June 4 Meeting
Ben Oliveros Focuses on Techniques for Growing and Presenting Awardable Plants
On Thursday, June 4, at 7:30pm at First Christian Church, Ben Oliveros of Orchid Eros comes to us all the way from the Big Island, Hawaii!
Ben, an expert breeder and grower of Cattleyas, holds a staggering 519 American Orchid Society awards, including 32 First Class Certificates and 23 Certificates of Cultural Merit/Excellence. He is additionally the winner of the prestigious Norito Hasegawa Award for Excellence in Hybridizing, granted by the American Orchid Society for a lifetime achievement in excellence in hybridizing. In other words, Ben is the expert on how to get plants awarded, and he is here to help us do just that!
Ben will speak to us on “Winning AOS Awards,” focusing on tips and techniques for growing and presenting awardable plants.
Ben will bring his amazing Cattleyas to sell! And please review the order sheet to place your pre-order by sending an email to Daria Souvorova. He will ship plants directly to Daria to save some of the pricey Hawaii shipping costs. He will also bring plants to sell, likely ones that are not on the website. He plans to ship a box ahead to us so we don’t get last picks on the circuit.
Please bring your blooming plants for the show-and-tell tables. It will be a great opportunity to show off our skills to Ben and perhaps ask him for cultural advice.
The meeting begins at 7:30pm 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 Ben
Ben spent 12 years as a commercial orchid grower in Atlanta, Georgia, before moving to the Big Island of Hawaii in 2004 because this is where his plants would grow best! He came with 500 breeding plants and now has more than 40,000 orchids. He is an AOS judge and specializes in orchid breeding. His nursery is dedicated to advancing species and hybrids of the Cattleya alliance and providing orchids of impeccable quality.