Sarah Reports on the Recent Culture Club Event
By Sarah Bentley, President, Houston Orchid Society
The HOS Culture Club event on May 21 was held at Orchids & Tropicals, owned by longtime members Laurie and Sheila Skov.
Alrighty! Halfway through the year, Houston has been lucky to have adequate rain and fairly cool temperatures so far. Bloom spikes have appeared on a Vanda and a Nodosa cross in my small collection. My species plants are doing well with little blooms on the Maxillaria. Joe’s Catasetum has sprung a sprout big enough to water water water. The Catasetum is so interesting! Last year it produced a male bloom, so we will be interested to see what it produces this summer. By the way, here is where I tout the 2023 August Workshop, an annual weekend to study and learn with current members and experts. See more information from Stephen Gallagher, the chair. Registration is now available on this website for “How to Grow Orchids Outside on the Gulf Coast.”
I am thankful for the nearly 20 new members who have joined HOS this year. I hope everyone has a good experience and finds friendship and information in equal measure. To further increase everyone’s enjoyment of being in the Houston Orchid Society, we held a Culture Club gathering at the business of longtime members Sheila and Laurie Skov on Sunday afternoon, May 21.
Orchids & Tropicals has been at the current location in Santa Fe, Texas, since early in the second decade of this century. It is, as they describe, a “jungle.” Numerous greenhouses full of orchids and tropical plants fill the landscape. I know Sheila made great efforts to welcome everyone, having set up tables with tablecloths in a shady spot. She also provided a fresh can of “Off” which contributed very much to the comfort of her guests. Laurie spent his time guiding interested parties through the interconnected greenhouses.
I also appreciate that Don Ghiz from the Culture Club Committee assisted in getting this project to fruition. His co-chairs, Rick Hepler and Jay Balchan (this year’s President of the American Orchid Society), were traveling to an Redlands International Orchid Festival in Florida.
This ties in with the nominal program for the Culture Club event, an informal discussion of opportunities for orchid lovers to travel and appreciate orchids in domestic and international settings. Jean Schwenke gave an enthusiastic description of a road trip to Miami, Florida, for the 2007 World Orchid Conference. She called it the Olympics of Orchids! Nina Rach added much more information about traveling to see orchids and orchid shows on the international level. Don Ghiz reminded everyone that the next World Orchid Conference (WOC) will be held in Taiwan in February 2024. I hope this kind of information whets your interest and your experiences will enhance the Houston Orchid Society at every level.