January 2026 newsletter

Happy New Year orchid friends!! And welcome 2026, as we look forward to another great year for WNCOS! But before we leave 2025 behind, let us revisit some of last year’s highlights. Of course, Asheville Orchid Festival’s “Orchid Arcadia” was a smash hit, due entirely to the tremendous efforts of our outstanding membership. In 2025, we also had a number of great speakers, a rewarding field trip, and one heck of a successful orchid auction. This year’s Holiday Social was especially well attended at our new home, the Ivy Building.

So what’s in store for 2026? Our next big event will be March 27-29, WNCOS’s 25th Asheville Orchid Festival “Orchid Kingdom”!! In addition, Vice President Nancy Graham has been lining up a great roster of speakers for the coming year. Please visit the calendar of events at wncos.org for further details. For our first meeting of 2026, and back by popular demand from Carter & Holmes, we welcome Bridget Uzar. On January 11th, Bridget will present “Troubleshooting Your Orchids,” a program that will surely be of interest to all level of growers. Bridget will also bring a variety of Carter & Holmes gems for sale, and for our raffle table as well. So bundle up and and head out to the Ivy Building on January 11th, starting at 2:00pm. Be sure to bring your Show-and-Tell beauties, and don’t hesitate to show up early for shopping and socializing with your fellow orchid enthusiast.