choice. In this talk I’ll share some of the challenges and our experiences.”

The results of his current efforts with the genus can be seen at https://barritaorchids.com/collections/cymbidiums

Scott Barrie

As many of you will remember, Scott is co-owner and manager of Barrita Orchids located in Kulnura north of Sydney. Barrita is a commercial grower supplying quality potted plants to retail stores and nurseries throughout the east coast of Australia as well as cut flowers to markets Australia-wide. Scott grew up around the benches and packing shed of his family’s nursery and has spent his entire working life in the orchid business. He was also a judge for the Australian Orchid Council (AOC) for over twenty years.

In-person DVOS Monthly Meetings

The in person DVOS meetings at the Contra Costa Water District Building have been cancelled due to COVID-19 concerns till further notice.

Lc. Mildred Rives Orchidglade FCC_AOS

Dear Orchid Friends,

Well, another month has gone by and the world continues to change. I hope that all of you are
safe and sound. I am spending a lot of time with my orchids. It helps me to be able to nurture
something beautiful that brings me joy. With the problems that we are facing both medically and
socially, I find that my orchids are an important refuge for me. I hope you all are able to find
comfort in your gardens. Hopefully soon it will be time for all of us to get back out in the world
and make it a better place.

Diane

Retail Therapy???

Do you miss shopping? Do you miss winning orchids in the monthly raffle? Think about rewarding yourself with a day trip to California Orchids in Bolinas. Mary Nesbit is more than happy to welcome you to her nursery during this pandemic. She will allow 2-3 people at a time to visit the nursery, following COVID 19 guidelines (masks and hand sanitizer). Call her and make an appointment to visit. I drove out there recently and found some beautiful blooming orchids that I just had to buy. I had a nice visit with Tom Pickford, he rents greenhouse space from Mary. He really has some incredible orchids in bloom.

After my visit to Mary I went to the little town and bought lunch that I ate by the ocean. It was so nice after all this time being kept at home. If you go on a weekday there are far fewer cyclists on the road. You can reach Mary at info@californiaorchids.com.

For those who cannot make it to Bolinas your shopping needs can be taken care of in Daly City at D & D orchids. Dennis Olivas would like to welcome you to his incredible greenhouse. He also follows COVID19 guidelines and by calling him at 925 683 3609 you can set up an appointment to visit.

For new members think about visiting these nurseries. Not only will you see a wonderful selection of orchids but you will learn a lot about growing orchids. Both Mary and Dennis are fantastic teachers. They know so much about growing the orchids they grow and sell and do not hesitate to share their knowledge.

Happy shopping,

Eileen Jackson

July 8th, 2021 Charles G. Wilson: “The Bulbophyllums”

Photo by N. Doe

Our virtual guest on July 8, at our usual time of 7:00PM PST will be Charles G. Wilson. He will be joining us from Georgia to share his expertise on that largest of all genera with a presentation entitled simply “The Bulbophyllums”.

Charles has been an AOS member since 1981. He is currently a member of the Species Identification Task Force and chair of the Conservation Committee. He has been growing orchids for over 40 years and his special interests range from Bulbophyllums, Cattleyas and Coelogynes, to Dendrobiums and Paphs and about everything in-between!

Our speaker holds a Bachelor’s and a Master’s Degree in Zoology and Animal Behavior from Oklahoma State University. He is a past president and lifetime member of the Memphis Orchid Society and retired as Director of the Memphis Zoo in 2001.

Both he and his wife Susan are accredited judges with the Atlanta Judging Center. They live on a river east of Atlanta and enjoy travel, fishing and birding.

Bulbophyllum frostii x Bulbophyllum evrardii

June 10, 2021 Dr. Kristen Uthus: “Honey I Shrunk the Orchids”

Leptotes bicolor

NEW Time: 6:00 PM PST

Last month’s topic was definitely “Big”. This month we go in the opposite direction. Our guest on Zoom on June 10, at 6:00PM PST will be Dr. Kristen Uthus. She will be joining us from Michigan to share her love of miniature orchids with a talk entitled “Honey, I Shrunk the Orchids”. Kristen studied both plant and animal ecology and evolution in university and then taught biology and ecology at several colleges. The daughter of a plant fanatic, she has been growing orchids for many years and in 2014 fulfilled her dream of making orchids a full-time commitment by purchasing New World Orchids in Manchester MI. She is supported in her orchid pursuits by her husband, Dr. Kevin Wehrly, and their two sons, Henry and Gus.

Although Kristen enjoys growing many varieties of orchids, miniatures remain her passion—the weirder the better. New World Orchids specializes in Japanese species including Neofinetia falcata, Dendrobium moniliforme, and Sederia japonica, but her selection includes choice species from many other genera. Although she claims it is never entirely up to date, you can check out some of her offerings at https://newworldorchids.com

May 13, 2021 Dr. Leslie Ee: Cattleya warscewiczii and Its Contribution to Large Blue Flowers

Our guest speaker on Zoom on May 13, at 7:00PM PST will be Dr. Leslie Ee. He will be joining us from Toronto to share his knowledge of Cattleya species with a presentation entitled “Cattleya warscewiczii and Its Contribution to Large Blue Flowers”. Leslie, who is the President of the Canadian Orchid Congress and has been an occasional guest at our on-line meetings, was born in Borneo where he was surrounded by orchids. He has grown our favorite plants himself for over 30 years with selected and heirloom cattleya species being particular favorites.

Our speaker is an AOS Associate Judge with the Toronto judging center and has enjoyed traveling widely to attend overseas orchid shows and visit nurseries and habitats. He is committed to the sharing of orchid knowledge and to conservation efforts for local orchids around the world.

April 8, 2021 Peter Lin: The Top 5 Fragrant Phalaenopsis Species and their Influence on Modern Novelty Hybridizing

Peter Lin

Our guest speaker on Zoom on April 8 at 7:00PM PST will be Peter Lin [Not to be confused with Peter T. Lin]. He will be joining us from Dallas/Fort Worth to share his knowledge with a presentation entitled “The Top 5 Fragrant Phalaenopsis Species and Their Influence on Modern Novelty Hybridizing”.

Although some of you may have heard Peter talk on other occasions, this will be an updated presentation which will include the latest developments in non-commodity Phalaenopsis and his particular interest in the breeding potential of the species gigantea. You can see gigantea in bloom next to Peter in the photograph.

Peter Lin started growing orchids 40 years ago before emigrating from Taiwan. In 1996 he turned his Phalaenopsis collection and interest in hybridizing into Big Leaf Orchids in Southlake, where he specializes in species and novelty Phalaenopsis, many of them fragrant. Before Covid-19, Peter made frequent trips to Taiwan to see the latest advances in breeding and to select new varieties for his customers and for inclusion in his own program.

Despite interest in other genus over the years, Peter’s primary focus is still hybridizing Phalaenopsis. As we shall see, the results of his efforts are the antithesis of the commodity plants seen in big box stores everywhere. His website is https://www.bigleaforchids.com/store

March 11, 2021 Sam Tsui: Multifloral Paphiopedilum and Their Culture

This month’s speaker will be Sam Tsui who will be with us from Illinois on March 11 at 7:00PM PST to talk about “Multifloral Paphiopedilums”. Sam was born and raised in Hong Kong, later attending Illinois State University where he graduated in computer science and accounting. He retired from a position in IT in 2008 and is now concentrating full time on his orchid growing business, he founded in 1995. https://orchidinnusa.com

Although he started growing his orchids in his basement he now has commercial greenhouses and currently makes over 300 crosses and produces up to 5,000 flasks annually.

Hybridizing is Sam’s passion. He emphasizes Paphiopedilum species, Brachypetalum, Parvisepalum and multifloral hybrids. Sam travels and judges widely (in better times) and has received over 300 awards for his orchids including many from the AOS, European Orchid Congress, The Cymbidium Society of America and the Dresden International Orchid Show where he received the Grand Champion Award.

February 11, 2021 Rick Lockwood: “What do Orchids Eat?”

After two months when we visited specific genera this month’s topic should be of interest whatever you grow. Rick Lockwood will be with us on Thursday February 11, at 7:00PM to answer the question “What do Orchids Eat?”. Rick has very kindly shared with us the attached update of his original article in “Orchids” (excluding charts and tables), which takes us to 2014. I thought some of you would like review this before the meeting when Rick will take us on his journey of the following 6 years as he continued his research to find the ideal menu and serving size for our orchids.

From the age of 5, Rick has been figuring out how to culture oddball organisms. After graduating from The University of California Irvine he became a herpetologist and aquarist for the Oklahoma City Zoo. After leaving The Zoo in 1995, Rick became an environmental toxicologist with Ramboll Group A/S, where he is managing scientist for the aquatic toxicology division in Nashville. He has focused on major ion (salt) toxicity issues (in particular potassium) since 2005. His wife, Robin, rekindled his love of orchids in 2001 and she has since been passionately pursuing the study of species orchid culture, breeding, and conservation. Rick is an active and past office holder of the Orchid Society of Middle Tennessee and a major contributor on the SlipperTalk orchid forum. Slipper orchids are his favorites, but it took almost 10 years before he “got it right” to the point where he was achieving AOS awards with his favorite flowers. Besides “Slippers”, Rick also keeps an extensive collection of species Bulbophyllums and Phalaenopsis.

To further whet your appetite for Rick’s talk, here is a photograph taken in the well-stocked greenhouse of a member of Smoky Mountain Orchid Society who has been following his suggestions after hearing him speak in 2016.

January 14, 2021 Scott Barrie: The Latest Developments in Sarcochilus

Our January speaker will be Scott Barrie. Scott will be with us from Kulnara, about 50 miles from Sydney, on Thursday January 14, at 7:00PM (2:00PM on the 15th his time for those of you who are curious) to bring us up to date on “The Latest Developments in Sarcochilus”

Sarcochilus grown by Miki Ichiyanagi

In addition to complex breeding programs for Cymbidiums and varicosum Oncidiums, Barrita Orchids has made significant advances in the commercialization of Sarcochilus, with outstanding results in the refining of this Australian native genus. Successes have included almost 200 registered hybrids which have received numerous awards from the AOC, Royal Horticultural Society and the AOS. Some of his current efforts can be seen at https://barritaorchids.com/collections/sarcochilus

If you are growing a hybrid Sarcochilus with “Kulnara” on its’ name tag all, or part of it, will be one or more of Scott’s creations.

Scott is co-owner and manager of Barrita Orchids, a commercial grower supplying quality potted plants to retail stores and nurseries throughout the east coast of Australia as well as cut flowers to markets Australia wide. He grew up around the benches and packing shed of his family’s nursery and has spent his entire working life in the orchid business. He was also a judge for the Australian Orchid Council (AOC) for over twenty years.