Orchid Society of Greater Saint Louis

Today’s the day!
Come by the botanic gardens and check out some great orchids from vendors around the country and some of our wonderful members and a chance to get your hands on a cool plant or two, maybe more.

Preview at 11am
Auctions starts at 12pm
Plant list is updated, linked in the QR code in the flyer.

Hope everyone's been enjoying the summer
We've been on break for the past two months, with the next monthly meeting happening in September.
BUT, before this meeting, our annual auction is happening this weekend.

Please see the flyer below and feel free to distribute it
We have over 200 plants thus far so it's sure to be an exciting day.

Come join us at MOBOT on August 18!
Doors will be open at 11am for preview, and the auction will start at 12pm.

Happy second full week of June, summer is definitely here, and it's time for another meeting!

We have a great talk on the schedule this month with Jim France. He'll be talking about Phragmipedium orchids, the South American slipper orchids. Join us Friday, June 14th at 7 pm!

About Jim France:
Jim France began in 1993, when after viewing a customers collection, he finally bought a cymbidium. As he tells many a beginner, everyone kills at least one ... and so it was promptly drowned. As it happened an orchid show was the following week, and the passion began. He began by being part of an Orchid Society and learned from the experts in the group and from many of the wonderful growers that became friends. Fueled by his interest, Jim began selling in 1996, and established Oakwood Orchids. He dabbled in hybridization, and enjoyed the things that were more different than the normal orchids found easily. Jim has grown under lights for 24 + years, and finally with the collection and business growing, two medium greenhouses are part of Oakwood Orchids. Jim continues to be involved with his two home societies. He has been past treasurer & president of the Miami Valley Orchid Society; past board member of MAOC shows, and is an AOS Orchid Judge and treasurer for the Cincinnati Judging Center. The first orchid Jim got awarded was Catestum Hilltop’s Dingbat ‘Junior', a catasetum, named after his grandson. One of his favorites, catesetums, are a part of his collections and he has received 2 additional awards ... Catesetum piletum ‘Leeann', and Catesetum osculatum 'The Boys'. Enjoying a variety of orchids, another early award was for Phragmipedium Sergeant Eric “Hans’, and spurred another part of the collection. He has received a total of 27 AOS awards, including the 2019 annualAmerican Orchid Society Roy T. Fukumura Vandaceous Award for Robiquetia cerina 'Donna's Treasures' AM/AOS.

Currently Oakwood Orchids specializes in species and harder to find orchids.

(Pictured is Phragmipedium Rosy Charm 'Windy Hill' AM/AOS, recently awarded at Mid-America Judging Center in May)

Here are some pictures from the Memphis Orchid Society’s annual show and sale this past weekend!

More details from ribbon judging to come in the monthly newsletter, but our society received one best in class for the Dendrobium, and two trophies for Dendrobium QF Hawaiian Royal and Dendrobium (cuthbertsonii x Illusion)!

There were 9 AOS awards given as well!

It’s meeting time again!

This month we have Dr. Bill Udziela presenting on “Expanding Orchid Horizons, Points for Success with New Genera”

Bill Udziela is currently a physician in training, but still makes time for orchids. Bill has been a hobbyist orchid grower for 13 years, growing in windowsill and artificial light conditions. The majority of his collection is now grown under lights and is composed of over 600 species and hybrids of various genera, majority of which being Paphiopedilum and Phragmipedium.
After a few years of selling and trading “extras” from his personal collection, Dr. Bill’s Orchids was formally established in 2020.
Bill’s main passions are in the Paphiopedilum and Phragmipedium species, although Phalaenopsis species and their novelty hybrids are his second loves. His latest projects include Paphiopedilum, Phragmipedium, and Phalaenopsis hybridization, flasking of seed pods, tissue culture services, and development of a new all-purpose fertilizer for orchids and houseplants.

Join us on Friday, May 10 at 7 pm
As always, bring your plants in flower to show off and share!

(Picture is an Angraecum species I found in the Toronto zoo)

It’s meeting week again!
Hope everyone got to see the eclipse.

This month we will be talking about “Growing Miniature Orchids in the Home” with Cordelia Head with J&L Orchids. Members should have received an email about pre-order plants also!

Cordelia Head is one of three previous owners of J&L Orchids and is proud to be associated with the new owners, the Carreno family. She has been growing orchids for more than forty years. Cordelia is on many international orchid committees involving orchid conservation and orchid judging. She is an American Orchid Society accredited judge and served on the Awards Committee for several years.

Cordelia has been fortunate to travel extensively throughout Central and South America in search of orchids. She has discovered many new species and has three named for her. Cordelia has lectured both nationally and internationally including the World Orchid Conferences in Miami, France, Malaysia, Vancouver, Glasgow and many others.

As always there will be people’s choice do bring some plants to show off
Hope to see everyone there

(Photo is Acianthera asaroides)

💛 Less than 2 weeks away 💛
ORCHID AUCTION
Free entry, non-auction plants start with $5

We were up in Omaha this past weekend. No society display but here are some pictures of exhibits from the show!

There were a few AOS awards as well:
Madillaria cacaoensis with a CCM
Ophrys heldreichii with a CBR
Ophrys fusca subsp. iricolor with a CBR
Paphiopedilum Natalie Golston with an HCC
Paphiopedilum QF Detective with an HCC
And a few more that I don’t have pictures of

Also found some Lego dinosaurs roaming the garden

Exhibits at the Springfield Orchid Show!

🚨 Meeting time!
It’s that time of the month again, we had a break February because of the orchid show, but will be back at it.
When: March 9, 7pm
Where: MO Botanical Gardens, Commerce Bank Center for Science Education (4651 Shaw Blvd.
St. Louis, MO 63110)

Our very own Josh Higgins will be speaking via zoom about Disa orchids and their cultivation. He tells me they’re pretty straightforward once you know the conditions they like.

As usual, please bring plants to show off for people’s choice, or questions about culture/problem orchids to discuss!

For those who don’t know him, Josh is the Head Horticulturist for Greenbriar Hills Country Club in Des Peres, MO. Previously he has worked for Fahr (pronounced: Far) Greenhouses, a family
nursery, and the Missouri Botanical Garden. Josh has served as President for the Orchid Society of Greater St. Louis and currently maintains a Senior level judge certification for the Gesneriad Society. He has a large collection of Stanhopea orchids along with many other rare and unique plants. He started growing Disa orchids several years ago; and in that time, has developed several techniques for growing these once difficult plants in the hot and humid Midwest. When he is not growing orchids, he enjoys spending time as a hobbyist beekeeper and working with his many gesneriads.

(picture is from Longwood Gardens)

The exhibits and vendors are all set!
Come by today or tomorrow if you have a chance to see some orchids, learn something new, and maybe even take one home!

Hope everyone is getting excited about the show and sale at the end of this week!
We sure are!

We have four vendors lined up this year:
Windy Hill Gardens
Birds Botanicals
Gracelynn’s Clay Flowers
Natt’s Orchids

Bonus, the society will be selling some orchids too! This is part of a generous donation from a long-time member of the society who is downsizing his collection of multiple decades! They’re limited in number so make sure you come check these orchids out, and visit with the vendors.

Admission to the society show is included with garden admission. Come see us on your way to the garden’s orchid show.
We would love to see you this weekend.

It’s meeting time!
This Friday, January 12

Edited to include:
Currently planning for an in-person and virtual hybrid meeting. A zoom link was sent out this week, if you didn’t get one and would like it, please message us!

Come learn about bulbophyllum orchids, here’s a bit about the speaker:

Charles G. Wilson has been growing orchids for over 45 years with a special interest in species. He has served on a variety of AOS committees, currently a member of the Species Identification Task Force and a frequent contributor to Orchids magazine.

Wilson holds BS and MS degrees in zoology and animal behavior and was accorded Zoo Director Emeritus status on his retirement in 2001 after serving 25 years as Director of the Memphis Zoo.

He will provide an introduction to Bulbophyllums, their history and cultivation, with a wee bit of science, and a colorful photo romp along the way.
He and his wife Susan are both accredited judges at the Atlanta Judging Center. They
live east of Atlanta on the Yellow River where they enjoy travel and fishing.

Just over a month away!

Join us for our 2024 annual show and sale January 27 and 28 from 9am to 5pm at the Missouri Botanical Garden.

As always, it coincides with the opening of the Missouri Botanical Garden’s orchid show.
Come see some exhibits by orchid societies from the region, visit vendors, and also see MoBot’s orchid collection!

The April meeting of the Orchid Society of Greater St. Louis is approaching. Join us on Friday April 14 at 7:00 pm, at the Commerce Bank Education Center at 4651 Shaw Blvd, St. Louis 63110. Master Gardener Carol Gravens will give a program titled 'The Top 10 Orchids for the Home.' You are welcome to join us at this meeting!

The photo shows Paphiopedilum Marilyn Mertz, a new hybrid cross.