November 2015

Our latest promotional materials for next April’s Asheville Orchid Festival…a pop-up banner that will travel the country to all major orchid events. It was debuted last weekend in Florida at the 17th International Slipper Symposium that Graham Ramsey attended. We also have produced postcards (7,500 printed to date) with a similar design that can be handed out to increase our exposure.

(I am pictured with the banner for size reference only!)

This month’s speaker will be Ron Midgett, owner of New Earth Orchids. Ron is an Accredited American Orchid Society judge and an internationally recognized orchid grower and hybridizer. He has written articles for the AOS Orchids Magazine and has spoken on orchids in many venues including, for the past 5 years, at the Philadelphia Flower Show Gardener’s Studio. From 2006 to 2010 he chaired the North Jersey Orchid Show. His plants have won 70 American Orchid Society awards in addition to numerous show ribbons and trophies. In June 2010, Ron and his wife, Cyndi, moved New Earth Orchids and themselves to Santa Fe, NM. 

Ron’s program will be “Green With Envy: Green Cattleyas – Origins”
Most of us associate green Cattleyas with Rl (B) digbyana. While B. digbyana is an important player in the search for good green Cattleyas, it is not the only major player in the development of good green Cattleyas.
There are greens with no B. digbyana in there parentage, such as the Lc Atalanta Lane shown here. This talk discusses the contributions of the 5 major species, including digbyana, and those of 2 of the minor actors. 

Our December meeting will be our Annual Holiday Social. This year, we will be holding the pot luck event at our regular meeting location at the Asheville Chamber of Commerce and Visitor’s Center.