Gainesville Orchid Society Newsletter

Editor: Araxy Bablanian November 2010

The Gainesville Orchid Society President’s Message meetings are held on the fourth Monday of every month at 7:30 p.m. Orchid Auction – We had a great auction at our October meeting! There were in the Summer House at Kanapaha almost 100 plants available and they were all bought! There were many species Botanical Gardens, 4700 SW 58th and some very large specimen plants. Some inventive members went in together Drive. For additional information to purchase one of the larger plants and will split the plant amongst themselves. contact any of the GOS officers All of the proceeds from the auction went to the GOS, just a little over $2,000. listed below. Special thanks to Tom Smith, our wonderful auctioneer, and to Joan MacLeod, Elected Officers: Candy Hollinger, and Carolyn Robinson for prepping and tagging the plants. President - Sue Weller 352 514-7058 Asian Festival – We participated in the Asian Festival this year for the first time. Vice-President - Carol Turner It was held at the Thomas Center and Marian Sheehan and I set up our display in 378-0745 the ‗Long Room‘ along with the Bonsai Society. Our display, along with a mem- Secretary – Linda White bership table, featured several Cattleyas from Jack Vernam as well as other or- 284-3849 chids from Chaz Darling, Trey Yon, and Tom Sheehan. It is my understanding Treasurer – Susannah Link 514-1911 that there were over 2,000 visitors at the festival, so it served as a good advertis- Permanent Committees: ing venue for us. Beginners’ Classes - Johanna Holiday Party – Don‘t forget our Holiday Party on Monday, December 6 at Ka- Willink 372-6624 napaha. If you haven‘t signed up yet we‘ll have sign-up sheets at the upcoming Greenhouse Tours - Roy Cline 336-8523 meeting. For those of you who signed up to assist in decorating, please plan Library - Trey Yon 373-2102 to arrive at 6:30 p.m. If you are bringing a covered dish, please plan to be Membership - Georgia Shemitz there by 7:00 p.m. I hope you will make every effort to attend the Holiday Party. 386 454-2147 We will have great food, a chance to chat with good friends, and a fun time. Newsletter - Araxy Bablanian Nominating Committee – The Nominating Committee has been busy at work and 335-4932 Refreshments Coordinator – will have a slate of officers for 2011, at the upcoming meeting. Nominations may Dagmara Mohuczy 378-1422 also be made from the floor; however, please make sure you have talked to the GOS Show - Joan MacLeod nominee to ensure that he or she agrees to serve if elected. 375-6744 and Time to Say Goodbye – Well I have now served for two years as President and Candace Hollinger 335-0715 it‘s time to move on. It has been my pleasure to serve GOS and working with all Georgia Shemitz of you. I have very much enjoyed working with all of the GOS Officers and 386-454-2147 Committee Chairs. I also thank them for being readily available to handle matters Web Site - Marilyn Bachmann when I let something slip or couldn‘t be there. We have a wonderful society of http://www.gainesvilleorchidso friends and I look forward to sitting with you in the audience again. ciety.org/ nd See you at the November 22 meeting.

Sue Weller Membership Information:

GOS annual membership is $20 per individual or $25 per house- The Gainesville Orchid Society hold, and may be mailed to:

Gainesville Orchid Society Meeting at the Summer House, Kanapaha Botanical Gardens PO Box 5927 Monday, November 22, 2010 Gainesville, FL 32627-5927

This newsletter is published 7:00 pm "Make your own Corsage” presented by Chaz Darling monthly. Submit material to the editor at [email protected] no 7:30 pm "Using & Creating Micro-Climates" by Thomas J. Aaron later than the 10th of the month.

Page 2 Gainesville Orchid Society Newsletter

Treasurer’s Report Gainesville Orchid Society Meeting October 2010 Kanapaha Botanical Gardens Summer House Minutes, October 25, 2010 INCOME Membership 40.00 Our October meeting began at 7:00 pm with a very brief business meeting: Silent Auction 89.00  One new member was present. October Special Auction 2,317.00  Our Holiday party will be December 6, 2010. GOS Show 51.04  Just a reminder about the greenhouse tour at Linda White‘s new place - Sun- Misc. Income 37.36 day, Nov 7th from 2-4pm. Donation 5.00  Thanks to all who assisted at our October Orchid show. Many ribbons were Total Income $2,539.40 received, but Jack Vernam and Carolyn Robinson both received additional awards. RESERVES Congratulations to them both. Hollien Award 900.00  Carolyn and Candy are graciously thanked for tonight‘s refreshments. Donation 1,000.00 Silent Auction and Regular plant auction followed and the meeting adjourned about 9:10 pm. EXPENSES Respectfully submitted by Linda M. White, Secretary Newsletter printing 11.48 Orchids on the Rooftop in Mexico City Flyers for Oct. Auction 12.28 by Candy Hollinger Refreshment supplies 8.83 On a recent trip to Mexico City, I had the good fortune to visit three private orchid col- GOS Show 206.39 lections belonging to members of the Asociación Mexicana de Orquideología. These Total Expenses $238.98 collections were located at modest homes on narrow streets in densely populated urban neighborhoods. It was quite a revelation to see how many orchids were being grown so Balance as of extremely well in such small spaces. Each home was at least two-stories, built around a 11/07/10 $7,323.98 small courtyard that either served as a parking area or small garden. Privacy fences and Petty cash on hand 75.00 shared walls made the homes and gardens nearly invisible from the street. In the first Less Reserves 1,900.00 home, the owner had converted a paved floor and bricked wall courtyard into an in- credible hanging garden. Mounted orchids hung layer upon layer, suspended from an intricate aluminum framework. Many orchids had overgrown their mounts and were AVAILABLE FUNDS $5498.98 attached directly to the brick wall with no medium at all other than a little green moss. This area was covered only by a light shadecloth and received direct sunlight during the Respectfully submitted by middle of the day. The owner‘s Laelia collection was in glorious full bloom. There Susannah Link, Treasurer were L. anceps, autumnalis, albida, furfuracea, gouldiana, eyermanniana, rubescens, and speciosa blooming or in bud. After being completely dazzled by this first display, I followed the owner to the second New members floor roof, over a retaining wall, to the rooftop of his mother‘s house next door. Here to my amazement appeared two full-sized traditional greenhouses. In addition, there was a We welcome Sharon Curran to the shade house adjacent to the greenhouses containing more hangin orchids in bloom. The smaller greenhouse contained a flooded gravel floor with brick stepping stones--which GOS. I promptly slid off, soaking my shoes, while trying to take photos. The benches and Georgia mounts were covered with cool/humid-loving genera such as miltoniopsis, pleurothal- lids and maxillarias. Next door, the larger, high-ceiling greenhouse contained benches filled with cattleya hybrids and even more incredibly large examples of familiar Mexi- Beginners’ Class can species such as Epidendrums, Encyclias, and Laelias. An evaporative cooler and multiple fans and vents kept this house breezy and comfortable in spite of the heat radi- ating off the concrete roof. There were specimen plants of L. superbiens with pseu- Beginners and Old Timers: Please dobulbs the length of my forearm and 40-inch spikes, hanging high on the walls, neces- bring any flowers you might have so sitating the use of a long pole with a hook to get at them. My host‘s favorite was the as many new members as possible genus Barkeria, of which he had proudly collected many color forms and made many can make a corsage. crosses himself. The Barkerias were blooming profusely. I read the labels, snapped photos and tried to appear calm, but I was in complete sensory overload by this time. The next stop was to the home of a retired veterinarian whose hobby was pollinating This month’s picture is Margi and flasking orchids. Brannan’s Paph. Wossner. (con‘t on p.4)

Gainesville Orchid Society Newsletter Page 3

― Expert growers‘ advice column‖

With the first of the winter night-time freezes behind us, our plants should all be in their winter homes, safe from the cold but probably crowded and in lower light condi- tions. Watering should be reduced accordingly but not eliminated. Cut back on nitrogen in fertilizing for the win- ter and spring bloomers. Some orchids such as Den- drobium nobile, farmeri, and aggregatum types should not be fertilized at all during the colder months. Orchids such as Catasetums and Lycastes that shed their leaves in winter should be allowed to go completely dry until new growth emerges in spring.

Remember that cold and wet conditions equal fungal in- fections and leaf spotting. Water early in the day so plants dry before dusk. Keep plant debris picked up to cut down on fungal problems. If you spot scales or mealies, treat right away as crowded conditions ensure that the infestation will spread rapidly. Watch for spikes on Phalaenopsis and begin staking up the inflorescences as they emerge. Try not to move the plants once the buds begin to emerge. This will help keep the flowers properly displayed rather than looking in all different directions.

Candy Hollinger

Another Goodbye After eight years, this is the last issue of our newsletter that I‘m editing. It has been a pleasure and fun working with you, but it is time for others to continue. I would like to see new ideas, more contributions from the mem- bers and a longer, internet oriented, rather than a printed paper oriented newsletter. Thanks for all the positive comments and appreciation that you have shown me over the years. Araxy

House Cleaner

$25.00/2hrs or $50.00/4hrs All homes negotiable. I clean all and provide cleaning supplies. Great Job rendered! References Available Call Holly Britt (H) 386-454-3283 (C) 352-327-7172

November Program November's program focuses on explaining the unique places and ways we can grow orchids in Florida -- specifically out- side and for extended amounts of time even during our coldest 3 months of the year. Our speaker, Thomas J. Aaaron holds two degrees in the Horticulture Sciences and is president of Green Earth Nursery and Landscaping in Jacksonville. He was born and raised in an agricultural family with experience growing citrus, corn and soy- beans amongst other edible crops. At the age of 12, he and his younger brother became very interested in how plants grow and experimented with dozens of african violet stem cuttings to create more plants. A year later they first saw a very unique look- ing plant with equally unique flowers called a Dendrobium. After that it was just a matter of time before Tom would start his own orchid farm and a landscape and interiorscape design business. He currently operates (with his wife and two very young children) Green Earth Nursery & Landscaping, the largest orchid farm and orchid propagation lab in Northeast Flor- ida. www.greenearthnursery.net He'll bring orchids for sale for our meeting. Carol Turner

Orchids on the Rooftop in Mexico City (con’t from p. 2)

Every room of his home was filled with shelves of flasks. His small garden courtyard was filled with mounted orchids in full bloom, plus a large tree that was covered in Pleurothallids, Bulbophyllums, Maxillarias and other small species. His home was smaller than the first we visited, but on his roof he grew hundreds of Laelia, Epidendrum and Encyclia orchids in full sun—no shade cloth! All were in bloom and made an interesting composition among the adjacent rooftops filled with colorful drying laundry and vegetable gardens. A concrete block structure housed a collection of small potted orchids and community pots that sat on the floor surrounded by more mounted orchids and shelves of flasks. I got the impression that his goal was to facilitate conservation of species by repopu- lation, and to experiment with hybrids as he proudly displayed some really beautiful crosses that he had made. The final stop was to a home that had an oblong enclosed garden courtyard with several shade trees and a fountain with koi pond at one end. The owner had completely covered her interior wall with mounted Laelias, all of which were in full bloom or bud. The shade trees protected her collection of cooler-growing species. She had converted a room of her third story to a greenhouse and I was delighted to see both potted and mounted species in several microclimates. A Gongora arched down over a bench and a Coelia bella in full bloom with various other genera, including a huge Guarianthe skinneri ‗Heiti Jakobs‘ (which my hostess proudly re- ported was a gift from Frank Smith of Krull-Smith Orchids) thrived in every corner. Each of these hobbyists used pretty much the same watering and fertilizing regimes that we use here in Gainesville. The majority of their orchids were Mexican species, due to the fact that importation is very difficult in Mexico, hence few hybrids from outside the country are available for sale. Watering methods were interesting: every rooftop contained a large round tank which provided water to the home, facilitating the rooftop watering. The water comes from the city water system which is supplied by the Mexico City Aquifer. I saw few mineral deposits on any of the mounts or pots, which, I concluded, probably contributed to the robustness and cleanliness of both thick and thin-leaved orchids. The city is in a basin surrounded by a ring of volcanic mountains which contribute high quality water through precipitation and snow-melt, so maybe the water has fewer minerals than Gainesville‘s; or perhaps the rainfall is so heavy during the rainy season that it dilutes the mineral salts. The humidity outside was quite low, in the 20 percent range, plus the elevation is around 7,349 feet above sea level—providing bright, breezy and cool days. I was told that from Nov. through June it is quite dry with day/night temperatures ranging from 70 to 40 degrees F. The remainder of the year, weather is slightly warmer and humid with rain daily from June-September. It was a day of adventure and heart-warming to learn that the love of orchids transcends language barriers and opens doors wherever one goes. We had our first freeze warning as I was writing this article. Curious, I checked the Mexico City weather and coinciden- tally, they were having the same freeze warning. I thought about all the exposed orchids up on the rooftops--which must be as hardy as they are beautiful. Candy Hollinger

Laelia eyermanniana Laelia anceps Coelia bella Rooftop Orchids Barkeriana Orchid Parking

GOS Newsletter Araxy Bablanian, editor