Sarah Bentley Hosts August Newcomers Group
As past president of Houston Orchid Society, I am pleased to see the membership continuing to grow as we recover from the Covid slump. One of my favorite features of HOS is the Newcomers Group. During the first two years of membership, new members are invited to a separate meeting held on the Sunday afternoon after the third Saturday of each month.
Newcomers are invited to the homes or businesses of veteran growers for fellowship and to see different adaptations for growing orchids in Houston. The chair of the Newcomers Group this year is Soel Ortiz, a relative HOS newcomer who has expertise and enthusiasm about all things orchid.
After cleaning up and recovering from Hurricane Beryl we were ready for Soel to bring the group to our home. He and Nicolle arrived a bit early, and their help to finish preparations was very welcome! I especially want to thank Nicolle for sweeping the front walk and driveway!
—Sarah Bentley
The help with preparations gave Soel and me extra time to plan the program, which focused on my collection and cultivation method, “Sink or Swim.” He was very gracious to use my small collection to admire and critique, even though I did feel the need to listen to one Phalaenopsis, which he suggested may have been “screaming for water.”
With several dozen new members eligible to come to Newcomers, nearly 20 people crowded in Joe’s and my little home. It was a super hot day, so I think everyone appreciated the air conditioning.
Another popular moment was the distribution of free orchids, mostly donated by longtime HOS member Jean Schwenke. Many divisions of several different kinds of Houston-grown plants were happily accepted by the group.
At the conclusion of the meeting, we took a brief tour of my outdoor growing area, which has a shaded pergola and adjacent shelving covered by 55% shade cloth for the Cattleyas. Note my misting system, which takes advantage of a small hole in the hose as well as the nozzle set on “mist.” I activate it each afternoon to cool down the scorching temperatures.