|
The Arizona Orchidist Newsletter
July 1998
THE GROWER ON CALL FOR JULY IS:
WILLIE STIMMELL;e-mail:
wilellas@worldnet.att.net
NEXT OSA BOARD MEETING: June 28,
1998, at the home of Keith Mead, 12054 S.
Appaloosa, Phoenix, at 1 p.m.
FROM THE PRESIDENT'S DESK
Wilella Stimmell
Those members and guests who
attended our June meeting, learned when they
arrived that Lou Ann Remeikis, OSA's enthusiastic
1st Vice President whose job description is
in-house programs, was "grounded" with an ear
infection in Illinois. We were sorry that she was
not present to see how we utilized her program
notes from the June newsletter. When OSA members
perceive a need to "circle the wagons", we
demonstrate team work at its finest! Arriving at
the Valley Garden Center with their "alternative
growing areas" in tow, were: Ann Cherny with two
aquariums (orchid rocks on the bottom of one
aquarium, her plants, and a small fan - the other
aquarium was used as the "lid"); Joe Civello with a
growing case originally designed to house
"critters" - filled with blooming orchids and a
special light fixture atop the case; Jane Heckel
with pictures mounted on a board which showed her
bay-window growing area; and Bob MacLeod with the
indoor greenhouse he built using Deacon Bell's
design. Keith Mead brought pictures of his light
stand and revealed his resourcefulness. He
purchased components for his light stand at...a
restaurant supply store! Phillip Liu brought his
high-efficiency humidifier and described his patio
growing area. (Inquiring minds want to know what
became of the previous, furry "occupants" of the
rabbit cage wherein Phillip's orchids are growing?)
And without hesitation, members eagerly described
their growing areas and any problems they were
having. Other members who also use alternative
growing areas but did not bring their equipment,
also freely participated in an open exchange of
creative ideas for improving their own growing
areas and those of members who mentioned problems.
Many members and guests commented that they would
like more such programs wherein we share our orchid
culture successes and failures.
A few members discussed problems
they had encountered growing orchids outside.
Orchids OUTSIDE? Here? Yes, we have members willing
to experiment. However, it would be wise to heed
the advice of Phillip Liu, who successfully grows
his orchids outside: "It can be done, but I don't
recommend new growers try growing orchids outside.
It takes a lot of time, and any mistake can be
deadly to orchids." Phillip spends a lot of time
daily observing his plants for signs of stress,
monitoring and adjusting humidity around his
plants, and compensating for increases in ambient
air temperature. As noted earlier, Phillip uses a
high-efficiency humidifier in his growing area, but
he also uses rocks/pebbles in a "doodie" tray in
the rabbit cage. Ever the scientist, he conducted a
study of the various porous rocks available in the
Phoenix metro area and determined that some were
actually coated with a substance that prevented
maximum evaporation. Quite a few growers would have
lost interest in outdoor orchid culture before they
found the most suitable, porous material.
We learn from "imported"
speakers, but we also need practical culture
information which can be dramatically different
from culture advice from growers who do not grow
their orchids in the low desert. (Each year on her
OSA renewal form, our late, devoted member, Bernice
Ehrlich, mentioned the need for more culture
information for our newer growers. She would have
been immensely pleased with the June
program!)
I also mentioned during the
meeting that we had received a thank-you note from
Kathy Ehrlich, Bernice's daughter. Kathy wrote on
behalf of the Ehrlich family and thanked us for
"the beautiful display of orchids" we provided for
their mother's memorial service. She also said that
their mother would have appreciated our
demonstration of friendship. In subsequent
conversations, other family members echoed Kathy's
appreciation for our efforts. On behalf of all OSA
members, I told family members that we were pleased
to honor Bernice's request and that bringing
blooming plants to a service was hardly
commensurate to theYEARS of service their mother
devoted to the welfare of the Orchid Society of
Arizona.
A wide variety of plants and
orchid-related items on our raffle table were
donated by: Beth Brown, a visitor who has attended
several of our displays, meetings, and November
shows, and from members: Pearl Bays, Deacon Bell,
Nelda Caldwell, Joe Freasier, the late Pat Isbell,
Leith Plunkett, Julie Rathbun, and me. Thanks to
Phillip Liu and Jesper Osther for selling raffle
tickets and for handling the drawing of the
tickets. One of our guests purchased just three
raffle tickets, and each of the tickets was a
winner! Giving us the benefit of the doubt - that
we had not "rigged" the drawing - he assumed his
good fortune was a sign, and he joined our orchid
"family" forthwith! OSA members continue to support
our monthly raffle with their donations and ticket
purchases, and for that we are grateful. We are
also appreciative of the generosity of visitors who
purchase tickets and also donate plants to
OSA.
Special thanks to Suz Cramer for
tending, inventorying, loading, and hauling the
major portion of our sale plants to our meeting.
Additional thanks is due Keith Mead for assisting
with inventorying and crating the plants, and Norma
Kafer and Peggy Stejskal for loading and hauling
the plants to the Valley Garden Center. Several
vehicles resembled rain forests on wheels! We sold
ALL of the robust brassias and all of the gorgeous
oncidium intergenerics. We could have sold more if
we had purchased more!
NOTE: ALL of the plants sold on
the silent auction had been housed in greenhouses
where the relative humidity is rarely less than 80%
- and was sometimes even higher. Many of those
plants are probably now living in a less humid
environment. Do not be alarmed if one or more of
the buds blast (drop before opening). A dramatic
change in environment takes it toll in various
ways, one of which is bud blast. Be patient! Give
your new plants time to acclimate to YOUR growing
environment.
In the past several months, many
comments have been made that OSA is "so different"
from other orchid societies. The first thing guests
and new members note about us is that we are
NON-COMPETITIVE. Our meetings are a haven, not an
arena. We are an educational group, not a social
group. We are just as likely to bring a blooming,
poorly-grown plant for the display table, as we are
likely to bring a blooming, well-grown plant. There
is value in seeing both, and we have fun with both.
We speak up; we speak out; and we are not
intimidated by "experts". Indeed, our outside
speakers have all commented on the openness of our
members during a presentation. They have found the
interaction of OSA members to be a refreshing
change to audiences wherein the members sit in
silence throughout a program.
OSA values all members in our
orchid "family" as equals. Some are not MORE equal
than others. Even our hardest workers do not
receive preferential treatment. For example,
members who house, tend, inventory, and transport
plants do NOT get "first pick" of our sale plants.
They certainly have the opportunity to make a
mental note of an exceptional plant they might want
to buy, but their first chance to purchase an
OSA-owned plant is when the "bell rings" and sales
are open to the public. Our late plant-sitter,
Bernice, tended HUNDREDS of OSA's sale plants over
the years, and she enjoyed telling a story of how
she completely missed out on purchasing any of our
plants at one of our shows because when the "bell
rang" and customers came rushing into our sales
area, she was so busy writing sales tickets that
she never looked up from her sales book for an
hour. When the action slowed, and she checked the
remaining plants on the sales tables, the plant she
wanted had been sold, as well as all other plants
in the particular grex she had admired. She laughed
and said, "There'll be other sales and other
plants."
OSA uses our financial resources
to benefit as many members as possible, not a
select few, and as many organizations in the state
as request our assistance. Last year, 45 members
participated in an OSA-sponsored field trip. ALL
members are eligible to participate. Our financial
health is the result of the team work of many
members. And the fact that our membership has more
than doubled in the past three years, would suggest
that ever-increasing numbers agree with our
people-oriented agenda.
APPOINTMENT TO OSA BOARD OF
DIRECTORS: The death of Bernice Ehrlich created a
vacancy in the office of Secretary. As per our
bylaws, I have appointed a replacement to complete
Bernice's term of office. Jane Heckel has agreed to
serve as OSA Secretary for the remainder of 1998.
Thanks Jane!!
OSA COURIERS AVAILABLE: If
anyone wishes to send something to Deacon Bell in
Santa Fe, bring the item to the July meeting. Ann
Cherny and I will be visiting Deacon on his 94th
birthday. The item should be smaller than a bread
box and NOT perishable! Any member who won't be
able to attend our meeting but has something he/she
wishes Deacon's personal couriers to transport, may
feel free to telephone Ann or me.
COMMUNITY
SERVICE PROGRAM SCHEDULED: On September 10, at 10
a.m., OSA will present a program for the veterans
at the Arizona State Veteran Home, 4141 N. 3rd St.,
Phoenix. This is the long-awaited program that the
veterans had requested we present a week after we
presented a program for them on October 7 last
year. This program will involve potting
phalaenopsis seedlings. We will need as many
helpers for this program as possible. Leslie Goin,
Program Manager for Recreation Therapy at ASVH,
reported that 20 veterans will participate.
(Return)
OSA will purchase a seedling for
each veteran and also provide all potting supplies.
BUT we need OSA members to begin collecting
plastic, gallon water jugs for use in the program.
We need 20, clean jugs. If you already have a few
jugs to spare, bring them to the July meeting. Our
August and September meetings will occur before the
program at the ASVH, so also bring your jugs to
either of those meetings. Why do we need water jugs
for the veterans? For mini-greenhouses! The
"greenhouses" will become homes for the seedlings
we help the veterans pot that day.
FOR YOUR INFORMATION: "Linnaeus
and the Collections" - From the 1997 Annual Report
of the Linnean Society of London, no page number
(inside back cover).
"As young men training to be
physicians Linnaeus and his friend Petrus Artedi
set themselves the task of classifying and naming
all living things. After Artedi's untimely death in
1735 Linnaeus worked on alone and eventually
provided a concise usable survey of all the world's
plants and animals as then known. He distinguished
and named over 8,000 species of plants and 4,400
species of animals comprising 828 molluscs, 2,100
insects, 477 fishes, and numerous birds and mammals
including Homo sapiens whom he classified with the
primates. His publications, by reason of their
encyclopaedic [sic] scope, helped to establish the
consistent-binomial nomenclature for species which
is used today. His Species Plantarum (1753) and his
Systema Naturae, 10th edition, volume 1 (1758) have
accordingly been accepted, by international
agreement, as the official starting points for
botanical and zoological nomenclature. This confers
a unique scientific importance on the specimens
used by Linnaeus, many of which are in his personal
collections now treasured by the Linnean Society.
These include: 14,000 plants, 3,198 insects, 1,564
shells, 158 dried fishes, a library of 1,600
volumes and manuscripts and papers relating to
almost every aspect of his scientific work,
together with other 3,000 letters. The herbarium,
especially important for its richness of type
material, is used by botanists from all over the
world.
The Linnean Society is proud to
have the responsibility of maintaining the Linnean
collections and library for the benefit of science
and upholding the tradition of international
scientific interest so well manifest by Linnaeus
himself. However, in the interests of their
conservation, they are housed in an atmospherically
controlled strong room where, by prior arrangement,
they can be, and regularly are, consulted for
research."
Thanks to Natalie Warford,
Fellow of the Linnean Society, for sharing this
information with us. The Linnean Society's web site
is located at: http://www.linnean.org.uk/
Return to top
of page
|
