Newsletter. January 2009 Volume 58 Number 1

Transcription

1 San Francisco Orchid Newsletter January 2009 Volume 58 Number 1 Society The mission of the SFOS is to foster the culture and cultivation of orchids and to promote education of its members and the public about orchids. Our goals include: an exchange of information from exhibitions, publications, and the Internet, maintenance of a reference library, and participation in worldwide activities. A California Non Profit 501(c)3 Corporation SFOS Meeting: Tuesday, Jan. 6 th, 2008 AOS Judging: 7:00 p.m. Skills Session: 7:05 p.m. Meeting: 7:30 p.m. San Francisco County Fair Building, Golden Gate Park, 9th Avenue and Lincoln Way, San Francisco. Plants submitted for American Orchid Society Judging must be entered between 6:30pm and 7:00pm. Skill Session Bruce Davidson Orchid Potting Plant Opportunity Table Angelic Nguyen/ Orchid Design January Speaker Angelic Nguyen, Orchid Design on Fragrant Orchids Angelic Nguyen has 30 years experience as a silk painting artist, embroidery instructor, floral designer and graphic artist. She grew up with orchids and tropical flowers around her hometown near Saigon, Vietnam; where the Vandas, Phalaenopsis, and Paphiopedilums grow like crazy in the rain forest. Orchids, her passion, showed up in her paintings, dresses, pictures and designs She spent many years exploring how to put the orchids soul in her artwork, and has been growing orchids for about 10 years. She has also been concentrating on photography and has taken thousands of orchid pictures. She first started with some Cattleyas and Phalaenopsis inside the house. Dave Robison, her husband, built a little greenhouse for her 38th birthday gift, and her collection quickly expanded. Her first Vanda, Princess Mikasa Blue, bloomed about three months after she got the greenhouse. She learned how to grow different kind of orchids, and the greenhouse, now five times its original size, is overflowing with about a thousand Laelias, Cattleyas (her favorite), Phalaenopsis, Dendrobiums, Oncidiums, Paphs, Phrags, Lycastes, Bulbophylums,Vandas, hybrids and species Angelic got serious with Cymbidiums and cool growing orchids when she didn t have any more room in the greenhouse, and carefully choosing plants to grow, she now has well over a thousand Cymbidiums standard, pendulous and peloric. Dave and Nikita (Angelic s son) helped with most of the building, and dividing and potting her orchids. Finally, Angelic and Nikita have been playing around with hybridizing, mixing color on some of their Cymbidiums and Laelias, and now they have to make some more room for their seedlings ready to pop out from the flasks. Angelic, Dave, and Nikita enjoy finding different orchids blooming in their garden every day. Angelic and Dave started her Orchid Design company in She s doing orchid growing, orchid arrangement, graphic design, web design and Dave is handling the printing business. In addition to being the newsletter editor for the SFOS, Angelic is involved in many activities to help Orchid Societies around the Bay Area. She has served as VP, show chair, and on the board of directors in various societies and has produced many postcards, brochures, flyers, catalogs, and show advertising in support of these societies. Angelic was the Art Director for the Cymbidium Society of America Journal in This magazine has world wide distribution. Her efforts in 2006 not only helped maintain publication of the magazine when there was no volunteer support, but also improved the quality of the magazine. The CSA Journal is one of the best orchid magazines in the US. Recently, Angelic started giving Orchid presentations and skill sessions for Orchid Societies, using her experience and large collection of her photographs. She has given a 'Virtual Tour of 19th World Orchid Conference'. She is enjoying 'Fragrant Orchids' and will introduce to you some of the most fragrant orchids in the world. You can visit her website to find out what she is growing. Give her a call (408) to ask about something you would love to have in your orchid collection.

2 SFOS Officers/Contacts President vacant Vice President Bruce Davidson Secretary Kay Klumb Treasurer Dan Peter Past President Jean Lee Directors Maureen Clarke Ellen Edelson Eric Hunt Ricki Kohn Membership Eric Hunt Judy Bley Newsletter Angelic Nguyen & Dave Robison AOS Representative Carol Zoltowski Orchid Digest Representative Jean Lee Plant Sales Masaki Asuka Sofia Valenzuela Caryle Wyatt Property Managers Ellen Edelson Maureen Clarke Raffle Tickets Ellen Edelson Maureen Clarke Librarians Cindy Reid Chuck Chan & Moon Chan Webmaster George Su A California Non Profit 501(c)3 Corporation SFOS Membership Greetings San Francisco Orchid Society Member, With the passing of another year, it's time to renew your San Francisco Orchid Society Membership. Your dues help the Society fulfill its mission to foster the culture and cultivation of orchids and to educate the public about orchids. Each year the Society puts on one of the largest orchid shows in the world, brings you speakers from around the world on all manner of topics about orchids, and presents a diverse and highly educational plant table at each monthly meeting. The Society thanks you for your support the past year (or half year to those of you who've joined since June!) and we hope you'll continue your membership for Dues are $25/year - a bargain when compared to many other plant societies. Thank you and I'll see you at the Hall of Flowers! -Eric Hunt San Francisco Orchid Society Volunteer Board Member Membership Chair ps. If you've already sent in your renewal, thank you! Future Speakers February 2009: Norito Hasegawa on New Hybrid Paphiopedilums March 2009: TBA April 2009: Dan Newman May 2009: Ying-Tung Wang Ph.D. on Nobile Dendrobium Refreshments I Le SFOS members are encouraged to help out with refreshments, setup and cleanup at Monthly Meetings. If your last name falls within the letter range I Le please bring snacks such as fresh fruit, ice cream, crackers & cheese for the next meeting. About three dozen cookies, one cake, one to two pounds of fruit or cheeses, or one box of crackers is an appropriate amount. Remember to pick up your raffle ticket as one of the rewards of sharing and good luck in the drawing! 2 SFOS NEWSLETTER JANUARY 2009

3 POE FRONT ENTRANCE DISPLAY We are looking for volunteers to help install the Pacific Orchid Exposition front entrance exhibit on Tuesday and Wednesday, March 3-4. All are welcome and no experience is needed. Whatever time you are able to contribute will be a big help. The volunteeers last year helped create a beautiful exhibit and we look forward to doing the same this year. For more information, please contact Tom Perlite at or tperlite@sbcglobal.net Volunteering to help at the POE Plant Hotel The sign-up sheets will be available at the January meeting for members to volunteer to help at the Plant Hotel during the SFOS POE.This is a vital function of the show/sale as the society must provide this service, alongwith adequate security, in return for the various commercial vendors to pay hundreds of dollars for selling space.without both functions there would be no show and no money with which to carry on the society's activities to the extent to which we are all accustomed. For the information of the new members, you 'work' for a three hour period, placing customers' plants, in boxes, on tables so that they can continue to make additional purchases and subsequently returning the boxes to the customers. Without this service, the vendors cannot sell sufficient plants to justify paying for the selling space. SIGN UP EARLY TO HAVE YOUR CHOICE OF TIME AND DAY YOU WISH TO VOLUNTEER. If you have any questions, contact the Plant Hotel co-mangers Allison Lehman or Noble Emery at the meeting. Change of address? Send all address and changes to: Eric Hunt / Membership Chairperson eric@erichunt.com (415) SFOS Membership P.O. Box San Francisco, CA Newsletter Submissions The SFOS Newsletter welcomes news, articles, events, and any other items of interest to members. Send items by the 15th of the month to: angelic@orchidesign.com or mail to: 1361 Plum St., San Jose, CA Please include your name at the beginning or end of your text. All submissions will be reviewed and may be edited due to space limitations. Thank you! AOS Awards 12/2/ Pacific Central - San Francisco Blc. Jungle Treasure 'Paseo del Roble', HCC 75 (Blc. Love Sound x Lc. Jungle Elf), Exhibited by Japheth Ko 12/3/ California Sierra Nevada Judging Center - Sacramento Fredclarkara After Dark 'Nightmare Before Christmas', AM 85 (Mo. Painted Desert x Ctsm. Donna Wise), Exhibited by Jeff Tyler Lycaste Alan Salzman 'Carol', AM 80 (Lyc. Island of Vulcorn x Lyc. Shoalhaven), Exhibited by Howard Gunn Paphiopedilum King's Forest 'Auslese', HCC 78 (Paph. Gege Hughes x Paph. Alex Szabo), Exhibited by Dave Sorokowsky Platystele repens 'Joan', CCE 95* species, Exhibited by Howard Gunn *this is an upgrade of a previous CCE 12/15/ Pacific Central - Oakland Slc. Circle of Life 'Finery', HCC 75 (Lc. Culminant x Soph. coccinea), Exhibited by Amy and Ken Jacobsen Amy and Ken Jacobsen attended a show in Brazil and sent back pictures and award data of the awarded flowers. You can see some pretty cool flowers by following the link on the Pacific Central's 'Local Shows' page: Pictures or stats can be found at and FCC = First Class Certificate ( pts.) AM = Award of Merit (80 89 points) HCC = Highly Commended Certificate (75 79 pts.) CHM = Certificate of Horticultural Merit CCE = Certificate of Cultural Excellence CCM = Certificate of Cultural Merit CBR = Certificate of Botanical Recognition Prov = Provisional award, pending confirmation of identification by an AOS-approved taxonomic authority. SFOS NEWSLETTER JANUARY

4 Green...With Envy 2009 Pacific Orchid Exposition Highlights Environmental Preservation These days everyone is going green, and the San Francisco Orchid Society has been leading the pilgrimage since its inception. This year the SFOS continues to focus on environmental preservation and educating flower enthusiasts on how to grow green at the 2009 Pacific Orchid Exposition (POE), March 5-8 at Fort Mason Center's Festival Pavilion in San Francisco.The 57th annual fundraiser will offer a unique look at the importance of respecting the environment in all aspects of horticulture and emphasizing the importance of conserving the varied natural habitats that orchids need to survive. According to Joseph Dougherty, from the non-profit group OrchidMania, orchid protection happens in two forms: in situ and ex situ. In situ (meaning in place ) involves preserving the natural habitat in which a species occurs. In some cases, in situ preservation is impossible because essential pollinators or other components of a species' lifecycle have been stripped due to pesticides or uncooperative private land owners. Ex situ (meaning outside its place ) is the form of orchid preservation, which is an important tool because some species are entirely extinct in their natural habitats and require orchid growers to cultivate them in captivity. To learn more about the important role that orchids play within the environment and what they need to survive, visit one of the most prestigious orchid shows in the United States, the POE, and experience its reputation of showcasing the vast diversity species and hybrids. These amazing plants, garnered from all over the world, will be presented in spectacular displays. More than 20,000 people attend this annual fundraiser, which is kicked off by its glorious Gala Benefit Preview that brings the bay area glitterati together and features 24 wineries, including four winning wineries from the 2009 San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition. More than 150,000 orchid flowers from all over the globe are displayed in educational exhibits from local, national and international orchid growers both professional and amateur. The show boasts coveted plants with extreme diversity in color, shape and sizes. Docent tours and cultivation tips are given to thousands as they peruse this magical orchid extravaganza, perfectly pairing aesthetics and education. Orchids are the largest family of flowering plants, and grow in every part of the world. More than 50 commercial growers will be displaying their unique species and rare hybrids, allowing anyone who is a lover of nature the chance to purchase a one-of-a-kind treasure. This prestigious show is judged by local Society experts and judges from throughout the country who are certified by the acclaimed American Orchid Society (AOS). The POE is praised every year for maintaining its position as one of the top three orchid shows in the country, so don't miss the opportunity to grow green with envy at the 2009 Pacific Orchid Exposition. WHO: The San Francisco Orchid Society (SFOS) WHAT: The 57th Annual Pacific Orchid Exposition, Green With Envy WHERE: Fort Mason Center's Festival Pavillon WHEN: March 5-8, 2009 Gala Benefit Preview,Thursday, March 5, 2009, 6:30-10:00 p.m. Friday, March 6, 10:00 a.m.-6:00 p.m. Saturday, March 7, 9:00 a.m.-6:00 p.m. Sunday, March 8, 10:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. COST: Preview Night: $35 in advance / $40 at the door, General Admission: $12 in advance/ $14 at the door, Seniors: $8 in advance / $10 at the door, Kids 12 & Under Free when accompanied by an adult (except at preview night) INFO: Call or visit By Frances Larose/Liz Stigge / lstigge@prmagic.com 4 SFOS NEWSLETTER JANUARY 2009

5 The Conservatory of Flowers The Golden Gate Express Model trains zip through a mini San Francisco in the Conservatory of Flowers first garden railway exhibition SAN FRANCISCO All aboard The Golden Gate Express for a San Francisco holiday experience like no other! This winter, Golden Gate Park s Conservatory of Flowers premieres its first garden railway exhibition. It s a celebration of the city of San Francisco as model trains wend their way through a lush landscape of dwarf plants and steam past mini versions of the city s landmark buildings.the Golden Gate Express will be on view November 20, 2008 through April 19, The exhibit s main attraction is a large, G-gauge train set complete with a first-class passenger train and a freight train that loop past each other on separate tracks.the trains speed past eleven replicas of some of San Francisco s most famous places including the Conservatory of Flowers itself, the Japanese Tea Garden, the Golden Gate Bridge, Mission Dolores, Chinatown s dragon gate, the Transamerica Pyramid building, the Ferry Building, Coit Tower, Ghirardelli Square, the Bently Reserve (formerly the Federal Reserve Building) and the Merchant Exchange. All of these structures are composed of materials which were recycled, repurposed or reclaimed. Surrounding these landmarks is a magical landscape of miniature gardens and parks created with living plants including dwarf conifers, tiny orchids and more... Conservatory of Flowers (made from a recycled plastic box with chess pieces for décor) Japanese Tea Garden pagoda (made from clipped plastic plates, an ashtray and a Japanese beer bottle cap) Photos by Nina Sazevich Background The Conservatory of Flowers is a spectacular living museum of rare and beautiful tropical plants under glass. From Borneo to Bolivia, the 1,750 species of plants at the Conservatory represent unusual flora from more than 50 countries around the world. Immersive displays in five galleries include the lowland tropics, highland tropics (with the cool-growing orchid collection), aquatic plants, potted plants and the special exhibit. Opened in 1879, the wood and glass greenhouse is the oldest existing conservatory in North America and has attracted millions of visitors to Golden Gate Park since it first opened its doors. It is designated as a city, state and national historic landmark and was one of the 100 most endangered sites of the World Monuments Fund. Call (415) or visit for more information. SFOS NEWSLETTER JANUARY

6 Orchid environmental benefit Hard Working Orchids Are One of the Best Eco Friendly House Plants Working Night and Day to Keep the Air you Breathe Clean Many people grow orchids as houseplants because of their breath-taking beauty and elegance. But these plants are not only beautiful decorations; studies have shown that orchids are one of the best eco-friendly house plants working night and day to keep your air clean. Different from most plants, some orchids such as Catteyas and many Dendrobiums have modified their respiration in the same way as Cacti and many succulents. Energy from the sun is stored as organic acids during the day, then used to fix carbon at night, releasing oxygen in the process.they do this so they don't have to exchange gasses during the heat of the day and lose excess water.through this natural process, these orchids use carbon dioxide, release oxygen at night rather than during the day as most plants do. Orchids also reduce air pollutants and facilitate the air purification processes which continue throughout the night. Orchids and the other pollution reducing houseplants, such as the Spider Plant reduce the amount of particulate matter and volatile organic compounds (VOC) in the air. Orchids in the home thus have health benefits (beyond soothing the soul) since VOCs are a major cause of respiratory problems, headaches, and more. Some orchid species have even higher environmental value. In Dr. B.C. Wolverton's Book "Eco Friendly House Plants," the Dendrobium orchid is listed as one of the top 20 plants to be considered the most useful in removing chemical vapors. WHO:The San Francisco Orchid Society (SFOS) WHAT: The 57th Annual Pacific Orchid Exposition, Green With Envy WHERE: Fort Mason Center's Festival Pavilion WHEN: March 5-8, 2009 Gala Benefit Preview,Thursday, March 5, 2009, 6:30-10:00 p.m. Friday, March 6, 10:00 a.m.-6:00 p.m. Saturday, March 7, 9:00 a.m.-6:00 p.m. Sunday, March 8, 10:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. COST: Preview Night: $35 in advance / $40 at the door, General Admission: $12 in advance/ $14 at the door, Seniors: $8 in advance / $10 at the door, Kids 12 & Under Free when accompanied by an adult (except at preview night) INFO: Call or visit Interviews, Images and Additional Information Available Upon Request Contact: Frances Larose/Crystal Liu info@prmagic.com / To learn more about orchids' air-cleaning functions and their benefits to the greater environment, visit one of the three most prestigious orchid shows in the United States, the San Francisco Orchid Society's 2009 Pacific Orchid Exposition. More than 150,000 orchid flowers throughout the world will be displayed in educational exhibits and sales booths, offering orchid enthusiasts a unique opportunity to look into the close relationships between orchids and its surrounding environment, as well as to learn more sustainable cultivation techniques. 6 SFOS NEWSLETTER JANUARY 2009

7 SFOS Bulletin Board The Bulletin Board is a free service for SFOS members orchidrelated items. Send items by the 15th of the month to: 1361 Plum St, San Jose, CA 95110, or services@orchidesign.com. Include your name, phone number, and how long you want the item to run.we will also run items of interest from other orchid societies. All submissions will be reviewed and may be edited. Upcoming Events January 6, 2009, 7:30pm SFOS General Meeting Angelic Nguyen/Orchid Design on Fragrant Orchids Jan , pm Peninsula Orchid Society Show at Community Activities Building, 1400 Roosevelt Ave, Redwood City. Jan : 53rd Paph Guild Meeting The Inn at Morro Bay, 60 State Park Road, Morro Bay. Contact: Patti James flowergirlpj@charter.net Jan : Santa Cruz Orchid Society Show Soquel High School, 401 Old San Jose Rd., Soquel. Contact: Bridget Binko (831) February 3, 2009, 7:30pm SFOS General Meeting Norito Hasegawa on New Hybrid Paphiopedilums The SFOS has a Bulletin Board System (BBS) set up for the society. It s at: We welcome everyone to visit this new section to either post their questions about orchids or to share their knowledge with the general public. It can also be accessed from our website by clicking on Ask the Orchid Doctor. We are going to be posting all of the questions sent to the orchid doctor there as well. Feb. 6,7,8 Malihini Orchid Show and Sale Cupertino Square N Wolfe Rd, Cupertino, CA Contact: malihiniorchidsociety@yahoo.com Feb. 7-8 Sonoma Orchid Society Show Veterans Memorial Building, 1351 Maple Ave., Santa Rosa. Contact:Tony Mininno (707) Feb : 58th Annual SCVOS Show and Sale Westgate Mall, 1600 Saratoga Ave, San Jose. Contact:Tim Culbertson twculber@hotmail.com (301) Mar 5-8: SFOS Pacific Orchid Exhibition Fort Mason Festival Pavilion, San Francisco Contact: SFOS Hotline (415) flarose@prmagic.com Orchid Design Happy Lunar New Year! Special Orchids & Chrysanthemums from Jan. 1 st 30 th Please call to order: or services@orchidesign.com

8 Notes from SFOS Board Meeting Present were: Past President: Jean Lee, Secretary: Kay Klumb, Directors: Ellen Edelson, and Eric Hunt Absent: Vice President: Bruce Davidson, Treasurer: Dan Peter, Show Chair: Dennis Westler, Directors: Maureen Clarke and Ricki Kohn The quorum of 5 members was not present, so no official business could be conducted. The meeting was not cancelled because a quorum was expected but not met due to Bruce's absence. The Bylaws do authorize the acting chair to appoint a nominating committee for a slate of officers to be elected at the May, 2009 meeting, so Jean appointed Kay to lead the nominating committee. Eric pointed out that the term limits imposed by the Bylaws are unrealistic given the difficulty in finding members willing to serve on the Board. It was agreed that the Board should review all the Bylaws and present suggestions for change at the 1-09 Board Meeting. [President, Vice President, and Directors may serve 2 one year terms;treasurer and Secretary may serve 4 one year terms. Maureen, Ellen, and Eric would have to be replaced.] Jean and Eric will prepare an article on the Conservatory of Flowers new exhibit for the Newsletter. Eric presented an update of future speakers that Bruce had sent. Schedule will appear in the Newsletter. Eric reported that SFOS now has 271 members and about half have paid their 2009 dues. It was agreed to ask George Su, webmaster, to the next Board meeting to discuss expectations and responsibilities of the webmaster to insure that the website is a good resource for members and the general public. Jean reported that Bruce Rogers asked Sen. Diane Feinstein to be Honorary POE Chair and she has agreed. The falling economy has affected POE already in that Plant It Earth, $10,000; Sonoma Orchid Inn, $2,000; and BMW, $10,000, have withdrawn as sponsors. Frances Larose is working with Clear Channel to be the radio sponsor. KGO will not continue because it was purchased by another company. ABC will be the TV sponsor. Sweatshirts,T shirts and reusable bags have been ordered in buff color with the SFOS logo and POE theme orchid (Cattleya leopoldii alba) printed on them. Respectfully submitted, Kay Klumb The San Francisco Orchid Society sends Best Wishes to Mary Nisbet who recently lost her home in a fire. Oe LEGANCE IN LOOM he atercolors of ALLY OBERTSON JANUARY 5-31, 2009 AMERICAN ORCHID SOCIETY VISIITORS CENTER &BOTANICAL GARDEN AOS LANE DELRAY BEACH, FLORIDA Open Daily from 10 AM - 4:30 PM Please join us for a reception for the artist on Friday, January 9, from5-7 For further information please visit SFOS NEWSLETTER JANUARY

9 SFOS Newsletter P.O. Box San Francisco, CA First Class Happy New Year! Green... with Envy S A N F R A N C I S C O O R C H I D S O C I E T Y S P A C I F I C O R C H I D E X P O S I T I O N America s Finest Orchid Show M A R C H 5-8, G a l a B e n e f i t P r e v i e w T H U R S D A Y, M A R C H 5, 6 : : 0 0 P M S H O W & P L A N T S A L E M A R C H 6-8 FRIDAY 10 AM - 6 PM SATURDAY 9 AM - 6 PM SUNDAY 10 AM - 5 PM FORT MASON CENTER, FESTIVAL PAVILION, SAN FRANCISCO For tickets and information please visit W W W. O R C H I D S A N F R A N C I S C O. O R G o r c a l l Cattleya leopoldii alba by Sally Robertson A California Non-Profit Tax Exempt 501(c)3 Corporation

10 San Francisco Orchid Society SAN FRANCISCO ORCHID SOCIETY MEMBERSHIP APPLICATION San Francisco Orchid Society Attn.: Memberships P.O. Box San Francisco, CA What type of Membership do you want? New Renewal Change of Address for current membership How should we send the SFOS newsletter: Electronic Mail (as pdf attachment) U.S. Postal Service [ s save SFOS much needed funds!] Dues per household: Annually $25,00 ( January through December) ; Mid-year $12,50 ( July through December) Please give us your information: Date: Name: Address: City/State Zip: Home Phone: ( ) Orchid Related Business: Business Address: City / State / ZIP: Web Address: Business Phone: ( ) How did you hear about the Orchid Society? Please mail to the address above.

11 Green... with Envy S AN F RANCISCO O RCHID S OCIETY S 2009 PACIFIC ORCHID EXPOSITION America s Finest Orchid Show MARCH 5-8, 2009 Gala Benefit Preview T HURSDAY, MARCH 5, 6:30-10:00 PM SHOW & PLANT SALE MARCH 6-8 FRIDAY 10 AM - 6 PM SATURDAY 9AM-6PM SUNDAY 10 AM - 5 PM FORT MASON CENTER, FESTIVAL PAVILION, SAN FRANCISCO For tickets and information please visit WWW. ORCHIDSANFRANCISCO. ORG or call Cattleya leopoldii alba by Sally Robertson A California Non-Profit Tax Exempt 501(c)3 Corporation

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16 Our Roaring 20th Golden Gate Cymbidium Society s photos & design by angelic@orchidesign.com Show and Sale MARCH 14-15, 2009 SAT & SUN 9 AM - 5 PM Lakeside Garden Center (at Lake Merritt) 666 Bellevue Avenue Oakland, CA Special Raffle Vendors, Plant Sales, Demonstrations FREE ADMISSION Information: