Conejo Orchid Society Vol. 36, No. 4 www.conejoorchidsociety.org April, 2016

THE PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE, FROM KATHY BOALS Happy Spring Fellow Orchid Lovers! Well, I don’t know about you, but now that the Santa Barbara show is over I’ve got loads of things in bloom. During the show week I had virtually nothing in bloom. It’s been such an odd year. As you know, we were all afraid that we wouldn’t have enough plants for our display. Anyway, now that the weather will almost certainly start to heat up, be sure you have your shading, cooling and watering appropriately adjusted. Our next board meeting is Tuesday April 5 at 6:30 pm at Leslie Naines-Brown’s house. All COS members are invited!! You can provide input or just listen to the discussions about society events, etc. No doubt Leslie will provide one of her world famous baked goods for us to sample- these are not to be missed! Take a chance and attend-it’s always interesting and you may have a great idea that we need to hear. Don’t miss our upcoming regular meeting, either- our speaker Tim Culbertson is going to talk about a fantastic genus: Stanhopeas - one of the most unusual and spectacular in the orchid world. See you at the meetingKathy

The Santa Barbara Show Aka The ‘COS-Bowl’!!!! Let’s pat ourselves on the back! We took the Stewart Trophy for the best non-commercial display over 100 sq. feet! Our society name will forever be etched into the trophy ‘bowl’, once again! We also won a plaque for best display over 100 sq. feet for societies! A mighty thanks to all who participated, especially Vicky Price, who was the lead on this one! And although many of our plants won ribbons, kudos go to Bill Gunning for his Delicatum hybrid. Not only did it get an AOS ‘CCE’ award of 91 points (Certificate of Cultural Excellence), it won the Smith Trophy for best specimen (other than cymbidium) of show, Best Dendrobium of show and a general blue ribbon in the ribbon judging. With its estimated 3400+ flowers, it was truly a WOW plant in the display!

Here is a quick synopsis of what went into pulling our display together: We started our design as a group in November. Anyone in our society can participate. The more the merrier! Vicky then submitted our entry and began the fabrication. Easy as pie, right? Ha! She builds, we meet and modify, we help paint, clean, move things. Then the major task of loading everything into trucks and transporting occurs. Ugh… Tradition is, a small core of us go up on Monday and start building the infrastructure. This normally takes all day Monday and Tuesday. A few of us actually bring our RVs and set them up in the RV lot on site. This makes for an easy commute! On Wednesday, the flowers come. The plants are labeled and arranged and voila: a beautiful display! This year, a horrible monkey wrench got thrown at us. (I guess that goes with the theme ‘ Wild Orchids!’). The monkey wrench was – we were not allowed to begin our setup on Monday, and could not start before noon on Tuesday! Let the anxiety begin! Had we known this new limitation, we would have created a more simple display. Fortunately, Vicky was able to get a little wiggle room. We were able to, at least, unload all the building materials on Monday. Then we were told we could start at 9 am on Tuesday morning. We start with a concrete floor marked with a few pieces of blue tape defining our space. It is up to us to build the foundation, move any sand, create a backdrop, and make the miracle occur. As with most building projects, there is always a snag. Oops! That doesn’t work. Wait, we need to tweak this. Argh… And with our limited set-up time, we are feeling a bit of pressure. Fortunately, Brian Boals (aka Mr. Boals) was able to quickly make any adjustments and keep us all on track. By late Tuesday, the infrastructure is in place, ready for the plants to arrive.

Will we have enough plants? Will the colors work? Ewa Gago is the grand dame of flower placement. With Chiyoko Tanger and the rest of the crew, it all comes together. The miracle has occurred! Thankfully, Chiyoko brought her famous sushi for us to munch on during the day! More important… the social gathering in the RV lot tops off the day. Drinks, appetizers and Vicky’s delicious spaghetti and garlic bread! YUMMMMMM! A big thank you to everybody that participated in our display: The Boals, Vicky Price, Bill and Joan Gunning, Marci Wingard, Chiyoko Tanger, Ewa Gago, Marian McWilliams, Joe Groedell, Lucy Saito, Gayle Brodie and Leslie NainesBrown. Forgive me if I left someone off the list! And a special thanks to George Vasquez of Zuma Orchids for lending us some plants and other paraphernalia that really helped pull it all together.

The after party! The Oscars have nothing on us!

Tim Culbertson Stanhopeas Tim Culbertson - Stanhopeas Although I teach middle school kids for a living, one of my passions has

always been

plants. I began growing orchids as an offshoot from working at

Longwood

Gardens in Philadephia just after college. From the very beginning it

was all about

Paphs, particularly awarded and select clones of historic importance, of

which my

collection numbers nearly 3000. While I love finding old, rare stepping

stones in paph

breeding, I also do a little hybridizing of my own, and growing up my

own babies is a

blast. I am the youngest accredited judge with the American Orchid

Society, and

have served in various capacities with various orchid societies in

California and

on the East Coast. I love meeting other people who like orchids too,

and doing so

often finds me traveling to shows, vendors, and peoples’ greenhouses

to see the

latest and greatest in new hybrids and to get the best orchid gossip. I

like to be

involved in plants as much as possible: in addition to Longwood, I’ve worked at the Smithsonian Institution tending to their orchids, and for years for the United States National Arboretum, collecting rare plants and documenting cultivated species and hybrids for their herbarium. In short, I really like plants. For your meeting, I’ll be sharing a presentation on Stanhopeas. These plants are easy to grow and flower, are vigorous, have bizarre, fragrant, and beautiful flowers, and as such are wonderful plants! I will share some species of Stanhopea with you, as well as discuss hybrids within Stanhopea, and between them and related groups. By the end of this presentation, you will have a new appreciation of what goes into breeding trends for these types of plants, as well as an appreciation of their beautiful flowers and ease-of-growth. I will be providing a plant table of seedling Stanhopea species and hybrids, suitable for culture outdoors in Southern California.

Hatfield Honors Ewa George Hatfield has always been a great friend to our society, but he really went the extra mile when he named one of his first year seedlings after Ewa. What a fabulous honor!

1.

Westlake Garden Tour April 17 The Westlake Garden Club is having their annual tour April 17. Proceeds help fund student scholarships. Westlake Village Garden Tour Sunday April 17, 2016, 11:00 - 5:00 Visit 5 artistic, unique and one-of-a-kind gardens Meet the Bird Lady, Butterfly Lady, Squirrel Lady, Rosarian Master Gardener - Enjoy live music, lemonade and homemade cookies. Tickets $25.00 available at Armstrongs, Nordic, Orchard Supply, DIY Home Center Thousand Oaks Or call member Caroline Howse 805 498-2938

Our Annual Fundraiser Our annual fundraiser will be June 3-5 at the Thousand Oaks Library. It is not too early to think about your participation. We will need volunteers to help set up, tear down, talk to customers and generally show your smiling faces to the public. We always hope to educate the public and encourage them to join our society. It is also not too early to think about any plants you would like to donate or consign. One of our major successes of last year was when Kathy Boals cleaned out her greenhouse! She had nice plants with a picture of the flowers and they sold before she even got them on the tables! On May 21, plan on coming to the ‘tilly party’ where we mount tilandsia’s for sale at Gayle Brodie’s house. Good food and drink help our creativity… The more the merrier! The time of the gathering will be in our next newsletter. We may be organizing a driftwood gathering outing. If you are interested, let me (Leslie) know. It is sometimes a spontaneous adventure, so if you let me know, we can make sure to include you.

Culture Session Have a plant that isn’t performing? Or one that has something going on and you don’t know what? Bring it to the next meeting for the culture session. Be prepared for it to be unpotted so the roots can be analyzed if needed. And we will need to keep these plants away from the other plants to be safe.

March Judging Results Conejo Orchid Society Plant Awards

March 14, 2016; Judges: Led by Joe Grodell Category

Place

Oncidium / Odontoglossum

1

Standard Cattleya

1 2

Miniature Cattleya Paphiopedilum / Phragmipedium Dendrobium

Cymbidium Red March Species

Best of Show

1 2 1 1 2 1 2 1 2

Plant Name

Grown By

Zygopetalum Blue Birds Lc. Trick or Treat

Peter and Patti Finie Tom Smith

Blc. Mem. Victoria Cam 'Fascination' HCC/AOS Laelia harpophylla X Soph. coccinea Potinara Haku Gem 'Freckles'

Bill Gunning Bill Gunning Tom Smith

Paph. St. Swithin

Alice Smith

Den. Roy Tokunaga (atroviolaceum X johnsoniae) Den. Kingianum 'Dawn' Cym. Dorothy Stockstill 'Forgotten Fruits' Cym. 'Something Special' Maxillaria fractiflexa Bletilla striata

Leslie Naines-Brown Bill Gunning Ewa Gago Bill Gunning Ewa Gago Tom Smith

Lc. Trick or Treat

Tom Smith

Best Of Show Lc. Trick or Treat – Tom Smith

First Place Plant Awards

First Place Plant Awards (Contd.)

AOS WEBINARS DURING April THE APRIL 2016 AOS CORNER – From the desk of Denise Lucero, Committee Member, Orchid Society Membership and Affiliated Societies Committee ([email protected])

UPCOMING WEBINARS: American Orchid Society Greenhouse Chat with Ron McHatton Thursday, April 7th at8:30 PM EDT Everyone is invited Please join Ron McHatton, American Orchid Society Director of Education, for a Q&A session on how to grow and care for your orchids. If you have a question, please submit your questions by April 5th to [email protected]. Register now using this link: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/4519218562864632067 After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar. Paphiopedilum fairrieanum Wednesday, April 20that 8:30 PM EDT Only members are invited Please join Theresa Hill, owner of Hillsview Orchids, as she talks about the history and breeding trends of the delightful Paphiopedilum fairrieanum. Register now using this link: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/8329023052738199810 After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.

WHAT ARE WEBINARS? Webinars are an Internet conference where you can hear the speaker and view his presentation, ask questions, and hear interactions from other members of the audience. You can join either on your computer or by phone. You can join from anywhere, via your MAC, PC or even your mobile device. Audio is included, so attendees can phone in or use VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol). You will need a microphone for your computer to use VoIP. WANT TO LEARN, BUT CAN’T MAKE THE DATE? The live Webinars will be recorded and posted on the AOS website, where you will find a link allowing you to view the webinars at your convenience.

2016 CONEJO CALENDAR OF EVENTS Member Meetings (speakers / activity) Aitchison – Orchids: Sex, Lies & Deception (Orchid Pollination) April 11 – Tim Culbertson - Stanhopeas May 9 – Arthur Pinkers - Coelogynes June 13 – Peter Lin – Mini Cattleyas July 13 – Sandra Tillisch Svoboda – Orchids of Bhutan August 21 (Sunday) – Cal Orchids Picnic September 12 - Harry Phillips – Perception and Reality of Growing Orchids October 12 – Fred Clarke – Bulbophyllums November 14 – Holiday Potluck and Bingo December - No Meeting - Happy Holidays

Library Show and Sale June 3 – June 5 Thousand Oaks Library

Member Pix Now and again, member share pictures of some of their favorite plants. Here is Dendrobium Nestor from Brian Van Lenten.

2016 COS MEMBERSHIP DUES Time again to renew your COS membership. The membership fee is $20 per person / couple / family of the same name / address. If you haven’t already, please take a moment and give your dues to Alice Smith, our new Membership Chairperson as you sign in at the next meeting. We strongly prefer payment by check, made out to “COS”.This is also a good opportunity to make sure that we have your current (and correct) phone number and e-mail address. If you cannot make the meeting, please complete the membership form below and send it with your check, to Alice Smith at 1322 Southwind Cir., Westlake Village, CA 91361 We would like your renewal information by March 1st so that we can produce our 2016 Member Directory.

OFFICERS AND DIRECTORS COS OFFICERS: PRESIDENT KATHY BOALS (805) 377-5539 [email protected] 1st VP – PROGRAMS BILL GUNNING (805) 279-0334 [email protected] 2nd VP – CULTURE SESSIONS LESLIE NAINES-BROWN (805) [email protected] TREASURER VICKY PRICE (805) 233-2258 [email protected] MEMBERSHIP ALICE SMITH (805) 777-1075 [email protected]

DIRECTORS: PUBLICITY ELLIE STAIGHT (805) 497-8187 [email protected] REFRESHMENTS CHIYOKO TANGER (805) [email protected] LIBRARY EWA GAGO (805)744-1561 [email protected] RAFFLE Phil Peck 818 324 0382 [email protected] NEWSLETTER LESLIE NAINES-BROWN (805)551-6699 [email protected] ORCHID POTTING HELP MARIAN MCWILLIANS (818) [email protected] JUDGING CHAIRPERSON RINA SOTO (818) 480-2644 [email protected] DIRECTOR AT LARGE SUSAN DUBIN (805) 497-6700 [email protected] DIRECTOR AT LARGE JOE GRODELL (805) 492-1569 [email protected] DIRECTOR AT LARGE GAYLE BRODIE (805) 551-8620 [email protected]

MEETING PLACE AND DIRECTIONS Conejo Orchid Society General meetings are usually held at 7:00 PM on the second Monday of the month at: Westlake Village Town Hall 31200 East Oak Crest Drive Westlake Village, CA 91361

Meeting directions: Take the 101 and exit Lindero Canyon Turn South. Turn left on Agoura Rd. Turn right on East Oak Crest Drive (the third street on the right) The Town Hall is the first drive on the left

Neighboring Societies : SANTA BARBARA ORCHID SOCIETY Meets the third Wednesday of each month at the Trinity Lutheran Church, Santa Barbara at 7:30 PM For information call - 805-965-2536 VENTURA ORCHID SOCIETY Meets the fourth Tuesday of each month at the Ventura Townehouse at 6:50 PM 4900 Telegraph Rd (7th floor), Ventura Call Jean - 805-642-4815 SAN FERNANDO VALLEY ORCHID SOCIETY Meets the first Wednesday of each month at 7:00 PM at the Sepulveda Garden Center, 16633 Magnolia Blvd., Encino. Call (805) 532-0080 and ask for Mike.

ORCHID SHOWS AND EVENTS!! -April 9: San Fernando Valley Annual Orchid Sale at Sepulveda Garden Center -April 17: Westlake Garden Tour -Orchid Digest Speaker's Day June 4th, 2016: "Cattleyas" Huntington Gardens, 1151 Oxford Road, San Marino, CA 91108 This 14th year of Speaker's Day features talks on the glorious and diverse Cattleya alliance. Plus a fine banquet, AOS judging, and select vendors. For more info visit www.orchiddigest.org . ____________________________________________________________________ **36th Annual Santa Barbara Orchid Estate Summer Open House** July 8-10, 2016, Friday & Saturday 8 AM to 5 PM; Sunday 9 AM to 4 PM Held at Santa Barbara Orchid Estate, 1250 Orchid Drive, Santa Barbara, CA 93111

San Fernando Valley Orchid Society’s

Annual Orchid Sale Saturday, April 9, 2016 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM Sepulveda Garden Center 16633 Magnolia Blvd, Encino, CA

100’s of beautiful orchid plants in bloom! Mark your calendar today. You won’t want to miss it.

Website: www.sfvos.com

Questions? Please email Bob Peskay at [email protected]