Carol Siegel, Newsletter Editor Proving Once Again That Orchids Are
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Carol Siegel, Newsletter Editor Proving once again that orchids are even from the top of a recently-matured bulb. The more wonderful than football, our loyal and large showy flowers, sometimes fragrant, are enthusiastic members crowded the meeting normally rosy- purple with a three-lobed lip. on Super Bowl Sunday. Everyone received a Thanks, Clarice, for donating divisions of your festive Valentine package of 20 orchid clips plants. and a heart-shaped lollipop just because we love you. The food was great thanks to the THOSE DUES ARE DUE culinary efforts of Melissa Knight, Jeannie Thanks to all those who have paid 2006 dues. Salles, Miles Hoffman, Gustavo Mattielo, and If you have not paid dues for 2006 ($25 for Alana Sullivan. Poor Daniel Vong, our favorite individuals, $40 for couples), this will, vendor, got stuck in traffic and didn’t arrive unfortunately, be the last newsletter you will at the meeting until AFTER we had all left to receive. I pay for postage and printing of the watch the Super Bowl. He promises to come newsletter myself, and I can only send it to back for our March meeting with his gorgeous current members. Look on your newsletter orchids and a great raffle. The good news is envelope. If there is an (05) highlighted in that we made a lot of money on the plants yellow after your name, we have no record of that Alex and Eileen McKyton commandeered ’06 payment. You can pay at the meeting or for our silent auction from send it to me made out to GLVOS: Carol Carmela Orchids and did well, too, on our Siegel 8601 Robinson Ridge Drive, Las Vegas, raffle with the hotel plants that Tony NV 89117. Billitere brought for us. The nice people at the Mirage, Treasure Island, and Wynn FEBRUARY SPEAKER donate their spent orchids to our raffle. Not The biggest proponent of outdoor orchid only do we save these orchids from the growing is Mark Dimmitt, garbage (horrors!), but the money we make on Director of Natural History at the Arizona- the raffle allows us to provide an excellent Sonora Desert Museum, who was our February educational program and to donate money to speaker. I was invited to a Summer Solstice conservation organizations. Thanks to Tony Party at his lovely home in Tucson. and the nice folks at our hotels. There, in the magical sparkling summer air, nestled in the shade of enormous mesquite Clarice Dean prepared our Species of the trees, were dozens of orchids, living happily Month, Laelia anceps, a hardy, drought- outside in the desert. In his compelling tolerant orchid, widespread in Mexico, power-point presentation, Guatemala, and Honduras. Requiring heavy “No Greenhouse? No Problem,” Mark makes watering from spring to autumn, they the case that if you find orchids with a appreciate greatly reduced watering from similar native environment to that in Tucson, late autumn to winter. The 16 to 24 inch you can grow these orchids with a few gracefully-arching inflorescence emerges modifications outdoors. He puts his orchids on benches and tables all summer in the shade do well with a little extra care. He finds that of the trees and mists them automatically Cymbidium canaliculatum hybrids, most of the twice a day with regular tap water. In the Eulophias and Rhyncholaelia digbyana do as cold of the winter, he brings them onto an well outdoors as in his warm, bright unheated enclosed porch. greenhouse. He likes some orchids that do well in lowland A word of caution, however. Ron Coleman, swamps and keeps them wet. “A swamp is a another advocate of some outdoor growing, swamp,” he says, even in the desert. Bletia grew two Encyclia tampensis for a year-and-a- purpurea, native to swampy areas from half. One he showed me, growing outdoors in Florida and Sonora to Central America, do the shade, looked fairly healthy and had one very well with just the addition of water. bloom. The one growing in his greenhouse was Bletilla striata, from the shady forest floor spectacular, very healthy and covered with of China, can be grown in the ground. Phaius blooms. However, growing outdoors can still tankervilleae, an invasive weed in Hawaii, is a be a challenging and rewarding part of the good choice for outdoor growing. desert experience. Mark also recommends growing “desert-type” UPCOMING EVENTS orchids, like Epipactis gigantea, species native The Nevada Garden Club Spring Show will be to hot, arid climates, some with tough leaves held on Saturday, April 1st from 10-4. We and pseudobulbs. He selects orchids that need your blooming orchids and your help for grow in the tropical thornscrub and tropical our display on the stage of the Garden Club deciduous forest which grow in a desert-like Building. We will be putting together the climate 6-9 months a year and a jungle-like display on Friday, March 31st after 4 pm. If climate for 3-6 months. In the summer, they you cannot make it, you can leave plants off at get more rain and humidity and suffer no my house, and I will bring them down for you. frost in the winter. Many do well in the (254-4168). We will be asking for volunteers desert with extra water and protection from to be ambassadors for the club at our frost. Plants he has had success with include meeting. The good news is that we can leave Cyropodium punctatum, Encyclia adenocarpa, the display up until Sunday so that all the Oncidium cebolleta, and Rhyncholaelia members can enjoy it. You can take back you digbyana. plants after the meeting. We thank Tex and Gidget Severance for judging the show. From the Old World tropical deciduous forest, the genus Eulophia does particularly The Easter Show at the Cal, April 14-16th well- E. burkei, E. herrerae, E. keitii, E. will be held once again at the Ohana Room at petersii, E. speciosa, E. guineensis. Moreover, the California Hotel. This event, sponsored by he has had success with the genus our friends at the Torrance Cymbidium Oeceoclades- O. calcarata, O.spathulifera, Society, features AOS judging and display and O.roseovariegata, as well as with awards and an orchid display by the club. We Dendrobium speciosum. will be putting together our display on Thursday afternoon,April 13th. You can win an When Mark repots and divides plants, he AOS award!! Diana Smith and Mike Levin usually puts one division outside under his have won it in the past!! Thanks to Mike Levin trees and sees how they do. He is compiling a and the Severances for judging. list of these successes. Many mini-cymbidiums orchids (what?), The second is about what OUR MARCH SPEAKER DOUG CONKIN makes an orchid an orchid. The third is the was born and raised in Southeastern New publisher’s proof of an article on buying Mexico and currently resides in Glendale, orchids which will appear this summer in California. The son of a floral designer and ORCHID DIGEST. In addition, you will find a descendant on both sides from a long line of member list for the current year. farmers, Mr. Conkin comes by his interest in Stay well, and keep blooming! Love Carol orchids naturally. He began growing orchids at the age of twelve, and hee currently maintains a mixed collection of approximately ALL THE PEOPLE WHO MAKE 1,000 plants. A frequent and much-in-demand IT HAPPEN: lecturer on orchids and related topics, Doug CAROL SIEGEL- PRESIDENT has spoken for orchid societies, botanical CLARICE DEAN -VICE-PRESIDENT gardens including the prestigious Huntington EILEEN MCKYTON- SECRETARY Library and Botanical Gardens and commercial DIANA SMITH-TREASURER orchid nurseries across the western United AND States. In 2003, at the invitation of the Dan Mumau, Michael Lawless, Marsha Hawley Huntington Botanical Gardens, he developed - Membership Hospitality Chairmen and currently hosts a monthly series of Eileen McKyton and Dan Hawley- Welcome classes about orchids and their culture. Mr. Desk Conkin is noted for his ability to present the Lillian Patterson- Photographer and Historian complex world of orchids clearly, concisely Dan Mumau, Mike Lawless, and Tony Billitere- and in a manner suitable for the advanced Raffle Chairmen enthusiast and yet easily understandable by Marsha Hawley- Fund Raising Chairlady the absolute beginner. In the summer and Phyllis Bond, Leslie Doyle,Shelly North and fall 1998, he finished the production of the Eileen McKyton- Special Events Chairmen first in a series of videotapes on orchids and Jeri Lee and Terry Wilsey- Nevada State their culture. The video, "Anyone Can Grow Garden Club Representative Orchids...Even You" made its debut at the Alex McKyton -Building Chairmen and East West Orchid Show in October of 1998 Webmaster and received wide acclaim. Doug has written a Tex Severance and Mike Levin- Show and Tell yearlong series of articles, “Integrated Pest Gurus Management for the Orchid House” for The Tex and Gidget Severance- Judging Chairmen Orchid Digest magazine, he also serves on the Scotty Nogaim- Election Chairman, Raffle Publications Committee for The Orchid Digest Lady as an associate editor. Mr. Conkin is a Past Terry Wilsey- Club Travel Agent President of The Southland Orchid Extraordinaire Committee, and a probationary AOS judge. Steve Ninemire Library Chairman Clarice Doug will be speaking on integrated Dean, Assistant Librarian pest management. Clarice Dean- Trip Chairman Shelly North-Classy Club Apparel Chairlady Daniel Vong-Favorite Member Following the newsletter are three articles I have written. One is about tetraploidy in SPIRANTHES INFERNALIS FOUND ONLY IN NEVADA Spiranthes infernalis, found only in Nevada COMING ATTRACTIONS Our meetings are held at the Nevada Garden Club Building at Twin Lakes and Washington between Valley View and Rancho at the western edge of Lorenzi Park.