February 2020
Greetings everyone! I’d like to thank everyone who came on the WNCOS field trip to Carter and Holmes nursery in Newberry, South Carolina. We had a wonderful time and overall it was a very successful event for everyone. Young transportation did a great job of getting us down and back safely, and in style.
Carter and Holmes was very excited to have us and were very hospitable. A huge thank you to Mac, Bridget and their team for having us!!! Seems like most everyone purchased plants, which I know they appreciated. The Paphiopedilums they had available were nice looking plants, so I purchased several and got them home and on the bench quickly. I can tell you a few of the larger seedlings in 4” pots have already begun to spike for me since bringing them home, so keep an eye on your plants as you might be surprised.
As we roll into February, we will be holding a program on Sunday, February 9th entitled “What’s Wrong With My Orchid”. This is something we do every couple of years and gives everyone an opportunity to discuss what’s going wrong with your orchids. Graham has put together a panel of experts and growers from the society who have been growing for many years and who have a ton of good experience. We’ll bring in some plants, but know that you’re most welcome to bring in anything that you’d like to look at together with the group and discuss what’s going on with it. This kind of program has always been a big hit, so we’re anticipating strong attendance. We will have a raffle table this month, so remember to bring in your best-blooming orchid for our show and tell segment. You will receive a free raffle ticket for your efforts. At the beginning of our meeting this month, we’ll have a couple of announcements and will briefly provide an update with regard to our 2020 Asheville Orchid Festival ‘The Orchid Express’. A few of us on the festival committee and board have been working really hard already. There will be more than ample opportunities for everyone’s involvement. But, right now we are in search of a new registration chair. This position is imperative to the success of the festival and requires someone comfortable with Microsoft Excel, and who’s available all day Thursday and Friday before the festival begins. If you’re competent on a computer, easy to work with and want to be the 2020 WNCOS hero, contact me immediately.
Our March meeting will focus on our upcoming Asheville Orchid Festival. The one meeting you simply cannot miss, but unfortunately, I won’t be here. Graham Ramsey will be leading this meeting as I’m supposed to be in Taiwan (we’ll see what happens with this coronavirus). This will be our last gathering prior to the festival. All the details will be reviewed and we’ll then make sure everyone has an understanding of what to expect and where/how you can help. We’ve had a bit of a change with our vendor line up for 2020. We’ve got an exciting vendor coming all the way from Virginia to fill the spot. Peter Breed of Orchid Classics will be coming to our festival for the first time and we’re very excited to have them. The Orchid Trail in Raleigh, NC is also a new vendor for us this year, replacing Orchids Limited. We’re very excited to bring in these vendors/exhibitors for the first time and experience what they’ll be able to contribute to the big event. In addition to these two new vendors/exhibitors, we’ve secured Carter and Holmes, Looking Glass Orchids, Ironwood Estate Orchids, Marble Branch Farms, Ecuagenera, Krull Smith, BB Barns, and Steve Arthur Orchids. I trust you’d all agree that is an impressive line-up.
This upcoming Thursday, February 6th, we’ll be installing an exhibit in the 2020 South Carolina Orchid Society Show and Sale at the Riverbanks Zoo in Columbia. If you’re not too busy, you should strongly consider attending their show next weekend. Always a great show with incredible plants that are blooming here in the winter months, and of course local vendors selling awesome orchids. If you have a really sweet looking orchid in peak bloom right now and wish to get it entered in our exhibit, please contact me ASAP. We’ll need to get it in our hands no later than this upcoming Wednesday. In March, we’ll also be installing an exhibit at the Triad Orchid Society 2020 spring show. Early March! Another opportunity to help contribute with our exhibits, we’ll need any really nice looking plant that’s in bloom so please let us know. The last thing; we are seeking a volunteer to take out our exhibit and bring our plants home from that show on Sunday, March 9th. This will be near Greensboro, NC. Any of you members can help us out with this, it’s very simple and we take care of your travel expenses. Please let us know if you’d like to discuss these details.
2020 dues are due! See Axel at our next meeting and square up with us on your dues, please. A reminder that this is how we’re able to do all the extra fun stuff over the course of the year. Keep an eye on our fabulous website, www.wncos.org for upcoming festival details!