February 5 Meeting
Get Passionate About Paphiopedilums with Tim Culbertson
Join us on Thursday, February 5, at 7:30 pm for an in-person talk from Tim Culbertson of Oceanside Orchids, the Paphiopedilum program at Sunset Valley Orchids! Tim will speak to us on Multifloral Paphiopedilums, one of his favorite groups of orchids! Tim reports that of all the Paphs, these grow best in mixed collections with Cattleyas and other high-light orchids! This is your opportunity to branch out, increase your knowledge of some of the most important species in the background of many Paphiopedilum hybrids, and learn about their care in our local growing conditions.
The best news? Tim will bring plants to sell!
The meeting begins at 7:30 pm at First Christian Church, 1601 Sunset Boulevard, Houston.
If you haven’t already ordered your official Houston Orchid Society name badge, you can now order yours online.
About Tim’s passion for Paphs
One of my passions has always been plants. I began growing orchids as an offshoot from working at Longwood Gardens in Philadelphia after college. From the beginning it was all about Paphs—particularly awarded and select clones of historic importance, of which my collection numbers nearly 3,000. I currently manage the Paphs at Sunset Valley Orchids and do hybridizing in a wide range of genera.
I am an accredited judge with the American Orchid Society and have served in various capacities with various orchid societies in California and on the East Coast. I love meeting other people who like orchids too, and doing so often finds me traveling to shows, vendors, and people’s greenhouses to see the latest-and-greatest in new hybrids and to get the best orchid gossip. I like to be involved in plants as much as possible: In addition to Longwood, I worked at the Smithsonian Institution tending to their orchids, and for years at the United States National Arboretum, collecting rare plants and documenting cultivated species and hybrids for their herbarium. In short, I really like plants.
For your meeting, I’ll be sharing a presentation on multifloral Paphs, one of my favorite groups of orchids. I’m so excited to present on these, as they are commanding and beautiful flowers! Of all the Paphs, these grow best in mixed collections with Cattleyas and other high-light orchids, and as such are great plants for intermediate conditions and higher light. I will help identify some of the important species in the backgrounds of modern multifloral Paph hybrids and discuss some hybrids you’re likely to encounter when purchasing them. By the end of this presentation, you will have a new appreciation of their beautiful flowers and ease-of-growth and will be able to select plants that best fit your own growing conditions.