May 2025 - TJ Hartung "Fragrant Orchids"

 TJ Hartung

It is our pleasure to welcome to our society for the first time TJ Hartung, who will speak to our society on “Fragrant Orchids”. TJ is a shared speaker with SDCOS and he will be speaking on Tuesday evening, May 6 on “Vanilla Orchids” in Balboa Park. His presentation will be streamed on Zoom for those members who are unable to attend in person. Contact Alex Nadzan for the SDCOS Zoom link if you’d like to participate on Zoom.

 TJ is a retired computer systems specialist and systems analyst who designed computers and wrote computer software to manage hotels. His love for orchids began when he lived in Southern California and started growing Cymbidiums in his yard. For quite a few years, every secretary in the company where he worked received, anonymously, a Cymbidium blossom on Valentine’s Day. 

Since retiring to Mexico, TJ has been rescuing orchids from downed trees and broken limbs before they are eaten by animals or washed down the streams and rivers into the sea. Much of what he knows about orchids he has learned in the laboratory of the great outdoors. The rest comes from online research and numerous books on the subject. He is on the Board of Directors of the Vallarta Botanical Garden, which is a 79 acre botanical garden near Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, of which 73 acres are dedicated as a reserve. 

 Over 10% of all orchids are known to have a fragrance, some good, some not. This talk covers the how and why of orchid fragrances, and a fascinating list of the various scents found in orchids and is based on his book ‘Stop and Smell the Orchids’

 In recent years he has given talks to orchid societies in the US, Canada, England and Scotland. He has written two books: “Vanilla – The Gift from Mexico that gives Flavor and Aroma to the World” and “Stop and Smell the Orchids” plus a number of articles for “Orchids” magazine. 

 This month’s opportunity table will be provided by one of our local growers.