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