Reports of Shows and Other Events

Ottawa Orchid Society Show, April 27/28, 2024

OSRBG Display

Reported by Pat Vuurman

On Friday, 26 April Pat Vuurman collected the plants and display materials for the Ottawa Orchid Society Show.  Set up was accomplished using a piece of driftwood on its side with plants distributed around and over it to achieve a pleasing colour flow.  Gavin’s Dendrobium farmeri was made the focal point at the top with an added accent below it with Linda’s Paphiopedilum Hung Sheng Giant.

 Ben’s Cattleya Fire Magic ‘Solar Flare’ anchored the left side with Guarianthe skinneri ‘Heiti Jacobs’, Phragmipedium Mini Grande ‘Rascal’, Myrmecophila wendlandii ranked to the right and Lycaste Fire Bird in front.

In the first picture you will see the set-up using blocks to raise some plants and cloths over the pots to neutralize their colours but the wood is still visibly too noticable. 

The second picture shows the dampening effect of using the moss as an accent but letting some of the wood show through.  Note also that Gavin’s Dendrobium has been rotated a bit to better advantage and the circular plant name tags are about to be installed on their wire hangers. 

The third picture was taken after judging was over showing the ribbons and name tags in place.

Despite having quality plants and a well designed layout, our display earned a 3rd place ribbon in its category.  I believe this is more a tribute to the quality of the competition at this show than a demerit for ours.  There were some fantastic displays – especially by the host society and les Orchidophiles de Montreal.  Les Orchidophiles won the Best Display in Show as well as a Silver Certificate of Excellence from the AOS and it was in direct competition with us!

  Further results were:

 1st Ribbons:

Cattleya Fire Magic ‘Solar Flare’ (C. Tokyo Magic x C. Fire Fantasy) from Ben Boers

Mymecophila (Schomburgkia) wendlandii from RBG

2nd Ribbons:

Dendrobium farmeri from Gavin Clark

Paphiopedilum Hung Sheng Giant (Paph. Hung Sheng Pawnee x Paph. Yi-Ying Giant Wings) Linda Will

Phragmipedium Mini Grande (Phrag. humboldtii x Phrag. pearcei) from Linda Will

 Thank you Gavin, Linda and Ben for allowing your plants to be included.

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London Orchid Society Show, March 16/17, 2024

Orchid Society of the Royal Botanical Gardens display 

Reported by Pat Vuurman

On Friday, March 15th the OSRBG Display Team of Heather Detheridge, Cathy Tozer. Aleksandra Popovic, and led by Rob Vanderheyden went to London to set up a table top display of 25 orchid plants in a naturalistic setting.  They returned on Sunday to retrieve the plants and material back to the RBG.

Numerous ribbons were earned including the Best Epidendrum for Wendy Hearder-Moan’s Epidendrum Raspberry Valley and Best Dendrobium for Lynda Vuurman’s Dendrobium aberrans.  The centrepiece of the exhibit was a very large plant of Coelogyne Bird in Flight grown beautifully by Agnes Hastick.  It garnered a 1st ribbon in its class plus a 3rd ribbon as a specimen sized plant – grown so well that the plant also earned an Award of Merit of 84 points and Certificate of Cultural Merit of 82 points from the American Orchid Society.

Thank you Agnes, Wendy, Aleksandra Popovic, Ed Shanks, Jocelyn Weber, Linda Will, Martha Novoselac, Rob Vanderheyden, RBG, Lynda and Pat Vuurman for allowing their precious plants to be entered for this exhibit.

Additional results were:

1st place ribbons: Oncidium sphacelatum Wendy Hearder-Moan

Paphiopedilum Cocoa Kimura Sholt – Jocelyn Weber

Paphiopedilum Honey – Linda Will

Paphiopedilum Norito Hasegawa – Linda Will

Paphiopedilum Yi-Ying Santa Claus – Linda Will

Phalaenopsis amabilis (variegata) – Lynda Vuurman

Phalaenopsis I-Hsin Little Red Berry – Agnes Hastick

Pleurothallis prolifera – RBG

2nd place ribbons: Brassocattleya Yellow Bird – Linda Will

Paphiopedilum NoID – Jocelyn Weber

Phalaenopsis Magnificia – Aleksandra Popovic

Phalaenopsis NoID – Ed Shanks

Phalaenopsis NoID – Ed Shanks

Phalaenopsis Yishing – Aleksandra Popovic

Schomburgkia tibicinis – RBG

3rd place ribbons: Cochleanthes marginata – Pat Vuurman

Phalaenopsis Charming Full Moon – Aleksandra Popovic

Phalaenopsis Memoria Stephen Bush – Aleksandra Popovic

Here are some photos contributed by Rob Vanderheyden:

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OSRBG Show – February 24-25, 2024

by Wendy Hearder-Moan

A small but dedicated group of volunteers under the direction of Show Director Ben Boers and Head Judge Pat Vuurman once again came through and presented a successful Orchid Show.

The OSRBG display, created by Gavin Clark, Heather Detheridge, Cathy Tozer, Aleksandra Popovic, Martha Novoselac and Jacquie Arrindell received a second place ribbon in the category of displays with more than 15 flowering orchids.

Photo Credit – Aleksandra Popovic

Gavin Clark’s Dendrobium King Rose was the winner of Best Specimen Plant.

Here, in no particular order, are the other ribbon winners:

Aleksandra Popovic

Phal. (Yellow, no ID) – 1st

Phal. amabilis x Yakimai – 2nd

Phal. Memoria Stephen – 3rd

Phal Magnificia – 3rd

Ben Boers

C. Walkerinter var. coerulea – 3rd

Ed Shanks

Phal. no ID ‘Second Chance’ – 1st

Oncidium sphacelatum ‘Yellow Breeze’ – 2nd

Gavin Clark

Den. nobile – 1st

Coel. cummingii – 1st

Den. King Rose – 1st

Den. Ise – 2nd

Coel. flaccida – 2nd

Coel. cumminglii – 2nd

Jocelyn Webber

Paph. delenatii- 1st

Paph. Enzan Sholt x Paph. Yi-Ying Fireworks – 1st

Phrag. Leslie Garay x kovachii – 1st

Paph. Leanum – 3rd

Paph. Enzan Red Hunting x Cocoa Burrhill – 3rd

Linda Will

Zygo. Happy Bay ‘Oliver’s Twist’ – 1st

Pat Vuurman

Phrag. Memoria Dick Clements – 1st

Den. aberans- 1st

Philip Scher

Paph. Addicted Phillip ‘Rehabed’ – 1st

Clowesia Dragon’s Treasure ‘ Gilberto’ AM/AOS – 2nd

Pot. (Loud Nine ‘SVO’ Best x Thrall Magenta Fire AM/AOS ‘Double Trouble’ – 3rd

Robert Johnstone

Phrag. Ecuagenera Dream – 1st

Phrag. Praying Mantis – 1st

Paph. Fairly Sauced – 2nd

Wendy Hearder-Moan

Epidendrum Raspberry Valley – 1st

Phal. Timothy Christopher – 3rd

Awards and Trophies

At the Show, awards were given for outstanding displays and orchids in various categories. The Society thanks all those who sponsored awards, and congratulates the winners once again.

For a list of award winners, seehttp://osrbg.ca/wp/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Award-Winners-2024-.pdf

Phal. Popin Fireworks ‘Potin Ocicar’ (centre) winner of the IPA Trophy for Best Phalaenopsis Hybrid (the focus of the COOS display and exhibited by Gerhardt Kompter)

And a final word, from Show Director Ben Boers:

We had our show for 2024 this past February and it proved to be a great success even with the changes by RBG.

Thank you to everyone who volunteered their time and those that brought in items for our lunch room. This was new for us as the rules of the RBG had changed. Thanks to Cindy who volunteered to take organizing the food and drinks for our volunteers. This was not an easy task with a broken arm. She thanks all those that helped her put together sandwiches etc.

Heather and her crew did a fabulous job putting the RBG display together. Gavin racked in the awards again this year with a couple of great plants. Congratulations to him.

Karen Logan had a great display of art again this year. I believe there were approximately 65 pieces. There were some very large pieces as well. Well done.

Our AOS judging crew was led by Pat Vuurman with Lynda taking on organizing the judges lunch. Linda Will and Robert Johnstone input all the plants into the computer for judging, not an easy task.

As you can appreciate it takes a lot of people to put on a show. There are always challenges to getting the show setup and running.

Thanks again to all Ben Boers

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SOOS Report – February 20

By Robert Vanderheyden

Our OSRBG display at the SOOS Orchid Show at the Toronto Botanical Gardens Februay 10-11, 2024 was set up by Heather Detheridge, Cathy Tozer and Rob Vanderheyden. The 12 plants in the display came from the orchid collecIons of Linda Will, Aleksandra Popovic, the RBG, and Rob Vanderheyden. Even though the plant count was not large, an attracIve display grew out of the work of the setup team, and it received a third place ribbon. Some photos are included.

Ribbon report

Linda Will

Paphiopedilum venustum – 2nd 

Phragmipedium – 3rd

Aleksandra Popovic

Phalaenopsis Memoria Stephen Bush – 3rd 

Royal Botanical Gardens 

Ryhncholaeliocattleya Meadow Gold – 2nd 

Rob Vanderheyden

Clowesetum Dragon’s Treasure ‘Gilberto’ AM/AOS – 1st in class

Clowesetum Dragon’s Treasure ‘Gilberto’ AM/AOS – Best in Miscellaneous Genera

Clowesetum Dragon’s Treasure ‘Gilberto’ AM/AOS – Best in Show

Clowesetum Dragon’s Treasure ‘Gilberto’ AM/AOS – Awarded a CCE/AOS with 90 points. (CerIficate of Cultural Excellence from the American Orchid Society Toronto Judging Centre)

Clowesetum Afterglow – 2nd

Dendrobium Hsinying Sweetscent (semi-album) – 2nd


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Report of the Orchid Society of the Royal Botanical Gardens Show, February 20 – March 1, 2020

by Wendy Hearder-Moan

Here’s a google picture album that Rob Vanderheyden put together on the 2020 OSRBG with the help of Pat Vuurman. It complements the report below: https://photos.google.com/share/AF1QipMXYYqRTHOygCU5FbqU5xUp8ztG1rGWD07p_Oxvupu8_dqr1ZoFpgdVjFrwkXqLWw?key=bjdWYlBpVkZORVZBNzFzMFhDRklFNU1qcVhLaXZ3


A team composed of Frank Washburn, Gavin Clark, Rob Vanderheyden, Heather Detheridge, Martha Novoselac, Cindy Boers and Amanda  Crabbe executed Ben Boers’ vision for the  OSRBG display, assisted by Sandra Ianiri, Jacqui Arrindell and myself working “behind the scenes” doing the labelling and fitting up the plants with pot socks. (‘Pot socks” for the uninitiated are the black cloths that cover the clay and plastic pots.) Many thanks to all the members who contributed plants for the display. Special thanks to Linda Will and Robert Johnstone who registered not only the plants in our display but also those in all the other displays in the Show, a labour-intensive and  painstaking task which must be acknowledged. Karen Logan organized the art portion of the Show virtually single-handedly for which we are very grateful. This aspect of the Show grows in importance every year thanks to her involvement. Thanks are also due to Lynda and Pat Vuurman who arranged for the AOS judging (Pat as head judge), in addition to their many other functions, and of course our eminent Show Director, Ben Boers (and not forgetting the essential role played by Cindy Boers!)

Coming back to our display, the big winner was a Coelogyne cristata, grown by Gavin Clark. It rang all the changes, winning Best in Class, Best Specimen Plant and Best in Show. Congratulations, Gavin!

Gavin Clark’s Coelogyne cristata

Other ribbon winners were as follows:

Royal Botanical Gardens 

Myrmecophila (Schomburgkia) wendlandii – 1st

Ansellia africana ‘Garden Party’ HCC/AOS – 3rd

Linda Will

Phragmipedium Eric Young – 1st

Phragmipedium Zopatilla de la Virgen – 2nd

Phragmipedium Fritz Schomburg – 2nd

Bc. Green bird – 2nd

Phragmipedium Cape Sunset – 3rd

Paphiopedilum Lady Booth x sanderianum – 3rd

Robert Johnstone

Phragmipedium Penns Creek Cascade – 1st

Paphiopedilum Doll’s Kobold – 2nd

Paphiopedilum tuxedo Junction ‘ David Warren’ HCC/AOS – 2nd

Paphiopedilum Fairly Sauced – 3rd

Paphiopedilum spicerianum – 3rd

Phragmipedium Cardinale ‘Kilworth’ AM/AOS – 3rd

Wendy Hearder-Moan

Phalaenopsis Sogo Jessica ‘Blush’ – 1st

Phalaenopsis (No ID – Pink) – 3rd

Phalaenopsis (No ID – Yellow) – 3rd

Ed Drury 

Cattleya (Slc. Newberry Promise x Pot. Lynette and Alan) x Rlc. Dream Circle – 1st

June Cramer 

Cymbidium Swan Lake ‘Margot’ – 1st

Cymbidium Intermediate Yellow – 2nd

Cymbidium Jia Ho’s Green Emerald – 2nd

Cymbidium Fuss ‘ Fantasy’ – 3rd

Cymbidium Mighty Remus ‘Vintage’ – 3rd

Pat and Lynda Vuurman

Bifrenaria (leucorrhoda x vitellina) – 2nd

Phalaenopsis Yushan Green Pixie (Timothy Christopher x Chang Maw Evergreen) – 2nd

Phalaenopsis Queen Beer (pulcherrima x Meteor) – 3rd

Robert Vanderheyden

Phragmipedium Leslie Garay (Phrag. longifolium x Phrag. caudatum) – 3rd

Paphiopedilum gratrixianum – 3rd

Ben and Cindy Boers

Phalaenopsis Almanis – 3rd

Sarco. Metalica – 3rd

June Cramer”s Cymbidiums were a big hit with Show attendees

A list of award winners in the various categories will be posted elsewhere on the website, but I should take this opportunity to thank all the donors who make the awards possible.

The show was well-attended and it seemed to me that just about everyone who visited the sales area went away with at least one purchase. Thanks to all our vendors for helping to make the customers happy. The talks on re-potting and on orchid culture were also well-attended and the participation of Sandra Ianiri, Heather Detheridge, Pitson Dantanarayana, Katherine Golightly, Denise McLeod, and Ann Stallman was much appreciated, as well as that of Spencer Hauk who spoke on orchid pests.

A myriad of other volunteers helped to make this show a success. Whether you sold raffle tickets (thanks, John Boers), worked Security, staffed the info desk or the Society Sales Table, sold memberships or helped dismantle the display, give yourself a pat on the back for a job well done.


Ed Drury’s Cattleya

SOOS Orchid Show February 8 & 9, 2020 Report

By Rob Vanderheyden

The OSRBG display at the SOOS Orchid Show featured 22 plants: 18 on loan from members of our society and 4 from the RBG greenhouse.

Heather Detheridge, Cathy Tozer, Gavin Clark, and myself, Rob Vanderheyden, had the pleasure of setting up the OSRBG display at the SOOS Valentines Orchid Show 2020. Twenty-two plants is not a large number of plants for a display but there were some very impressive plants that the team had to work with. Thank you to the team for your efforts in creating a display that showed off our orchids well.

Congratulations to all who received awards at the show. The display was awarded a 2nd place ribbon, 13 member plants and 2 RBG plants were awarded ribbons as noted below. Congratulations to Wendy Hearder-Moan as her Phalaenopsis Sogo Jessica ‘Blush’ was awarded 1st in Phalaenopsis hybrids – Class 047, Best in Class and the International Phalaenopsis Alliance Trophy. 

Phalaenopsis Sogo Jessica ‘Blush’

Ribbon Report

Wendy Hearder-Moan 

Phalaenopsis Sogo Jessica ‘Blush’ (Liu’s Twilight Rainbow x Sogo Rostris) – 1st, Best in Class and the International Phalaenopsis Alliance Trophy

Coelogyne Unchained Melody (cristata x flaccida) 2nd

Gavin Clark

Coelogyne cristata 2nd

June Cramer

Cymbidium (pumilum x Flare) x Clarissa ‘Austin’ 3rd

Cymbidium Kyancutta ‘Sweet Lorraine’ (airy Wand x Paracel) 3rd

Sandra Micucci

Laelianthe Meadow Gold (Laelia anceps x Guarianthe aurantiaca) 2nd

Rhyncattleanthe Key Mersorcamdan (Izumi Charm x C. Fire Fantasy ‘Royalty’) 3rd

Linda Will

Miltoniopsis Sun Glow ‘Amazing’ (Pink Lady x santanaei) 3rd

Phragmipedium Eric Young (besseae x longifolium) 2nd

Phragmipedium Fritz Schomburg (kovachii x besseae) 3rd

Rob Vanderheyden

Cymbidium sinensis 3rd

Oncostele Eye Candy ‘Pinkie’ (Catatante x Oncidium Barossa Delight) 3rd

Phragmipedium Sedenii (longifolium x schlimii) 3rd

Royal Botanical Gardens

Trichocentrum sprucei 1st

Schomburgkia undulata 1st

COOS Report – 2019

By Wendy Hearder-Moan

The OSRBG display at the COOS Show featured 45 plants, of which 8 were from the RBG greenhouse and the remaining 37 were on loan from members of the Society.  Thank you to everyone who contributed their prized specimens. Without your participation there would be no display.

Forty-five plants made for a large display, as shown above. Many thanks to Frank Washburn, Jacqui Arrindell, Heather Detheridge and her friend Cathy, and Gavin Clark who, along with myself, put together the display.

Four of the RBG orchids received ribbons as did 20 of the plants belonging to members. Congratulations to all the ribbon winners and a special congratulations to Ben Boers whose Cattleya maxima var coerulea received the award for Best Cattleya in the Show. A photo of his Cattleya can be found below.


Here is a list of all the ribbon winners from our display.

Royal Botanical Gardens

Epidendrum prismatocarpum – 2nd

Rhyncholaeliocattleya Déese Charles – 2nd

Epidendrum (Mabel Kanda x cordigera alba) – 3rd

Guarianthe bowringiana – 3rd

Pat and Linda Vuurman

Kefericzella Ash Trees (Kefst. tolimensis x W. marginata) – 2nd

Phragmidpedium Apple Pie (Magdalene Rose x besseae) – 2nd

Coelogyne Orchideengarten Joachim (salmonicolor x usitana) – 3rd

Ben and Cindy Boers

Cattleya maxima var coerulea ‘Ben Boers’ HCC/AOS – 1st and Best Cattleya Award

Cattleya Walkerinter var coerulea (walkeriana x intermedia) – 1st

Cattleya tigrinia – 2nd

Rhynchostylis coelestits – 3rd

Wendy Hearder-Moan

Phalaenopsis Queen Beer (pulcherrima x Meteor) – 1st

Miltonidium Plum Fancy ‘The Best’ – 2nd

Frank Washburn

Oncidium Heaven Scent ‘Redolence’ (Ruffles x Sharry Baby)  – 3rd

Linda Will

Paphiopedilum purpuratum – 2nd

Phragmipedium Norvin Olivas (pearcei x kaieteurum) – 3rd

Phragmidpedium (lindleyanum x Hanna Popow) – 3rd

Faye Menzies

Brassolaelia Aurora (L. anceps x B. nodosa) – 1st

Encyclia vespa – 3rd

Cattleya Hawaiian Wedding Song ‘Virgin’ HCC/AOS – 3rd

Daniel Scher

Paphiopedilum Predacious ‘Lestat’ (adductum x glanduliferum) – 2nd

Cattleya jenmanii var typo ‘Mem. Emily Scher – 3rd

Philip Scher

Dracuvallia Dorothy Stevenson (Masd. uniflora x Drac. roezlii) – 1st

Masdevallia peristeria ‘Predator’ – 1st

Gavin Clark

Dendrobium trinervum x sib – 1st

Here are a few more photos from the Show: