February Newsletter

And now for a STANDING OVATION— the January Show-And-Tell table was the most outstanding display of blooming orchids I have seen in years. Congratulations WNCOS members! If all our WNCOS members participate at this level for the Asheville Orchid Festival, we are sure to have another award-winning exhibit. Plants in spike right now are the future stars of our spring show, The Orchid Express. So start grooming! Stake these beauties up to display at their best, to be in top form for the first of April. And thanks to Will Bottoms for January’s excellent program on what it takes to achieve award winning orchids.

I am very excited about this month’s program. Jeremy Losaw will speak on Orchid Photography.  Jeremy is a passionate orchid enthusiast and an AOS orchid photographer. (Learn more).  In addition to presenting his photography program, Jeremy will set up his photo booth for a hands-on demonstration. It’s no secret that we all like to capture and share shots of our hard-won blooms. With WNCOS’s first program on Orchid Photography, now is the time to up your bar!

Our monthly meeting will be at the usual location, 36 Montford Avenue, Asheville, February 12th  starting at 2:00pm. Feel free to come early for some quality orchid socializing, and don’t forget those Show-And-Tell bloomers.

As many of you know, WNCOS Vice President Bob Hydzik is an AOS Associate Judge. Below is a special message from Bob and The Carolina Judging Center:

The Carolinas Judging Center would like to extend an invitation to anyone from your orchid society that is interested in becoming an AOS judge.  We are always on the lookout for folks who are eager to learn more about orchids and give back to the hobby!  We want to encourage anyone who thinks they might be interested to reach out, even if you just want to learn a bit more about what is involved.  The applicant we are seeking doesn't need to have 30+ years of orchid experience or 5000 orchids... the most important quality is an eagerness to learn, and continue to expand their knowledge.

The initial step to becoming a judge is starting as a clerk with the judging center for ~6 months.  This gives you an opportunity to become familiar with the process, meet the other judges, and see what judging is all about.  Additionally, it gives the judges time to get to know you and your knowledge base so we can individually tailor your training.  After spending a little while clerking, you would apply as a student judge.

After being accepted into the student program, you learn more about the various types of orchids, how to judge them, etc.  You have 3-5 years at this stage.  Once ready, a student is then promoted to associate judge - at this point you are a certified judge and your input will count toward the overall award point scores.  At the same time, you will still be honing your knowledge base with more advanced study.  After 3-5 more years as an associate, a judge is promoted to fully accredited status.  Though it may seem like a long time, it goes by quickly and you are a part of the team as soon as you join!

We meet on the 3rd Saturday of each month at Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden just outside of Charlotte, NC for monthly judging.  We also participate in the various shows throughout the region.  So, being a judge does involve a bit of travel and time commitment.  But, it's also a great way to see lots of different orchids as well as meet orchid fanatics from all over the region.  If you love orchids, it's a wonderful way to both learn more and become even more involved in the hobby.

 Please feel free to reach out to me if you are interested, or even if you just have questions!  ( sarahepatterson@gmail.com ) Also, all are welcome to come to monthly judgings - we are happy to talk with you in-person and show you more about what we do.

 All the best,

Sarah Patterson

Chair, Carolinas Judging Center

 Thank you for reading and I will see you all at our next meeting, February 12th.

 Graham Ramsey

President

Western North Carolina Orchid Society