Nov
10
2:00 PM14:00

Native Orchids of Western North Carolina by Scott Dean

Back by popular demand, Scott Dean will be our speaker for November. Scott gave his program at the last Asheville Orchid Festival and it was literally standing room only in the library. As an expert in the field, he can teach us a lot about our own backyard of orchids.

Scott was born and raised in the mountains of southern Appalachia, specifically the coalfields of West Virginia and southwestern Virginia.

 Western North Carolina has been his home since 1992. After retiring from the military, he attended UNC-Asheville, earning a degree in biology, with a focus on the flora, fauna and geology of the southern Appalachians.

He was a walk leader and featured speaker for the UNC-Asheville Wildflower Pilgrimage from 1995 until 2015. Scott has led wildlife and wildflower walks at the Western North Carolina Nature Center, where he worked for a year building the cougar and bobcat habitats, and has served as First Vice President of the Friends of the Nature Center as well as serving on the Town of Weaverville Tree Board. He developed curricula, and teaches field classes for the Blue Ridge Naturalist program now offered at the N. C. Arboretum.

This program is open to the public. Please join us even if you are not a member.

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October Monthly Meeting
Oct
13
1:00 PM13:00

October Monthly Meeting

October is auction month for the Western North Carolina Orchid Society. Randy Latta will be the master of ceremonies and auctioneer (and entertainer). Orchid extraordinaire Marc Burchette will be on hand to offer his expertise regarding all plants during the event. There will be over 60 beautiful and rare orchid plants on the auction block. 

 

Attention WNCOS Members, this annual fund-raising auction is open to the public, so spread the word and bring a friend. 

Location: Asheville Visitor Center

36 Montford Avenue

Second floor Boardroom

Auction Date: Sunday October 13th

Viewing: starts at 1:00pm

Auction: starts at 2:00pm

Cash Check or Credit Card

Beverages and light snacks will be available

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September Monthly Meeting
Sep
8
2:00 PM14:00

September Monthly Meeting

Keith Davis has been in the orchid world for over two decades. He is well known for his heirloom and unique alliance cattleya species and hybrids. Keith also has a unique claim to fame, his very successful cultivation of the rare Florida species, Dendrophylax lindenii, better known as the Ghost Orchid. This month, Keith will give his program on Orchid Growing Trick and Tips. He gave this program for us more than ten years age and many of us still practice what we learned from him every day. 

Keep an eye on www.keithdavisorchids.com .  Keith said he will be posting a list of rare divisions for sale from his collection.  He will also be bringing plants for sale from The Orchid Trail ( www.orchidtrail.com )

Not a member of the WNCOS? That’s okay, we invite you to come as our guest.

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August Monthly Meeting
Aug
11
2:00 PM14:00

August Monthly Meeting

Hadley Cash - Marriott Orchids

Hadley Cash has been addicted to orchids for over 30 years. After starting in his apartment growing under lights, Hadley build his own greenhouse and in 1998, Marriott Orchids was born. Since those first days of focusing on breeding the highest quality complex and species Paphiopedilums, Hadley is now considered one of the top authorities on Paphiopedilums in the world. Please join us on August 11th when Hadley will share his vast knowledge of culture and care of these slipper orchids. 

Hadley will bring some of his select plants for sale and will be stocking our raffle table as well. Pre-orders are welcome. Visit Marriott Orchids to learn more.

P.S. Not a member of WNCOS? That’s okay. Please come and be our guest for this special event.

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July Monthly Meeting
Jul
14
12:00 PM12:00

July Monthly Meeting

Carolinas Judging Center - Supplemental AOS Judging.

Our July meeting will be a special treat for all orchid enthusiast. The Carolina Judging Center is packing their computers, ribbons, and bows and heading to Asheville for an American Orchid Society judging event. What a great opportunity to bring in your blooming orchids and just maybe go home with an AOS award. But you won’t know unless you bring them in. After the judging is complete, there will be an educational discussion about the awarded, the non-awarded, and the whole judging process.

Please note the special scheduling for this meeting. All plants need arrive no later than 12:00 pm in order to be registered for judging. Judging starts at 1:00 pm. Even if you don’t have plants registered, you are encouraged to come to observe the judges in action. At 2:00 pm the normal meeting will start with a few announcements then the panel discussion.

This judging event, like all WNCOS meetings, is open to all orchid lovers.

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June Monthly Meeting
Jun
9
2:00 PM14:00

June Monthly Meeting

Join us for a great talk by Rob Halgren of Little Frog Farms on orchid growing with lights! Rob Halgren has a Ph.D. from Northwestern University, after a B.S. in Biochemistry from Michigan State and used his  formal training in cancer biology and research. Rob is currently a long serving accredited judge in the American Orchid Society . Although he has been selling and showing orchids since near the very beginning, the business, Littlefrog Farm, did not become formal until approximately 2003.   They don’t grow greenhouse orchids—they grow orchids that fit in your window, terrarium, or light garden.  They grow almost entirely under lights, and they can teach you how!

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April Monthly Meeting
Apr
14
2:00 PM14:00

April Monthly Meeting

On the heels of our wonderful annual Asheville Orchid Festival, we’re happy to announce our April guest speaker is bulbophyllum expert Bill Thoms, and internationally recognized speaker, orchid hunter, breeder, and grower! This program covers everything you need to know to grow and bloom these fascinating plants, including super pictures of easy-to-grow species and the latest hybrids.

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WNCOS Presents The Asheville Orchid Festival: An Orchid Expedition
Apr
6
to Apr 7

WNCOS Presents The Asheville Orchid Festival: An Orchid Expedition

WNCOS is proud to present the 21st annual Asheville Orchid Festival, April 6-7, 2019 at the North Carolina Arboretum! The festival will feature many exhibitors and vendors from around North Carolina, the United States, and the world, many educational presentations and award winning orchids on display throughout the festival. The theme for the 2019 festival is “An Orchid Expedition,” where we hope to visually explore the early Victorian era orchid obsession that took enthusiasts around the globe in search of these special plants. We hope you come explore them with us!

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January Monthly Meeting
Jan
13
2:00 PM14:00

January Monthly Meeting

Linda Wilhelm of Woodland Orchids will be visiting WNCOS to present a program on Oncidiums and their culture. Linda is an accomplished speaker, an accredited judge for the American Orchid Society, and recipient of the American Orchid Society’s Certificate of Education. Woodstream Orchids is a wonderful source for unique orchid hybrids and species plants located in nearby Charlotte, North Carolina.

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Annual Holiday Party
Dec
16
1:00 PM13:00

Annual Holiday Party

The 2018 WNCOS Holiday Party will take place on Sunday, December 16 from 1 pm to 3 pm—drop in as you’re able! The party will take place at Axel and Catherine Graumann’s home. For specific details on location, please see the most recent emails from WNCOS or contact us via the Contact page.

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Oct
14
2:00 PM14:00

Monthly Meeting - Russ Bolt of Looking Glass Orchids, FIELD TRIP

How exciting! This meeting the Society will take a field trip to one of our favorite orchid growers' greenhouses at Looking Glass Orchids. Russ Bolt, owner of Looking Glass Orchids, is an amazing orchid grower and breeder and his greenhouses are absolutely beautiful. Russ specializes in paphiopedilum orchids and other varieties of orchid rarely found in big box stores.  

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Sep
9
2:00 PM14:00

Monthly Meeting - Jim France from Oakwood Orchids

Jim France is an orchid enthusiast and grower based on Dayton, Ohio. At Oakwood Orchids, France specializes in more unique and rare varieties of orchids, such as a wide variety of Bulbophyllum and Lycaste. France also especially enjoys supporting the needs of individuals who wish to grow orchids without a greenhouse. WNCOS is very excited about his visit. Details on his presentation subject TBA!

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Aug
12
2:00 PM14:00

Monthly Meeting - Fred Clarke of Sunset Valley Orchids

This August WNCOS will have the immense pleasure of again hosting Fred Clarke of Sunset Valley Orchids. Clarke has over 40 years experience growing orchids and is a world-renowned specialist in hybridizing, perhaps best-known for his pioneering work with Catasetum intergeneric hybrids resulting in "the blackest flower ever witnessed," Fredclarkeara After Dark. More details on Clarke's presentation topic to come!

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Jul
8
2:00 PM14:00

Monthly Meeting - Paul Storm from Meke Aloha Orchids

The July meeting will feature Paul Storm of Meke Aloha Orchids in Sarasota, Florida. Storm is considered throughout the world as a leading expert on Schomburgkia orchids, which have recently been reclassified as Laelia and Myrmecophila orchids based on genetic data and morphological characteristics. Storm will be discussing these fascinating plants and their changing classifications with our members!  

Paul will be bringing some "First Release' Schom Hybrid easy-to-grow and bloom seedlings but they will only be set up to accept cash or checks.

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Jun
10
2:00 PM14:00

Monthly Meeting - Sergio Garcia from Olompali Orchids

Sergio Garcia from Olompali Orchids in Bolinas, California will be guest speaker at the June meeting. Garcia is a lifelong orchid enthusiast and an expert on cattleya orchids who dedicates his time (and business) to improving species and creating hybrids with the objective of creating the future's award winning orchids. Garcia will be sharing his knowledge with us with a special presentation on Laelia purpurata and its varieties.

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