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Arizona Orchidist Newsletter January 1998
THIS ISSUE OF "THE ARIZONA ORCHIDIST" IS
DEDICATED TO THE CREATIVE GENIUS AND GENEROSITY OF
C.W. MOODY. HIS VISION OF AN AUTHENTIC VICTORIAN
PARLOR AND THE PROPS HE PERSONALLY SELECTED FOR THE
VIGNETTE IN OUR HOLIDAY SHOW, WERE PERFECTION
PERSONIFIED.
OSA ALSO GRATEFULLY ACKNOWLEDGES THE EXPERT
ASSISTANCE PROVIDED BY C.W.'S HIGHLY CAPABLE STAFF:
DANIEL DECOSTER, EXECUTIVE ADMINISTRATOR
IN CHARGE OF SCHEDULES/PRACTICAL MATTERS FOR C.W.
MOODY PROP RENTALS. DAN IS THE UNSUNG HERO WHOSE
ATTENTION TO DETAILS ENSURES THAT PROPS ARE
RESERVED, DELIVERED, AND RETURNED TO THE WAREHOUSES
ON SPECIFIC DATES. HE IS THE QUINTESSENTIAL "DETAIL
MAN"!
DALE BARTON, A QUIET BUT CONSCIENTIOUS WORKER
WHO, WITH HIS COLLEAGUE, J. DAVID, EXPERTLY PACKED
THE PROPS AT THE WAREHOUSE, LOADED THEM ONTO THE
MOVING VAN, TRANSPORTED THEM TO THE VALLEY GARDEN
CENTER, PLACED THEM IN THE VIGNETTE AT C.W.'S
DIRECTION, AND HAULED EVERYTHING BACK TO THE
WAREHOUSE AFTER OUR SHOW CLOSED.
J. DAVID WAS EQUALLY CONSCIENTIOUS, BUT HARDLY
QUIET! HIS COMIC RELIEF (AS USUAL, IN THE FORM OF
JOKES) WAS ENJOYED BY ALL OF US WHO LABORED TO
CONSTRUCT OUR TWO VIGNETTES.
VISITORS TO OUR SHOW WERE AWED BY THE DISPLAYS
AND WERE NOT SHY ABOUT EXPRESSING THEIR OPINIONS!
HEARTFELT, COLLECTIVE OSA THANKS TO C.W., DAN,
DALE, AND J. DAVID FOR MAKING SUCH COMPLIMENTS
POSSIBLE!
THE JANUARY 1 MEETING HAS BEEN CANCELLED!
HAPPY NEW YEAR!
NEXT OSA BOARD MEETING WILL BE HELD
FEBRUARY 1, 1998, at the home of Ann Cherny, 6225
E. Keim Dr., Paradise Valley, at 1 p.m.
OSA Board meetings are open meetings. Any OSA
member may attend and is encouraged to do so. All
you need to do is telephone the member who will
serve as the host or hostess for a board meeting.
If you wish to attend the February 1 board meeting,
telephone Ann to let her know you plan to attend.
(For those who may not know, some of Ann's orchids
are growing in a "double- decker" aquarium and some
are growing on windowsills.) Ann has graciously
hosted many of our board meetings during the past
two years. She always has refreshments available
because we think better with food and drink handy!
THE GROWER ON CALL FOR JANUARY IS: SUZ CRAMER:
OSA's Grower on Call service was designed to
help our newer growers find answers to their
questions. Most of our experienced growers who have
greenhouses, do NOT have greenhouses large enough
to accommodate Open Greenhouse Tours. However, they
are eager to offer assistance on a one-to-one
basis. Some of our experienced growers who
simplified their lives and "downsized" to
windowsill growing conditions, are nevertheless
willing to share their knowledge of orchid culture.
This service represents an adaptation to changing
lifestyles and a desire to serve the needs of the
newer grower. Any member should feel free to
contact the grower on call or any other "veteran"
grower listed in our membership roster. We want to
answer your questions as they arise!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY WISHES to our members celebrating
birthdays in January: to Nelda Caldwell and Natalie
Warford on the 25th; to Jaye Lynn Garrison and
Kristin Huisinga on the 28th
CONGRATULATIONS! Phillip Liu recently earned his
Master of Science Degree in Bioengineering at
Arizona State University. We are extremely proud of
Phillip, and we share his elation at having
completed this chapter in his life.
FROM THE PRESIDENT'S DESK
Wilella Stimmell
REFLECTIONS ON OSA ACHIEVEMENTS IN 1997: Mere
words cannot express the pride we can all feel as
we ended our 35th year of existence. We continued
our community service agenda by presenting nine
additional programs for various senior centers in
the Valley of the Sun, but two exceptional
additions to our program schedule were those
presented for the 200 children at the Aguila school
and the program presented for the residents at the
Arizona State Veteran Home in Phoenix.. The
programs presented at the school were made possible
by OSA member and school superintendent, Sam
Weinschenck. We are anxious to present more
programs for schools, and we hope to schedule more
such "Orchid Appreciation 101" classes this year.
We also plan to return to the ASVH to present
another program. Our first program was met with
such enthusiasm that we who presented the program,
promised the veterans we would return in 1998.
OSA awarded its first scholarship! Kristin
Huisinga is a graduate student at Northern Arizona
University, and she is majoring in botany. She
plans a career in tropical biology.
OSA presented 4 displays - at the Annual Garden
Club Fair Day in March, at Berridge's Nursery also
in March, at the Desert Botanical Garden (Desert
Bloom - a 3-day event) in April, and our
extravaganza holiday show in November.
We took a field trip to the San Diego Orchid
Fair in September, and following our visit to the
Fair and Quail Botanical Gardens, we met with
members of the San Diego County Orchid Society at
the home of George Kenner in La Mesa, California.
In addition to three in-house programs, we
"imported" seven speakers, including one from
Mexico, two from Florida, one from Texas, and three
from California.
OSA made a sizable donation to the Orchid
Identification Center at Selby Gardens, Sarasota,
Florida.
At our December 4th annual major fund-raising
auction, we raised at least 10% more funds than we
raised at last year's auction. If this increase
were viewed as interest or dividends being paid on
no- risk principal, any investor today would be
extremely pleased at such a healthy "return" on
capital!
And we ended the year with our MEMBERSHIP AT AN
ALL TIME HIGH! Our team spirit is so impressive to
others that we have been described as a "model
orchid society" by Dr. John Atwood, Director of the
Orchid Identification Center. Dr. Atwood was our
October speaker, and at that time he had the
opportunity to observe the interaction of our
members. He sought OUR advice on the best way to
rejuvenate a Florida orchid society that is fading
into the sunset!
Our holiday show, November 29 and 30, is a prime
example of the widespread cooperation of our
membership. The fact that our show was presented
DURING the Thanksgiving holiday weekend, did not
deter fully one-third of OSA's membership from
participating! On Thanksgiving, some of our members
had THIRTY people as guests for dinner, but the
very next day, they were ready to go to work on our
show. That's team spirit!
Using the alphabetical order from our membership
roster, the following members made significant
contributions to the success of "Orchids and Old
Lace - a Trip to Grandmother's House": Wayne Baker,
Ann Cherny, Joe Civello, Suz Cramer, Anne Durning,
Fred Evans, Bernice Ehrlich, Joe Freasier, Ed
Gamarano, Ken and Elsye Gettys, Bob Gordon, Suzanne
House, Norma Kafer, Isabelle Kast, Jarka Kazda,
Alan Ladd, Phillip Liu, Kathleen Luther, Bob
MacLeod, Keith Mead, C.W. Moody, Cathy Nelson, Ron
Norman, Jesper Osther, Leith Plunkett, Julie
Rathbun, Lou Ann Remeikis, Peggy Stejskal, Willie
Stimmell, and Natalie Warford. Non-members who
contributed time, props, transportation, and labor
to ensure the success of our show were: Karl and
Mark Ehrlich, Carlo Espinoza, and Gerda Gallob.
(Gerda was not an OSA member at the time she
volunteered her oil paintings and plants for use in
our display!) Thanks to all for your contributions!
Suz Cramer, Show Chairperson, and Bob MacLeod
deserve special mention for their skills as expert
cabinet makers! None who beheld the humongous
kitchen cabinets/tile counter tops used in the
"Now" vignette, could believe that the entire
structure was a fake! It was unfortunate that we
could not find someone who could use the unit after
the show concluded.
Thanks to Leith Plunkett for transporting the
majority of our sale plants from the airport to
their temporary greenhouse homes. (When the
forklift appeared from the bowels of the air cargo
facility at Sky Harbor, Leith's comment upon seeing
NINE HUGE cartons - which we dubbed "poor man's
caskets", was "Oh, my God!")
Three greenhouses were pressed into service for
storing sale plants. Thanks to Bernice Ehrlich for
allowing us to commandeer two-thirds of her
greenhouse, to Suz Cramer, and to Ken Gettys.
Thanks to Judi Mead for being a really good
sport and letting Keith take a day off from work to
"play" with his orchid "family" on the day we set
up our displays. Keith did a variety of chores for
us, and we appreciated all his efforts!
Thanks to Ann Cherny and Lou Ann Remeikis who
appeared in Victorian costumes during our show. The
costumes really added another dimension to the
show! (Visitors enjoyed seeing the lace worn by Ann
and...Lou Ann's cleavage!) Several of our workers
during the show were sorry that they had not worn
period costumes, but...there's always next year!
(Hint: next year's costumes might feature grass!)
Thanks to all members who dismantled in an
hour-and-a-half the vignettes which had taken us an
entire day to create. I believe we could hire out
as a superb demolition team! So many members helped
in our "demolition derby", it is quite possible
that tools and props could have gone astray. Please
check to ensure that all items you took to the VGC
were returned to you. Let us know if we need to
search for an item that was not returned.
As I mentioned earlier, our December 4th
auction was a very successful fund-raiser. Thanks
are due our able auctioneers, Joe Freasier and Joe
Civello, and their assistant, Ken Gettys.
Listed alphabetically, the following businesses
generously donated items for our auction:
Agave Books, P.O. Box 31495, Mesa, Az. (e-mail:
agavebks@interloc.com)
Baker Nursery, 3414 N. 40th St., Phoenix, Az.
Chula Orchids,* 230 Chula Vista St., Chula
Vista, Ca. (e-mail: HTolen6066@aol.com)
Desert to Jungle Nursery/Pacesetters, Unltd.,
3211 W. Beverly Blvd., Montebello, Ca.
Donald Hahn, Natural History Books, P.O. Box
1004, Cottonwood, Az.
Mary Odette Books, 3831 N. Cherry Creek Pl.,
Tucson, Az. (e-mail: odette@azstarnet.com)
The Orchid Bench,* 32531 Rhoda Lane, Fort Bragg,
Ca. (e-mail: paphlady@aol.com)
Sunswept Laboratories, P.O. Box 1913, Studio
City, Ca.
Susan Barken Art, 3500 E. Lincoln Dr. #39,
Phoenix, Az.
Windy Hill Gardens, 4500 Boles Rd., Labadie, Mo.
(e-mail: ledoux@usmo.com)
The Orchid Society of Arizona, Inc., thanks the
owners for their support of our community service
agenda. If any OSA member wants to contact any of
the above businesses, ask any board member for
additional information.
* Note: If any OSA e-mailer is not already on
Harry Tolen's list of correspondents, you need to
telephone him BEFORE you e-mail him so that he can
add your name to his list of correspondents.
Also, Regine Plows, owner of The Orchid Bench,
included a note with her donation of plants for our
auction. She apologized that she had no plants in
bud to send for our auction, hoped that none of the
leaves on the plants she sent arrived broken,
wished all of us "a Happy Holiday Season", and
hoped that she "made a worthwhile contribution" to
OSA. Other donors enclosed similar good wishes for
the success of our auction.
Our Annual Fund-raising Auction focuses on the
auction, but that does not mean that the blooming
plants placed on the display table by OSA members
were not greatly admired and appreciated! Perhaps
next year members who bring display plants will
have the opportunity to make brief comments about
their prized plants BEFORE the auction begins.
Attention veteran OSA orchid growers: With so
many new members and quite a few of them with
limited growing experience, we have our work
assignments for the new year! Some new members may
be too timid to ask questions. They may not realize
that "the meek shall inherit"...little growing
information! If WE ASK newer growers if they have
any questions they would like to have answered, we
send a message that we want to be helpful. Not to
worry if you approach a "new" member only to
discover that he or she is a veteran OSA member. If
you don't recognize the name on a name badge, don't
be embarrassed. Use the opportunity to become
acquainted!
COMMUNITY SERVICE SCHEDULE: Our first community
service program for the year has been scheduled for
January 21, at 9:30 a.m. It will be presented for
the Saguaro Garden Club. ALL OSA members are
encouraged to approach groups who might be
interested in free orchid program presentations.
Simply tell the group's contact person to telephone
any OSA board member so that a program can be added
to our schedule.
OSA'S DISPLAY/EVENT SCHEDULE FOR 1998 WILL
APPEAR IN THE FEBRUARY NEWSLETTER.
NEW COMMITTEE CHAIRPERSONS for 1998: Ken Gettys
is the new Publicity Chairman, and Kathleen Luther
is the new Librarian. Kathleen will open the
library at the VGC fifteen minutes before the start
of each meeting, and members may check books out of
the library at that time. All new members receive
copies of the contents of OSA's library, and you
might save yourself time if you know before you
arrive at the meeting, which book you want to check
out.
ACTING EDITOR OF "THE ARIZONA ORCHIDIST": Carol
Clapp, Editor of the Arizona Federation of Garden
Clubs' "Greenleaf Bulletin" (and several other
newsletters), is serving as our Acting Editor for
the January, February, and March issues. This
allows us to maintain the continuity of our
newsletter while we search for an OSA member who
will serve as our Editor. Our sincere thanks to
Carol for her efforts on our behalf! Our deadline
for submitting material is the 15th of the month.
SUBMISSIONS NEEDED FOR "THE ARIZONA ORCHIDIST":
We need original articles, newspaper clippings, and
any other material you think our members might find
interesting - even cartoons! If special events
happen in the lives of our members, we want to
share such news with our members. But if we don't
know about such events, we obviously can't report
them. If you submit material from another
publication, state your source and include any
copyright information. If you have nothing to
submit but you have a subject you would like to
read about in our newsletter, let us know. We'll
gladly search the literature for articles relating
to the subject.
NEW ON THE INTERNET: OSA member and author,Bob
Gordon, has a web site! The URL for Bob's Laid-Back
Publications is: http://www.js-net.com/orchid
(Note: The gent pictured on the cover of GARDEN
WRITING is NOT Bob as a boy!)
You may find it hard to believe, but the USDA
has actually SIMPLIFIED the procedure for applying
for an import permit! The URL for the U.S.
Department of Agriculture, Plant Protection and
Quarantine web site is:
http://www.aphis.usda.gov/ppq/bats/permits/ Click
on Download Forms and when the various possible
form numbers appear on your monitor, click on Form
587. Note: you will need to install Adobe Acrobat
Reader to view and then print the form. Reader is
FREE and can be accessed from "forms at
www.aphis.usda.gov" For OSA members who are not
"wired", there will be additional permit forms
available at our monthly meetings. Applicants for
import permits submit the completed forms to the
USDA, APHIS, PPQ Permit Unit in Riverdale,
Maryland. The complete address is printed on the
form.
For Your Information: As of 12/14/97, there are
27 OSA members using e-mail, and most of them can
also "surf the net". We strive to include something
for everyone in our newsletters. Any information
acquired via the internet that sounds interesting
to a non-wired member, IS available. We share all
information!
IS THIS YOUR LAST ISSUE OF "THE ARIZONA
ORCHIDIST"? If you have not yet paid your
membership dues AND completed your
application/renewal form, you will want to submit
your dues and form BY January 15, or you will not
receive the February issue.
WINTER WATERING TIP: If you use tap water on
your orchids, warm a portion of the water before
you use it on your orchids. Most of us, unless we
have overactive libidos, do not appreciate bodily
contact with ice-cold water. Orchids do not
appreciate it, either. If you use a Hozon siphon to
water/fertilize your orchids, you most likely also
use a bucket in which you place a concentration of
fertilized water. Warm approximately one gallon of
unfertilized water in a microwave oven or other
heat source, pour the heated water into the bucket,
then add about 3 additional gallons of room
temperature water to the bucket. You can use a
thermometer to test the temperature of the water OR
your hand. Using a thermometer the first time to
find out if the water mix is between 85-90 degrees
is probably wise so that you do not scald yourself.
Add the fertilizer AFTER the hand-temperature-test.
Hot water might change the chemical composition of
the fertilizer.
The Hozon mixes at a ratio of 16 parts tap water
to one part warmed water. The water that comes out
of the hose on a very cold day is then in the 60-70
degree temperature range. If you don't use such a
siphon, then you need to figure out a way to take
the chill off the water. Your orchids will thank
you!
HAPPY 1998 TO OSA MEMBERS from Lou Ann Remeikis,
OSA Ist Vice·President
The year of 1997 is over, and we are now
embarking on the new year - are we all ready! I am
asking for your help with the success of 1998. I am
requesting YOU provide me with suggestions on what
you would like to see during our in-house program
presentations. What would you like to learn! What
would you like more information on! Are there
particular aspects of orchid care you feel you are
deficient in, and that we would be able to do a
presentation on! Are there particular orchids you
would like more information on! Answering these
questions, or making suggestions will provide me
with ideas for presentations that will REALLY
interest YOU! Please see me at the meetings with
any ideas you may have for in-house presentations
for the year.
I wish to personally thank Joe Freasier and Joe
Civello for their assistance with the December
auction. Keith Mead was also instrumental in
assisting with keeping the records straight and
taking in the money for the highest bidders. Other
members were just as important to the success of
the December auction, but space is limited in the
Newsletter to acknowledge each and every one of
you. You know who you are! And...what do you think
of that cute little gal, Ann Shaffer, and her
mother, Mary! Ann sure got into the spirit of
holding that hand up to bid on items she wanted!
What a joy it was to see everyone having so much
fun!
Due to the fact we will have no January meeting
because of the holiday, I thought I would provide
an overview of the hygiene program from a few
months back. Hygiene practices in growing orchids
starts with you - your hands! If you are in contact
with virus-infected plants and touch healthy
plants, guess what! Yes, you've contaminated your
healthy orchids. One of the most important things
you can do for your orchid collection is to care
for them with clean hands.
Your work surfaces, potting equipment, and
pruning equipment should also be free from bacteria
and germs. To do this, clean your surfaces and
equipment with a solution of chlorine bleach and
water (1 to 10 ratio). You can soak your tools,
cutting/pruning equipment, and pots in this
solution to kill any virus or bacteria, which can
affect the health of your plants.
As a reminder, even watering your orchids
collectively can be a hazard. If you are watering
an infected orchid near your other orchids, the
spray from the water can splatter to your healthy
plants.
Obviously if you have a large collection of
orchids, it is not practical to individually
separate your plants for individual watering. Even
for the small collector, it can be a tedious and
time-consuming chore. You should definitely inspect
your plants on a regular basis, maybe while
watering them. Separate the ones you feel are
questionable in health from the plants you know are
healthy. It is much easier to place a plant or two
in "solitary confinement" rather than subject your
entire collection to something which may destroy
them. If you can successfully nurse these plants
back to health, you can then return them to the
growing area with the rest of your orchid
collection.
Common sense goes a long way when it comes to
hygiene practices in the care of your orchids - or
any plants you may have. Observation and inspection
of your plants, keeping your growing area as clear
from debris as possible, removing dead or dying
blooms and leaves as needed, and keeping your hands
germ·free are good ways to practice good
hygiene.
Have a safe January, a happy beginning to 1998,
and a year full of orchid blooms to reward you for
your efforts!
Lou ann
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