2015 SAOS Newsletters
Not from St. Augustine?
Sign up for a $7 annual online subscription. We'll deliver our newsletter packed with advice right to your inbox and you'll help us maintain the quality of our website and newsletter!
December - Christmas Auction
Auctioneer Bob Schimmel
Our annual Christmas auction was a great opportunity to eat, drink and be merry with our orchid friends, and we enjoyed the return of our
auction too!
November - Orchid Roots
John Salventi, formerly of Parkside Nursery
John talked about orchid roots, with their unique adaptations to an epiphytic lifestyle. Healthy roots will produce healthy plants and healthy plants produce lots of glorious flowers.
Ron talked about the major species used in green cattleya hybidizing in his talk "Green with Envy", there's a whole lot more to the story than just Rhyncholaelia digbyana!
Ernie talked about growing outdoors, or Gorilla Growing as he calls it, where the size of your gorilla will change with your circumstances. Cherchez the hot growers that can tolerate some winter dips in temperature, Ernie has a list!
August - Orchid Growing Basics
Michael Polen, Art Stone Orchids
Michael gave a great talk on the basics of orchid growing. Growers of all levels learned some new tricks, including the three most important rules of orchid growing, location, location, location!
Alan gave us a course in Orchids 101, in which he talked about the essential of orchid growing including watering and fertilizing tips to preserve the most precious parts of your orchid, the roots.
June - Stanhopeas
Jill Godfrey, Hobbyist and AOS Judge
Jill talked about Stanhopeas, those fragrant, exotic orchids that bloom from the base of the baskets we grow them in, and she gave a hands on potting demonstration too!
Tom talked about angraecums, those delightful white to greenish bloomers from South Africa and Madagascar with the long spurs. Great pictures, lots of cultural tips and an entertaining style
Keith talked about the fabulous summer blooming bifoliate cattleyas... and how to avoid cultural mistakes with these beauties. Keith also gave everyone a
handout with lots of information.
Peter talked about Neofinetia falcata, the small growing vandaceous orchid much loved by the Japanese. There are many flower and leaf forms and quite a variety of charming intergeneric hybrids.
February - Orchids of El Salvador
Guillermo Salazar, Horticulturist
Guillermo talked about the orchids of El Salvador with all its hidden treasures.
January - Growing Orchids in St. Augustine
St. Augustine Orchid Society Members
We showed pictures of where club members grow during the warm summer and cold winter months, and several members described their orchid growing challenges and solutions.
