Our March meeting is the traditional “hands-on” re-potting session when we invite our members –especially new members –to bring orchids that may need re-potting, as well as any questions they have about how to do it, and get help from a group of experienced orchid growers. Media will be provided and some supplies will be available for sale, but you are encouraged to bring pots and equipment that you think will be useful. if your re-potting is up to date, congratulations! and you can still come and add your expertise to the process.

The meeting starts at 2 pm but you are invited to arrive as early as 1:30 to socialize and interact with vendors. We will be in room 5, Royal Botanical Gardens, 680 Plains Rd. W. Burlington. Come to the staff entrance at the back of the building. Members and guests welcome.

At the OSRBG Show on February 22/23, 2025, the Judges made the following awards:

Have you ever wondered what things Orchid Judges are looking for when they have to  award ribbons to Society displays? At our February meeting, Inge Poot will help us to understand  what elements play a part in that decision. With our Show coming up in just a few weeks, this is a timely discussion to have.

Inge Poot  is well-known to many of our members for her work as an AOS accredited Orchid Judge with Emeritus status, and as a Director of the Southern Ontario Orchid Society (SOOS). Inge writes that she has loved and recognized orchids since she was a small child admiring the wild orchids in her native Austria. In Canada, she earned a BSc from the University of Toronto in 1962 and completed her MSc at the same institution in 1973.  She and her husband have been growing orchids since 1962 and now have, according to Inge “1000 to 2000 orchids scattered all over our swampy-smelling house and attached greenhouse.” They grow a diverse selection of genera, and have most examples of the genus Stanhopea. They joined SOOS in 1964 and Inge has held positions of Librarian, Show Chair and President, as well as being active in other Orchid Associations including Chair of the Mid-America Conservation Committee for 5 years .

The meeting will take place at RBG Headquarters, 680 Plains Rd. W., Burlington Ontario, probably in Room 5 (subject to confirmation). The formal meeting begins at 2 pm, but you are invited to arrive as early as 1:30 pm to socialize and to interact with vendors. Please bring your beautiful orchids in bloom for the Show Table, and if so inclined, any orchids or orchid-related items for the raffle. Members and guests welcome.

For the January meeting our programme will be “How to Pot Semi-hydroponic”. The two presenters, Linda Will and Ben Boers are both well-known to OSRBG members. Ben is of course our current President and Show Director. Linda has held a number of positions, currently as Director of Communications (aka Orchidata editor) and she is particularly renowned for her success in growing Paphs and Phrags using the semi-hydroponic method. Who better to explain it to us!

 For this “hands-on” activity, Ben has obtained a number of miscellaneous orchids for potting into semi-hydroponic.  The Society will be supplying media and containers.

The meeting will take place at RBG Headquarters, 680 Plains Rd. W., Burlington Ontario, probably in Room 5 (subject to confirmation). The formal meeting begins at 2 pm, but you are invited to arrive as early as 1:30 pm to socialize and to interact with vendors. Please bring your beautiful orchids in bloom for the Show Table, and if so inclined, any orchids or orchid-related items for the raffle. Members and guests welcome.

Our annual orchid auction and holiday social will take the place of the usual meeting format on Sunday December 15, 2024. Members are asked to bring orchids and orchid-related items to be auctioned, finger foods to be enjoyed…and of course, cash to fund your auction wins! (Cheques and e-transfers also accepted.) This is always a good opportunity to pick up something new for your collection, or possibly a gift for someone on your list. Note that there will be no show table at this event but there will be a raffle for those who prefer to try another route for possibly adding an orchid to their collection. The auction takes place in Room 5,  Royal Botanical Gardens, 680 Plains Rd. W., Burlington, Ontario. It 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. Masking (or not) depending on personal preferences.

If you do a Google search on “Amazon Orchids,” you will see pictures of beautiful fake orchids that you can buy from that well-known online retailer!! But if you are more interested in seeing pictures of the REAL orchids of the Amazon Rainforest, you might be better advised to attend our November meeting, when Jean Hollebone will present on her trip to that part of the world and the orchids she saw there.

Jean Hollebone is a long time member and volunteer in  the Ottawa Orchid Society, and an AOS judge based in the Toronto Judging Centre. Active in the AOS since 2012 she has served in many positions: Trustee, Secretary, Vice president, and Chair or member of many AOS Committees. Currently she has cut back to two activities,  heading a small task force to update the AOS bylaws, and the Awards Committee  which solicits and disperses honours to deserving AOS volunteers. In Ottawa she currently co-chairs the Program Committee. With her family grown and  dispersed, Jean now has time to travel and has enjoyed several trips exploring orchids in their native habitats.  Jean  believes that the more we can understand about how orchids grow in nature, the better we can apply that knowledge to enhance the growing conditions and the blooms of the orchids we love to grow.  

The meeting will take place at RBG Headquarters, 680 Plains Rd. W., Burlington Ontario, probably in Room 5 (subject to confirmation). The formal meeting begins at 2 pm, but you are invited to arrive as early as 1:30 pm to socialize and to interact with vendors. Please bring your beautiful orchids in bloom for the Show Table, and if so inclined, any orchids or orchid-related items for the raffle. Members and guests welcome.

The speaker for our October meeting is Drew Goddard and the title of his talk is ” Breeding and Growing Orchids: a hobbyist’s journey”. Drew is the owner and operator of “This Side of Paradise”. He is also a member and former President of our Orchid Society and a member of several other orchid societies as well. As the title of his talk suggests, Drew will discuss his route into orchid-growing and some of what he learned along the way about breeding orchids.

Although he had been growing plants of various kinds all his life–the first one being a water lotus given to him by his mother when he was only 5–“everything from tulips to bonsai,” it took a while for him to get into orchids. His main hobby as an adult was raising Dart Frogs. It was only when he was researching what plants to use to fill his vivariums that he realized that Dart Frogs and Orchidaceae were so compatible. Now, 20 years later, the obsession is complete. He says “I gradually dragged my wife Jacquie into the hobby and now it’s a full-on family affair”. Over the past couple of years they have been “flasking up a storm” and in a few more years they will have a large number of Phalaenopsis for sale. Their personal collection is composed mainly of Nodosa and Phal species.

The meeting will take place in Room 5 at the RBG headquarters, 680 Plains Road West, Burlington Ontario. The formal meeting starts at 2 pm but you are encouraged to arrive as early as 1:30 to socialize and interact with vendors (of which This Side of Paradise is likely to be one). Please bring your beautiful orchids in bloom for the Show Table and, if so inclined, any orchids or orchid-related paraphernalia for the raffle. Members and guests welcome.

Not many of us here in Ontario have had the opportunity to attend a World Orchid Congress. In February of this year, a group of local Judges were able to take part in the 23rd Orchid Congress held in Taiwan. At our September meeting, one of those Judges, Jay Norris, will talk about the experience and show us his photographs of the event. Jay being an award-winning photographer of orchids, his photos are likely to be a cut above the usual holiday snaps!

Jay Norris has been passionate about orchids for over four decades, a journey that began with his father’s spare divisions and blossomed into a lifelong obsession. Through years of both triumphs and trials, Jay has honed his expertise, ultimately gravitating toward the captivating world of miniature orchids and cold-growing species from various genera.

Since 1992, Jay has been a dedicated member of the Toronto Judging Centre of the American Orchid Society, where he now serves as a Senior Accredited Judge. His keen eye for detail extends beyond judging; he is also an award-winning photographer, capturing the intricate beauty of these fascinating plants.

In addition to his judging and photographic pursuits, Jay is a key figure in Ravenvision, alongside Robin McLaughlin and Max Wilson. Together, they provide Canadian orchid enthusiasts from coast to coast to coast with the essential supplies needed to cultivate and care for their orchids.

Our meeting will take place at the Royal Botanical Gardens, 680 Plains Road West, Burlington, Ontario, in Room 5 (as always, subject to confirmation). The formal meeting begins at 2 pm but you are invited to arrive as early as 1:30 to mingle and interact with vendors. Please bring your beautiful orchids in bloom for the Show Table as well as any extra divisions or orchid-related paraphernalia you might have for the raffle. Members and guests welcome.

The topic for our August meeting is “Dendrochilums for the Amateur Grower” and the speaker will be Pat Vuurman. Pat is well-known to OSRBG members and to orchid enthusiasts nationally and internationally as a respected AOS Judge. He has been the Head Judge for the OSRBG Show for several years. Pat has been a member of the OSRBG Executive for more years that perhaps even he remembers and has served in practically every position. Among other activities, he guides and instructs the volunteers who work in the RBG Orchid House. In addition, he currently holds the position of Treasurer of the Toronto Judging Centre. He is knowledgeable about many types of orchids and frequently shares his insights as a panelist at Society meetings and in discussing the orchids on the Show Table. As a grower, he is perhaps best known for his Paphs and Phrags although he grows and exhibits a variety of other interesting specimens as well. Recently he has become interested in Dendrochilums and will share with us what he has learned from his experience and research.

As usual, the meeting will be held at RBG Headquarters, 680 Plains Rd. W., Burlington, Ontario (probably in room 5, subject to confirmation). The formal meeting will begin at 2 pm but you are invited to arrive as early as 1:30 to socialize and interact with vendors. Don’t forget to bring your beautiful orchids in bloom for the Show Table. If you have any orchids or orchid-related items for the raffle, these are always appreciated. Members and guests are welcome.