Helge W.'s posts

James RoseWe are delighted to welcome back James Rose of Cal-Orchid, Santa Barbara to speak to our society. James and his wife, Lauris, are the owners of Cal-Orchid, a very successful and favorite nursery of many of our members. James is a highly experienced orchid nurseryman who will share with us his ’10 Favorite Orchids’, which encompass a large variety of orchid species from around the world. James talks are always educational and highly entertaining so I urge our members and friends to attend his talk. James also will provide our plant table.

James is being sponsored jointly by POS and SDCOS, He will be speaking on the same subject at the SDCOS meeting on Tuesday, Sept. 3, if you are unable to attend on Wednesday evening.

James attended UC Santa Barbara as an anthropology major. In 1971 he began working at Santa Barbara Orchid Estate.  16 years later, now the nursery's manager, he left to established his own nursery with his wife, Lauris. In 1987 they purchased Orchids By Rowe, a 2 acre cymbidium nursery 2 blocks from the Pacific Ocean. Jim and Lauris totally redesigned the former cymbidium cut flower business to what is now a world renowned orchid nursery providing one of the largest varieties of orchid species and hybrids in the U.S.

Cal-Orchid maintains an active breeding program and a stud collection built upon decades of international travel. James is very well known for having a distinctively selective 'eye' for the new, unusual plant, and Cal-Orchid's customers enjoy reaping the benefits.   Read more »

Norman FangWe are delighted to welcome Mr. Norman Fang to our society for the first time. Norman will speak to us on ‘Development of Harelquin Phalaenopsis’, which resulted in a major advancement in the popularity of Phals due to the generation of unusually colored and spotted patterns of these most popular orchids. Norman’s visit is co-sponsored with the San Diego County Orchid Society, where he will speak on ‘New Color Forms of Phalaenopsis Species’ on Tuesday, July 2 in Balboa Park. All of our members are invited to the talk and meeting. These are presentations not to be missed by one of the world’s experts in this genre of orchids.  Norman also will provide the plant table for both societies.

Norman is the owner of Norma’s Orchids, located in Montclair, CA.  Even before 1988, when he received his degree in Ornamental Horticulture from California State Polytechnic University in Pomona, Norman Fang was already immersed in orchids.  While still a student, he managed the Raymond Burr Orchid Collection on campus.  Two scholarships to study plant tissue culture also allowed him to study under Dr. Murashige at the University of California and Dr. Tanabe at the University of Hawaii.   Read more »

Fred ClarkeIt is our distinct pleasure to welcome back one of our most favorite speakers, Fred Clarke. Fred will provide us with an update on his breeding efforts with Australian Dendrobiums in a talk title "Aussie Dendrobiums and Their Cultivation". Fred has been doing extensive work on improving the hybrids in this very interesting class of orchids. As several of you may know, Aussie Dends are very tough and hardy plants that do very well in our San Diego area. They are quite attractive orchids in that they are easy to grow, tolerant of heat and cold, have fragrant flowers, and re-bloom from the old bulbs!!!  They thrive in frost-free areas and do well alongside Cattleyas under shade structures so they are a popular class for many of us to grow outside year round. Fred will review the species and latest developments in breeding and growing of this popular class of orchids. Moreover, he will cover the best practices for growing these remarkable plants. Fred also will be supplying this month’s opportunity table.   Read more »

John OswaltWe are delighted to welcome John Oswalt, second VP of the SD County Orchid Society, who will speak on ‘Lessons Learned from Growing Cymbidium Orchids’. John’s talk will highlight his experiences in growing and repotting cymbidium orchids and provide useful tips to both new and experienced orchid growers. This is a very timely talk as winter and spring are the main times for cymbidium flowering and the ideal time to divide and repot them is shortly after their blooming period.  This month’s plant table will be provided by Casa de las Orquideas.

John Oswalt began growing orchids over 40 years ago when he was in high school.  After college, he put this hobby on hold due to a demanding career and corporate relocations.  After John retired in 2012, he embraced his hobby again in a big way.  John grew a collection of orchids in Atlantic Beach, Florida and then moved his collection to San Diego in 2016.  John was a member of the Jacksonville Orchid Society and now serves as second Vice President of the San Diego County Orchid Society.  John has two greenhouses that are temperature and humidity-controlled year-round.  He also has a large outdoor shade area.  John has a broad collection of orchids, but particularly enjoys growing Cattleya Alliance and Cymbidium orchids. He has had good success with his plants and has many practical lessons to share. 

This month’s opportunity table will be provided by Casa de las Orquideas.

Phyllis Prestia

We are delighted to have one of our own longtime members, Phyllis Prestia, speak at our November meeting. She will talk on ‘Wild Orchids of France’ and her educational presentation will highlight her trip through the woods, meadows, and spectacular gorges of France in search of the spectacular and often elusive native terrestrial orchids. Having trekked extensively in France over the last five years, Phyllis will present several genera through photos taken in situ of the habitats where they grow and are being conserved in the wild. Both species and natural hybrids will be included. The beauty of the landscapes and these gorgeous orchids will be memorable. The November plant table will be provided by one of our local orchid growers and Phyllis will be selling some of her own orchids at the break.

Phyllis S. Prestia is an orchid enthusiast, collector, and grower. Her latest passion is the native orchids of Europe. She has traveled extensively in France collecting photographs and sharing conservation efforts with local French orchid societies. She is also an avid supporter of the World Orchid Conferences. In conjunction with the WOC’s, she has trekked the rainforests of Madagascar and the islands of the Galapagos. Back home in California she grows these extraordinary orchids, which are presently getting ready to bloom.    Read more »