FLAMINGO GARDENS ORCHID SOCIETY

FLAMINGO GARDENS ORCHID SOCIETY A F F I L I A T E D W I T H A M E R I C A N O R C H I D S O C I E T Y & F L A M I N G O G A R D E N S March 2015 Page 1 President s Message The challenge this month was dealing with the cool temperatures that arrived here in South Florida. The old question, Do I bring my orchids in out of the cold or let them be? Well I settled on half in and half out. It seems that bringing the plants in was the easy part but taking them out and giving them a good soaking of water was the most work! Thankfully it was only once this year. Spring is right around the corner! Mac Rivenbark, from Mac s Orchids, was our guest speaker in February. He shared with us some great tips about repotting and mounting our orchids. Mac told us that if you are not getting results try something different. He stressed fertilizing regularly and do not be afraid to move your plant to a different location for more light and air. Mac and Helen are always willing to share their knowledge with you. We participated in the Flamingo Gardens Garden & Bonsai Show. Our goal was to let people know about our society and encourage them to come and try us out. It looks like we have several people who are interested. We also had a raffle to get people excited about beautiful orchids. Please welcome any new faces that you see at our meetings. Now we are getting ready for the Orchid Show that we host at Flamingo Gardens. We need you to help out by giving us a few hours of your time. This is a great way to get to know other members and we always have a good time! VOLUNTEER with us. Spread the word.april 13 is our Annual Auction. This is the big fund raiser for our Society. We all like to have a good time but financially we need to be able to cover our expenses; the monthly speaker and room rental fees to name a few. It all adds up. You could really help out by donating an orchid or two. Please think about it. See you all at the March meeting! Jan

Page 2 The February 2015 Blue Ribbon Winners Are By Didn t we have some beautiful orchids this month for Show & Tell?!! Congratulations to everyone and an extra cheer to our four Culture Award winners!! What do you have blooming this month? Dress it up and bring it in so we can all Oooo and Ahhh!! Show off your blooming orchid and you get a raffle ticket. Click here for the Show & Tell Form Ascda. Motes Goldpiece 24 HCC/AOS Bc. Hawaiian Agendda Florida Winter Den. kingianum Ludisia discolor Culture Award Winners Carolyn Phipps Bill Hodnett Lucy Matos Lodato Gerhard Conrad Blue Ribbon Winners Blc. Fuchs of Ange Nuggett Lea Blc. Goldenzelle Frank Smith x Blc. Bold Red Copper Penny Blc (Ric) Danny Cuesta x Blc. Aron Gold Kultana x C. Pradit Spot Black Prince AM/AOS Cattleya 24 Karat Orange Cattleya Paradise Cattleya skinneri Dendrobium nobile Dendrobium spectabile x sib Lc. Drumbeat Triumph AM/AOS Lc. Gold Digger Orglades Mandarin Oncidium NOID Rlc. Duh s Wisdom Green Star BM/TOGA Phal. NOID Natasha Mullin Bill Hodnett Shirely Decker Yeni Logan Frank Tastinger Natasha Mullin Peter Martikes Vera Wongsam Gerhard Conrad Needda Augusto (Lorraine Martikes mother) Invite your friends & Family to s Annual Orchid Auction April 13, 2015 Preview at 7:00 p.m. Auction begins at 7:30 p.m.

Page 3 Dan Christensen of Dan & Marge Orchids Speaks on How to Grow Beautiful Vandaceous Orchids Dan & Margie Christensen have been growing orchids first as hobbyists for over 35 years and as Commercial Growers for nearly 20 years. Dan & Margie Orchids, located in Southwest Ranches in SW Broward County, have over 12,000 square feet of covered growing space, with currently five greenhouses. The nursery specializes in growing: Vanda/Ascda. Crosses, Cattleya hybrids, warm growing Oncidium, Dendrobium, and some orchid species. Dan has been speaking on general orchid culture, Vanda culture and various subjects related to orchids for over 20 years. He uses the common sense approach to growing. He has been guest lecturer at all local orchid societies and the American Orchid Society (AOS). His lectures on Vandaceous orchids are informative and entertaining. The nursery, a family owned business, sells orchids, supplies and assist any orchid grower with information and re-potting instruction. While Margie runs the day-to-day business, she is also an accomplished pottery artist and sells her wares at all the orchid shows. Together they run the business and participate in local shows from Tampa to Key West. Dan is a member of the South Florida Orchid Society Board of Directors for over 12 years and has served as the president of SFOS for two consecutive terms. He has served as a board member of several local societies, Miramar, Gold Coast & South Florida serving in various capacities. He has also has been an auctioneer at SFOS, North Dade, Gold Coast, Sunrise, Plantation, Coral Springs & orchid auctions. Dan & Margie Orchids is open by appointment Tuesday thru Sunday Hours: 12:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. Address: 18700 SW 69 th St., Southwest Ranches, FL 33332 Phone: 954 252-8116

Page 4 2014-2015 Board of Directors President Jan Amador jbamador@bellsouth.net 954-347-2738 First Vice President Programs Shirley Decker Second Vice President Membership, Website, Newsletter Debbie Brown Treasurer Marcy Schwartz Recording Secretary Corresponding Secretary Mike Vaupel Trustee One Year Mary Lathrop Gerhard Conrad Joan Viggiani Trustee Two Year Yeni Logan Peter Stevens Email us at: flamingogardensorchidsociety@gmail.co m Find us on: Facebook Visit our Web site at: FlamingoGardensOrchidSociety.com S i l e n t A u c t i o n Want to sell some of your orchids or other plant related items? Bring them to the meeting and sell them on the Silent Auction table. Ten percent of your profit is donated to the society and the rest you keep! Complete the Silent Auction Form and bring it with your plant. Blank forms will be available on the Silent Auction table. Not Selling? Bidding on auction items is a great way to grow your orchid collection! VOLUNTEER TODAY! FGOS Events at Flamingo Gardens April 4 & 5 The 35 th International Orchid & Bromeliad Show We need volunteers for both of these shows. Please sign up at the March meeting. Board of Directors Meeting The next Board Meeting will be held March 23rd 7:30 p.m. It will be held at Debbie Brown s house 15101 Durham Ln, Davie, FL 954 629-6321 Members are welcome to come & observe & get a feel of what it s like to be a Board Member. Come join us!

Page 5 Upcoming Orchid Events Welcome Let s all Welcome the following new members who joined our society. Introduce yourself, show them around We re happy you re with us! Laurie Crabb Lydia Robes Lynn Solomon Deerfield Bach Orchid Society Orchid Auction March 10, 2015 Preview 7:00 p.m. Auction 7:30 p.m. 910 E. Hillsboro Blvd, Deerfield Beach, FL The Garden Expo at Volunteer Park March 28 & 29, 2015 The 35 th International Orchid & Bromeliad Show April 4 & 5 Flamingo Gardens 9:30 a.m. 4:30 p.m. Affiliated with The American Orchid Society & Flamingo Gardens Meeting 2nd Monday of the Month At 7:30pm at Flamingo Gardens 3750 South Flamingo Road, Davie, FL Email us at: flamingogardensorchidsociety@gmail.com Want to win a couple of raffle tickets? All you have to do is: Bring a Show & Tell plant Bring a dish to share Wear your name badge Buy $5 worth of tickets Find us on: Facebook Visit our Web site at: FlamingoGardensOrchidSociety.com At FGOS we love our Snacks! We all enjoy the delicious appetizers and amazing desserts that are shared each month. Bring in one of your favorite dishes and earn a raffle ticket! Please remember to sign up (on the clipboard) when you re planning to bring a dish for the following month. Thank you all for bringing our snacks. If you have any questions, see Mary Lathrop or Pat Hady.

Page 6 Shirley s Corner Hi Folks! The arrival of spring spurs many orchids to grow again. It is important for us as orchidists to understand and protect the world, as it is our home, as well as the environment for all of the incredible diversity of the earth. In a way, by being so interconnected in terms of news, knowledge and climate, we have given new meaning to the phrase It s a small world. Another consequence of the smaller world we live in is that pathogens and invasive species seem to be able to easily cross massive geographic barriers previously impossible for them, such as mountains and oceans. This month, when orchid blooming is practically at its peak, we should ponder the future of a more connected world and realize that though seemingly smaller, we actually are starting to gain easy access to all of the world s biodiversity. And with this unprecedented access comes the responsibility to understand it and protect it. Many orchids will start initiating new roots and growths, often while they are still in bloom. Even though it may be early to repot orchids, you can often, at least partially, alleviate the spring repotting crunch many of us with larger collections experience in April and May by starting the annual ritual now. All changes in culture should be done gradually. Look to your plants for the cues to begin stepped up spring watering and fertilizing. Daily observation of their progress is the key to success here. March may be one of the best months for orchid shows and orchid travel. There are usually more shows in March than any other month because so many different types of orchids awake out of dormancy now or are in full bloom. Every orchid grower should make the effort to at least attend your local orchid exhibits, and support the dedicated and hard-working vendors and exhibitors that are sharing their horticultural accomplishments. I am always inspired to become a better grower at these shows when I see what others have achieved. Happy growing, Shirley

Page 7 Our March Birthday Leprechaun s Carolyn Phipps March 1 Steve Egan March 17 Ellen O Neill March 18 Mary Pavlinek March 28 If we missed your birthday, we wish you a very Happy Birthday! Please let us know so we can update our information. Happy Birthday to you Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday dear FGOS member Happy Birthday to YOU! TICKET PRICES ARE GOING UP! At our last general meeting we discussed that the time had come to increase the Raffle Ticket Prices. Beginning with our March meeting, ticket prices will be as follows: Raffle Table: $1.00 p/ticket or 6 tickets for $5.00 Blooming Orchids (on ticket table): $2.00 p/ticket or 3 tickets for $5.00 Raffle tickets are how we support! Your contributions are appreciated. Remember there are ways to win free tickets, see page 4 for details. Note: An announcement appeared in the February Newsletter explaining the reasons why the Board made the decision to increase ticket prices. Click here to review the article on page 6. Thank you! Mike Vaupel,, Marcy Schwartz, Pilar and Sid Schreidell, Shirley Decker, Leo and Val Carrier, Jan Amador, Mary Lathrop, and Debbie Brown Thank you for volunteering and representing FGOS at the Flamingo Gardens Garden Fest and Bonsai Show! Your time and efforts are greatly appreciated by all!