Steve Hampson
Now the days are getting shorter and the nights should sometimes need a blanket it is pleasant to daydream of travel to somewhere exotic, if only in an armchair. Last month we went to Bahia, Brazil and since we had already made that long virtual flight I thought why not take in the Far East before we return next month.
October’s speaker, Steve Hampson, will be with us on Zoom on Thursday October 8. at 7:00PM to take us on a virtual visit to see the “Orchids of Southern China”.
Steve grew up in New York, and had a strong interest in plants from a very young age. He received a Masters degree in Horticulture at the Pennsylvania State University and after running an apple orchard and plant nursery in Western Pennsylvania as co-owner for several years he settled in Southern California. Although now mostly retired, Steve was senior horticulturist at the famed Roger’s Gardens in Corona del Mar where he is still a popular lecturer. He has a well-earned reputation for his knowledge of sweet peas, waterlilies, dahlias and daffodils as well as orchids. Our guest is very fond of The Pleurothallid Alliance and grows a extensive collection of those species.
In better times, Steve travels extensively looking at flowers in the wild. In his presentation, he will share two trips to China, one to Yunnan and the other to Sichuan, looking for slipper orchids and other species.
