December 2004

The Orchid Grower

Upcoming Events

• Feb 5-6
  Orchid Quest

Meeting Dates

• Dec. 12: Holiday Party & Dendrobiums, Hermann Pigors
  
• Jan. 16: Orchid Quest Preparations
  
• Feb. 20: Those Challenging orchids, Member Discussion
  
• Mar. 20: Stay Tuned
  
• Apr. 17: Stay Tuned
  
• May 15: Potting Orchids, J & K Orchids

Sophrolaeliocattleya Sacramento 'Ruby', grown by Jan Rapacz

Phragmipedium Eric Young, grown by Jan Rapacz

Phalaenopsis Spanish Dance '231' HCC/AOS, grown by Jan Rapacz

Laelia perrinii 'coerulea', grown by Jan Rapacz


Gongora fulva, grown by Sandy Delamater

Officers and Committees

December Potluck Dec. 12

The guest speaker for the December meeting will be Hermann Pigors of Oak Hill Gardens. He will be talking about the care an culture of Dendrobiums (Dendrobium draconis shown right).

Hermann and Dorothy Pigors founded Oak Hill Gardens in the fall of 1973. Hermann had the benefit of five years professional training and work experience in Germany plus an additional 17 years of working with orchids and orchid hobbyists with the Hausermann firm in Villa Park, IL.

Hermann has established an internal laboratory for seeding and tissue culture that produces many thousands of unusual orchid species from seed and tissue culture, as well as hybrid varieties. Hermann has been concentrating on the development of the laboratory, and most of his time is spent in this capacity.

Oak Hill Gardens' diversified business includes plant rental, gift plant deliveries to the Chicagoland area, orchid and house plant walk-in trade (both retail and wholesale) as well as mail-order to the orchid hobbyist, a segment of the business which has grown substantially over the last five years. Species orchids are an especially strong feature of the firm as well as hybrids of the unusual type for the hobby grower. Expansion has brought a total of over 20,000 sq. ft. under glass in eight greenhouses.

Please call (847-428-8500) or email (oakhillgardens@sprintmail.com) him if you want to order plants or supplies. Visit his web to see what he offers at oakhillgardens.com. Hermann will bring your orders with him to the meeting so you can save on shipping.

Remember that the the potluck costs $5, and you will receive one orchid to take home.

The meeting starts at 1:30 at Olbrich Gardens. Ribbon judging for member grown plants starts at 1.

Orchid Quest 2005

It is time to start planning for Orchid Quest 2005 Feb 5-6. This is the Guild's biggest undertaking each year. We will need every member to help us make this the best show around. Don't be worried if you think that you don't know enough about orchids because you will learn by helping. You will get the chance to meet many of the Guild members that you haven't talked to at the meetings, and you will learn a lot about orchids in a short amount of time. Setup will begin on Friday February 4, and the show runs from the 5th to the 6th at the Alliant Energy Center. Mark your calendars.

Tables will be available for individual members to set up their own display table. Please contact Liz Wood (238-2919) by Dec. 15th if you are interested. Application form.

Below is a list of the jobs that we need to fill in order to make Orchid Quest run smoothly. We will pass around a sign up sheet at the December meeting. If you can't make it, please send an email to let us know what you would like to do. If you have any questions, feel free to ask.

We need every member to contribute to make Orchid Quest a success.

Orchid Guild Volunteer Positions

Not only do we need every member to help make Orchid Quest a success, but we need every member to help the Guild work too. If you have never volunteered for a position, please consider helping in any way you can. There are a few positions within the Orchid Guild that are urgently in need of filling. This is another great way to meet members of the Guild. Everyone on the board and the officers will help and support members that fill these positions. Please ask an officer or board member if you have any questions.

Treasurer - Steve Thimling (our current) treasurer will help you learn everything you need to know about being treasurer. No experience is necessary to become treasurer. Please talk to Steve if you have any questions.

President - Right now Elaine Malter (our vice president) has assumed the president's responsibilities. The whole board will support the president in their duties. You don't need to know much about orchids to be the president. It is much easier to run the Guild with both a president and a vice president. Please consider helping the Guild by filling this position.

Away Show Chair - The Guild needs someone who can coordinate our away shows. This will involve making sure that we have people to pick up the show plants, set up the display, and then take it down. Often there is someone from the Guild going to the different shows and our members just need to be coordinated. Setting up Guild displays is a very important part of supporting the other orchid clubs in Wisconsin and the surrounding states. They in turn, support us by setting up a display at Orchid Quest. If we can get a couple people to sign up, this position can be run as a committee.

Ribbon Judging - We need few people to record scores and bring the supplies for out ribbon judging. There will a couple people helping run the judging. You do not need to know a lot about orchids to do this because the whole Guild is here to help you learn.

Spring Sale - Another important fund raiser is our Spring Sale. We need somebody to organize picking up plants from Ackers and setting them up at Olbrich. We always have a lot of help for this sale, and we need a member the head the volunteer team.

Please remember that we need every member to volunteer if we want the Guild to continue. If you are new, or haven't helped out before, or it has been awhile since you last volunteered, please ask the members of the board how you can help.

Renew Your Membership

Remember that membership dues are due by the end of the year. You can fill out a membership form and give it to Steve at the November meeting. Download the pdf form here.

Rain barrels

Would you like to give your orchids the best water that nature can make? Would like to do it cheaply? One rain barrel can supply your orchid collection with all of the water it needs for the whole year, and the rain is free. Contact Sandy Delamater (835-8118) if you're interested. She has only three left and they cost $38 each.

November 21 Meeting at Orchids by the Ackers

All in a Day's Work at Orchids by the Ackers 

The November member meeting was hosted by Orchids by the Ackers in Waunakee. New members and "old" enjoyed hearing about every day life at an orchid greenhouse. Nancy and Stan shared a lengthy list of chores and jobs that must be done on a daily basis in order to keep their greenhouse maintained. The exhaustive list included everything from environmental control to staying current on new methods of pest control and orchid hybridization. Each person has a part in the smooth operating of this family run business. Nancy focuses on the owner management aspect; Chuck is mainly concerned with hybridization and environmental control, while Stan handles much of the work of operating the rest of the garden center. All members work together to maintain proper growth of both plants (and customers)! 

It was humbling to realize that a greenhouse owner can't just "lock up and go home" at the end of the day. Temperature, humidity and water quality must be continually monitored and modified.  Plants must be watered, fertilized, hybridized, potted and repotted as well as checked for diseases on a continual basis-- and that's just on the inside. Outside of the greenhouse there is glass to check and replace, lawn to mow and even more plants and gardens to maintain. 

Most of us got tired just looking at the list! It was fascinating to see what goes on behind the scenes of one of our favorite places. Orchids by the Ackers is truly one of the finest family-run businesses in the Midwest. Thank you Stan, Nancy and Chuck for sharing your time, knowledge and expertise!

The second exciting event at the November meeting was the start of a new contest for Guild members. Each member received a seedling of the same 'Eric Young' hybrid. At the next November 2005 meeting hosted by Ackers- members will bring their Phrag back and it will be judged as to which is the best grown. The winner will receive a $50 gift certificate! Members in attendance at the November 2005 meeting will receive another seedling of a different kind and the "contest" will continue.

A few tips for growing Phrags included potting them in deep pots, setting the pots in water so that they have "wet feet" and repotting them at least once a year. Phrags do not seem to care what time of year they are repotted. They do well in high -but indirect- light.

Submit Your Photos

Every month we want to include a gallery of photos to enjoy. I don't have many plants in bloom, so I will need your help. Email your photos to me (Brook orchids@tinamoupottery.com) by Jan. 1 for inclusion in next months newsletter.