A team composed of Gavin Clark, Frank Washburn, Rob Vanderheyden, Wendy Hearder-Moan, and Heather Detheridge (and a friend of hers) travelled to London to create a display that ultimately was judged to be the best of the Society displays. Credit goes to the fine plants that were provided by our members, winning ribbons as follows:

Linda Will

• Paphiopedilum Bill Cardalino – 1^st and Best in Class!
• Paphiopedilum Ho Chi Minh – 2nd
• Paphiopedilum Joseito – 2nd
• Paphiopedilum Yang-Ji Hawk – 2nd
• Paphiopedilum Fastasy World ‘Linda’s Surprise’ HCC/AOS – 3rd
• Phragmipedium Eric Young – 3rd

Lynda and Pat Vuurman

• Cymbidium sinense – 1st
• Phragmipedium (Dana Hutchinson x hinksianum) – 1st
• Paphiopedilum Lyro Petit Fleur – 2nd
• Phalaenopsis Chienlung Claret – 3rd
• Phalaenopsis Minho Princess – 3rd
• Phalaenopsis Kaoda Twinkle – 3rd
• Phragmipedium Amitabha – 3rd

Wendy Hearder-Moan

• Phalaenopsis Jiaho’s Pink Girl ‘#1” – 2nd
• Phalaenopsis Queen Beer – 3rd

Gavin Clark

• Odontocidium Mayfair “R.C.W.’ FCC/AOS – 2nd

Cindy and Ben Boers

• Phalaenopsis Hybrid (Pink) – 2nd
• Phalaenopsis Hybrid (Pink) – 3rd
• Paphiopedilum insigne var. sylhetense – 3rd

Jacqui Arrindell

• Phalaenopsis Queen Beer – 1st
• Phalaenopsis Kinog’s Coroine – 2nd

RBG Collection

• Paphiopedilum St.Swithin ‘Blondie’ – 2nd
• Paphiopedilum gratrixianum – 2nd

 A special invitation to new members who may have joined the Society at the Annual Show –and to existing members– to attend a hands-on potting session, to be held in Room 5, Royal Botanical Gardens, 680 Plains Road W., Burlington. The formal meeting starts at 2 pm but you are invited to arrive any time after 1 pm to socialize and interact with vendors. If you have a plant that may need re-potting, bring it along and our experts, Pat Vuurman and Ben Boers, will give you some advice and assistance. Potting media will be provided, but you need to bring pots, secateurs (and gloves if you are so inclined). If all your potting is up to date, come anyway to assist others and work on plants from the RBG collection.

February 11/12, 2017, Toronto Botanical Garden, 777 Lawrence Ave. E., Toronto

For more information see: http://www.soos.ca/Show/index.htm

Ben Boers, Director for the OSRBG Show coming up on February 25/26 2017 will talk about what will be happening, when and where, and how you can get the most out of this year’s Orchid Show. Remember,  we count on our members to act as ambassadors to help any members of the public who need assistance or information. Ben will also touch on prepping your plants to bring them to our show (or to any orchid show) for display, including cleaning them and transporting them in foul weather. The formal meeting starts at 2 pm but you are invited to arrive any time after 1 pm to socialize and interact with vendors. The meeting is scheduled to take place in Room 5, Royal Botanical Gardens, 680 Plains Road West, Burlington. Members and guests welcome.

Our speaker for the January meeting is Jean Allen-Ikeson, a well-respected orchid grower, AOS Orchid Judge, author of many articles about orchids,  and a member of our Society. She will speak about Dendrobiums of Australia and Papua New Guinea. The meeting is scheduled for Room 5 at Royal Botanical Gardens, 680 Plains Road W., Burlington. The formal meeting starts at 2 pm but you are invited to arrive any time after 1 pm to socialize and interact with vendors. Members and guests welcome.

Sunday, December 18, 2016 at Royal Botanical Gardens, 680 Plains Rd. W., Burlington. Auction of orchids and orchid-related items starts about 2 p.m. with social time to follow. Members, please bring your donations (auction items and finger food) to Room 5, Royal Botanical Gardens from 1 pm. Guests are always welcome. If further details are required, please contact a member of the executive or leave a message via our contact page.

Our speaker for the November meeting is Doris Jensen, a well-known as a member of our Society and head judge at our Orchid Show. Her topic is Paphinia and its close relatives. The meeting will take place in Room 5 at Royal Botanical Gardens, 680 Plains Road W., Burlington, ON. The formal part of the meeting begins at 2 pm but you are invited to arrive any time after 1 pm to socialize and interact with vendors. Members and guests are welcome.

   Vanilla!

Our speaker for this meeting is Ottawa orchidist Marilyn Light who will talk about the Orchids of Reunion Island which she describes as “an exciting and dynamic place”. The presentation is partly a travelog and partly a report on the cultivation of many kinds of Vanilla and an overview of the wild orchids that were growing/flowering during her visit. She will also introduce the challenges of weather and volcanic activity, sporadic disruptive events that fashion the life of orchids on that island. Educated as a microbiologist, Marilyn has raised orchids from seed and has registered more than 20 hybrids, of which three have received awards. She and her husband have been involved with conservation of terrestrial orchids since 1985, tracking individual plant behaviour, fecundity, and pest susceptibility/resistance.

The meeting will take place in Rooms 3 and 4 (note the change from our regular venue) at Royal Botanical Gardens, 680 Plains Road West, Burlington. The formal part of the meeting starts at 2 pm but you are invited to come any time after 1 pm to socialize and interact with vendors. Members and guests are welcome.

Our Society members did nicely at the 2016 COOS Show, with Sherry and Peter Decyk’s Epidendrum diffusum once again taking the prize for Best Laeliinae along with a first place ribbon and a 3^rd in the specimen class. Their beautiful Dendochilum magnum ‘Champagne’ CCM/AOS and Oncidium ‘Sharry Baby’ both picked up second place ribbons and the Dendrochilum was second in the specimen class as well. Congratulations, Peter and Sherry!

Congratulations to Chris Varady too. His Epidendrum peperomia was entered as a separate display (on Pat Vuurman’s suggestion) and it was first in that display category with a second place ribbon for the plant itself.

RBG’s Pholidota imbricata got a first place ribbon and also a third in the specimen class. Two Brassavola nodosa plants were entered from the RBG collection and they won 2^nd and 3^rd respectively. Phragmipedium Cardinale ‘Kilworth’ AM/AOS merited a 3^rd place ribbon this time around.

Other results were as follows:

Ben and Cindy Boers

Cattlianthe Barefoot Mailman – 3rd

Cattleya Walkerinter v. coerulea – 3rd

Gavin Clark

Oncidium (Dancer x Robert Dugger ’Unicorn Ruby’ Am/AOS – 1st

Dendrobium Hibiki –3rd

Xylobium varigatum –3rd

Gretta Culley

Cischeinfia pusilla – 2nd

Phragmipedium Hanne Popow – 3rd

Wendy Hearder-Moan

Phalaenopsis pulchra – 3rd

Pat and Lynda Vuurman

Cymbidium sinense –2nd

Linda Will

Paphiopedilum Dollgoldi – 1st

Paphiopedilum Rosy Dawn – 2nd

Paphiopedilum Great Inuyama –3rd

Phragmidpedium Carol Kanzer – 3rd

The exhibit itself received a 3^rd place ribbon. Thanks go to Frank Washburn, Gavin Clark, Jacqui Arindell and Rob Vanderheyden who, along with myself, travelled to Cambridge to set up the exhibit. Frank, Gavin, Jacqui, Jim Johnston and I also dismantled the display and returned everything to the RBG greenhouse on Sunday night. A great team effort!

Wendy Hearder-Moan

 The speaker for this meeting is Claudio Rossi of Cloud’s Orchids and his topic is Brassavola Nodosa and its hybrids. This presentation covers first generation breeding with the lovely “Lady of the Night” orchid. Interactions with different general within the Cattleya Alliance are also highlighted. Claudio Rossi has been growing orchids since 1974 and founded Cloud’s Orchids in 1990, providing locally flask-raised orchids to other nurseries and the general public worldwide. He has a background in horticulture and is and AOS orchid judge with senior status. Orchids may be ordered for delivery at the meeting by using the form on Cloud’s  website. The meeting is in Room 5, Royal Botanical Gardens, 680 Plains Road West, Burlington. The formal part of the meeting starts at 2 p.m. but you are invited to arrive any time after 1 p.m. to socialize and interact with vendors.  Members and guests welcome.