Utah Orchid Society

Note: Meeting the first Monday of the month to coordinate with Denver.

This month we have Ron Parsons visiting and giving a presentation on Orchids of Sichuan, China! This should be very informative and highly interesting as Ron will be showing where these orchids are growing in nature and discussing their growth habits in these locations.

We are meeting at the Utah Associated Garden Clubs Garden Center, 1602 E 2100 S, Salt Lake City, Utah.

Ron Parson’s Bio: Continue reading →

This month is extra special as we have Alan Koch of Gold Country Orchids presenting. Alan is a very knowledgeable enthusiastic speaker!

This month’s topic:
Species Habitat and Hybrid Culture – This program teaches novice and advanced growers to link how a species grows in the wild, as how to grow it and the hybrids from it in your collection. Program is strong on orchid culture and helps everyone to be a better orchid grower. Bring a notepad so you can remember all the information given in this program.

We are meeting at the Utah Associated Garden Clubs Garden Center, 1602 E 2100 S, Salt Lake City, Utah.

Alan Koch Bio:
Alan Koch owns and operates Gold Country Orchids where he specializes in miniature and compact Cattleya’s. Alan started growing orchids in 1969 with 3 Cymbidiums given to him by an aunt. While in college, he became interested in other orchids and discovered many would grow outdoors in Southern California. He has moved five times as his orchid obsession has led to the need for more growing space. With the last move, he purchased 10 acres of land in Lincoln, California for his 300,000 orchids. He is recognized as an expert in the Brazilian Cattleya alliance and a trend setter in miniature Cattleya breeding. Alan has been published in the Orchid Digest, and the American Orchid Society magazines. He has also been published in the proceedings of the World Orchid Conference. He is an internationally known speaker. He is a past member of the AOS Judging Committee, and the Research Committee, as well as an Accredited Judge and is Vice-chair and Training Coordinator for the California Sierra Nevada Judging Center. Alan also served two terms on the Orchid Digest Executive Committee and Board of Directors, and is one of the current directors, as well as a Trustee for the AOS.

The meeting will be held at the Sugar House Garden Center – 1602 E 2100 S, Salt Lake City, UT 84106

We have Charles Wilson for our May speaker from the Pacific Northwest Judging Center. He will be talking about Bulbophyllum Orchids. Charles will discuss 3 distinguishing features of Bulbophyllums, where and how they grow and how to avoid buying duplicates as synonyms. Charles has a photo over-view of various types Bulbophyllum showing the variety in the flowers and noting which are more suited for pots versus mounting and discussing how to grow this interesting type of Orchid. He also points out the question everyone asks about Bulbophyllums, does it smell good or does it smell bad! All photos are from Charles travels to Borneo, his own collection, from visiting shows and other growers. This meeting makes for a wonderfully informative evening!

Bio:
Charles Wilson is an accredited AOS judge out of the Pacific Northwest Judging Center who has been growing orchids for over 40 years. His special interests include Bulbophyllums, Paphiopedilums and just about all the rest, too. He holds BS and MS degrees in zoology and animal behavior and retired in 2001 as Zoo Director Emeritus from the Memphis Zoo. He and his wife Susan, also an accredited AOS judge, moved to Oregon in 2014.

For March we have Jason Fisher of Orchids Limited (www.orchidweb.com) in town to give his presentation: “The Jungle Log and Alternative Ways to Grow Orchids.”

This is Jason’s most current lecture and he noted it has been quite fun and popular! Jason will also be bringing specially priced orchids for sale! Note, Jason offers a 10% discount on pre-orders. You do not have too much time to contact Orchids Limited. Be sure to let them know the plants are for our society members.

We are meeting at the Utah Associated Garden Clubs Garden Center, 1602 E 2100 S, Salt Lake City, Utah.

Jason Fischer of Orchids Ltd. bio Continue reading →

We are excited to have Pepe Portilla of Ecuagenera from Ecuador presenting at our meeting! Pepe will be speaking about the orchids of Ecuador. It is very informative about the types of environments where a particular orchid lives.

This should be a very interesting and informative meeting!

We are meeting at the Utah Associated Garden Clubs Garden Center, 1602 E 2100 S, Salt Lake City, Utah.

A Sea of Orchids! is our theme for this show.

Be sure to schedule some time to visit our show Saturday, November 3rd (9 am to 5:00 pm) or Sunday, November 4th (9am to 4:00pm).

You do not need to be a member to enter your orchid(s) in the show. Select “Orchid Show” in the Pages section to the right for additional information on entering plants. Setup is Friday, November 2nd (1 pm to 5:00 pm). Plan on being at Red Butte by 4 pm to allow time for processing of plants.

Orchids will be available for sale and there will be folks at the show to help you get started growing orchids. There are many orchids that make great house plants.

Red Butte Garden is located at 300 Wakara Way, Salt Lake City, UT.

Nina describes her talk:
We usually use the moniker “Jewel Orchid” for orchids with especially attractive foliage, often with a desirable and interesting texture (velvety, iridescent, sparkling) and simple to intricate patterns. They are usually grown more for their leaves than their flowers, and are almost always soft-leaved, evergreen terrestrials with fleshy roots. Most are found in the tropics, but a few are native to the US. The most common jewel orchid in US collections is the widely available Ludisia discolor, of which there are several color forms. Most do best in shady bright light, and so are especially well suited for indoor culture, or shadier sections of a greenhouse.

We are meeting at the Utah Associated Garden Clubs Garden Center, 1602 E 2100 S, Salt Lake City, Utah.

Time: Door Opens: 7:00 PM, Meeting Start: 7:30 PM

About Nina: Continue reading →