SOUTHERN ONTARIO ORCHID SOCIETY NEWS December 2009, Volume44, Issue 11 Web site: www.soos.ca ; Member of the Canadian Orchid Congress; Affiliated with the American Orchid Society, the Orchid Digest and the International Phalaenopsis Alliance. Membership: Annual Dues $25 per calendar year (January 1 to December 31 ). Membership secretary: Hesse Pommells 416-245-0369, #503-370 Dixon Road, Weston, Ontario, M9R 1T2 Executive: President, Tom Atkinson 416-449-7907; Vice-president, Yvonne Schreiber, 905-473-3405; Secretary, Sue Loftus 905-839-8281; Treasurer, Elizabeth McAlpine, 416-487-7832 Honorary Life Members: Terry Kennedy, Doug Kennedy, Inge Poot, Peter Poot, Joe O’Regan, Diane Ryley, Wayne Hingston. Annual Show: February 13 – 14, 2010 Best display at ECOS by Les Orchidophiles de Montreal Meeting Program Sunday, December 6: General Meeting to conduct elections, Annual auction, and Pot luck social. Election: Your executive is up for renewal. Our past president, Jay Norris proposes the following slate for the next two year term: President: Yvonne Schreiber, Vice President: Don Wyatt, Secretary: Sue Loftus, Treasurer : Liz McAlpine, Membership Secretary: Hesse Pommells, Directors: Peter Poot, Editor, Max Wilson, Webmaster, Chee Chong, Jay Norris, Arto Izmerlian, Inge Poot, Marion Curry, Laura Liebgott, Terry Kennedy, Wendy Hoffman, Henry Glowka, Tom Atkinson stays on as immediate past president. Annual Auction: This is your chance at some choice plants donated by outstanding growers. There will also be orchid related items such as grow lights, cork bark, books and periodicals. Proceeds will be shared between your society and the judging centre. Thank you for your donations! Pot Luck Social: This is always a very popular event. So bring your favourite holiday dish to share and pitch in with the set up and clean up. Early Membership Renewal. To encourage early renewal for 2010 there will be two draws for two orchid plants each time. 2009 Members renewing membership for the 2010 year who renew by the end of the November meeting are eligible for the December and January draws. Anyone renewing by the end of the December meeting is eligible for the January draw. A member is able to win only once. So, renew and get yourself a chance at an orchid plant. 1 SOOS President’s Remarks Mario Ferrusi has a maxim by which he lives insofar as SOOS is concerned. It is “What can I do for the good of the society?”. This seems simple enough. But it has resonance if you stop and think about it. If we have certain abilities, do we offer them up for the benefit of SOOS, or do we let others do so? If we value the society and the rewards which it brings, do we look for ways to improve, enhance, and sustain it? So I commend Mario‟s maxim to you in the days and years to come. It occurred to me a few months ago that SOOS is predominantly a tropical orchid society. Much as I might wish there to be a better balance, a reality check says that this assessment is so. There are at least 2 other aspects to SOOS of From the Atkinson garden which we need to be aware, and not lose sight. They are judging and conservation. The former An unpaid gardener and orchid lover! does enter all of our lives with the show table, Hello fellow orchid lovers. and with our annual Valentine‟s Day weekend show. Conservation of native terrestrial orchids I bear tidings of great joy to all today – we have is part of our charter, and as you know we are a new president! All will be revealed at the striving to restore orchids in areas around the December 6 SOOS monthly meeting. As this is city. If this were the COS – Colombian Orchid the annual potluck Christmas party and auction, Society – and we all lived in Bogota, then the here is even one more reason to mark the day native orchid aspect of the society would be on your calendar or e-calendar. And do not equal if not greater in magnitude than that of forget to bring a dish to share at the potluck, plus other tropical orchids. But in Canada and in a bag of money for the auction. temperate climates, alas, we have fewer of our We have a suggestion box, and I do encourage own to showcase. And for whatever reason, its use. From the Nov. 1 suggestion box we many of these require very particular conditions received this thoughtful note: “My feeling is that in which to thrive. the meetings are now far too long. I believe that It‟s been a rewarding 2 years, 2008 and 2009, it‟s taking an excessive amount of time to do the as your president. As my time in office ends, is it show table. If this portion of the meeting could cheers of thanks, or cheers of thanksgiving, be greatly reduced so that the total mtg. time is which I can just hear if I listen closely? This is a no more than about 2 hours, I think a lot more demanding job, but one which I am very glad people would stay for the mtg.”. The point is that I took on. It has its ups, and it has its downs. valid, and we do – several times a year – At times, I may have assisted members in some recalibrate this part of the meeting to move it fashion; at times, I know I have driven a few to along faster. When we have a guest who we fits of apoplexy; for the latter, lesson learned, sweet talk (or coerce) into acting as our show and may the incidents never be repeated. Once table expert, we do try to stifle any urge to the president leaves office, s/he is “past “gong” her or him. There are many features of president” for the next 2 year term, so I‟ll be our society and our meetings which I myself find around. And if ever you want to contact me in more to my taste than the show table. But as my role as “Citizen Tom”, try mentioned in an earlier issue of the newsletter, it [email protected] , 416-449-7907, or let‟s is very popular with many members. What we talk at one of our meetings. suffer through at one meeting, others take delight in. And as they squirm in another As I sign off as your president, I leave you with meeting, we find the subject at hand fascinating. these immortal words, as life imitates art: Rest assured, the calibration does happen. And keep those suggestions coming in, please! One last thought on meeting length: we do try to start them sharply at 1 PM, and most will be over by 3 PM or slightly thereafter. 2 Orchid Shows Welcome New Members Linda Will, Gary Pyper, John Van Rompu, Jean and Jonathan Heath Newcomers' Meetings Wayne Hingston will once again present his excellent series on the culture of the most popular types of hobby orchids. These sessions are for members who have just started in orchids Niagara Region Show SOOS display by Don Wyatt and and will be presented at the Toronto Botanical Henry Glowka photo by Henry Glowka Garden Board Room on the following Monday Don Wyatt and Henry Glowka volunteered to evenings at 7 pm: put in this nice display at the St. Catharines rd show. The display got 3 . Place in the society Dates are: December 14, 2009 and display class. Plants came together from a number of members: January 11, 2010 Synea Tan; Dendrobium Maiden Charlotte, Best in class; Paphiopedilum Julius, 1st.; Paphiopedilum Makuli 2nd.; Phalaenopsis hybrid Coming Events 2nd. nd December John Spears; Dendrobium bigibbum, 2 . Tom Atkinson; Cymbidium hybrid, 1st. 5, Toronto Centre judging, Toronto Botanical st Garden, Judges training 10 am, Judging 1 pm. Linda Gough; Yellow Cattleya, 1 . Don Wyatt; Cattleya (Sophronites) cernua, 2nd. 6, SOOS meeting Toronto Botanical Garden 12 noon, General Meeting to conduct elections, John Jurica; Prosthechea (Encyclia) Green Annual auction, Pot luck social. Hornet (Prosthechea cochleata x Prosthechea trulla) 2nd.; Hybrid red mini Cattleya 2nd.; Hybrid 14, Newcomers meeting, Toronto Botanical Gardens red Vanda, 2nd.; Rhyncholaeliocattleya Board room 7 pm. (Brassocattleya) Chief Pink „Diana‟, 3rd. January 2010 Naneve Hawke; Prosthechea (Encyclia) cochleata, 2nd.; hybrid yellow Phalaenopsis, 2nd. 2, Toronto Centre judging, Toronto Botanical Garden, Judges training 10 am, Judging 1 pm. Monica Lee; Paphiopedilum Woessner Perle, 3rd. 3, SOOS meeting Toronto Botanical Garden, sales 12 nd noon, program 1 pm. Henry Glowka; Zygopetalum, 2 . 11, Newcomers meeting, Toronto Botanical Gardens Inge and Peter Poot took a display to the Eastern Canada Orchid society show in Board room 7 pm. Montreal. That display took a second place in 31, SOOS meeting Toronto Botanical Garden, sales the visiting society category. 12 noon, program 1 pm. Plants were contributed by: February Aina Balodis; Rhyncholaeliocattleya (Brassolaeliocattleya) Campobello Mendenhall‟ 13, Toronto Centre judging in conjunction with the nd SOOS Valentine Orchid Show judging 8 am, Toronto 2 .; Odontocidium (Colmonara) Wildcat „Yellow Butterfly‟, 2nd. Botanical Garden. Jean Ikeson; Cattleya (Laeliocattleya) C. G. 13-14, SOOS Valentine Orchid Show, Toronto St Roebling 'Royal Purple' HCC/AOS, 1 .; Botanical Garden, 11 am – 5 pm. Cattlianthe (Laeliocattleya) Tricky Red 1st.; 3 Cattlianthe (Cattleya) Sir Jeremiah Coleman genera is a “must have” for anyone who wishes to identify the species with their current names, 'Blue Moon', 2nd. or learn how to grow them properly. To round Inge and Peter Poot; Neofinetia falcata, 2nd.; out his interests our speaker has recently Lepanthes telipogoniflora, 2nd. acquired an interest in medicinal plants and has just finished a book on that topic as well! Thank you all.