Portland Orchid Society

07/28/2025

01/25/2025

The Portland Orchid Society January Meeting is at
St Luke Lutheran Church, 4595 SW California St., Portland 97219
Tuesday, January 28, 2025
Doors open at 6:00 p.m., and Meeting starts at 7:00 p.m.

VANDA FALCATA What makes them special
Presented by - CRAIG WILLIAMS

Vanda falcata is a species of orchid native to China, Japan, and Korea. It is a hardy species that is compact and easy to grow on a windowsill or under lights. It can flower year-round, but late spring to early summer is when it will put a show on. They are typically grown for their beautiful foliage, leaf shape, root color, and variegation. We look forward to Craig’s presentation to learn more about this incredible little species.

Craig has been growing orchids since the early 1980s when he discovered them by chance while in college at the University of Texas at Arlington. He originally started growing only Cattleya’s and they were mostly big, showy purple and white hybrids used in corsages and arrangements. He soon developed an interest in species and then began to collect those. Later, his interest changed to Paphs and he took that interest with him when moving to Boise
and on to Seattle. He stopped trying to grow Cattleya’s (for the most part) and stuck with Paphs. He first joined an orchid society in Seattle as well as found an interest in the AOS judging system. He has since started collecting Vanda falcatas and almost grows those exclusively. He imports from Japan and S. Korea and, at times, sells divisions of some of those plants. He has never had a greenhouse and has grown solely under lights or in the home.

Also, Vanda falcata will be available for purchase at the meeting. These small plants will make a great addition to your orchid collections and are easy keepers.

Remember to bring your blooming orchids to our meeting to share with the group and for The People's Choice Awards.

01/13/2024

The Portland Orchid Society meeting is
Tuesday, January 23, 2024 at
St. Luke Lutheran Church, 4595 SW California St, Portland
Doors open at 6:00 pm
The meeting starts at 7:00 pm
The Orchids of the Penang Orchid Show"
Presented by: Norman Fang of Norman's Orchids
Preorder information
Sign on to www.orchids.com to place your order. All preorders must be received before noon, Thursday, January 18th.
Each category has a volume discount like Paph, Phal, and more. Registered clients will also receive 2% in Reward points on the entire purchase.
At checkout the delivery instructions show that you are with the Portland Orchid Society Meeting on 1/23/24
Your plants will be available at the January meeting for pickup and Norman will refund the shipping charge when he returns home.
*Bark mixes do not qualify for this preorder offer

10/24/2023

Reminder:
Who: Portland Orchid Society Members
What: AOS Outreach Judging @ tonight's POS Meeting
Where: St. Luke's Lutheran Church [our regular spot]
When: 6.30 doors open; 7pm meeting kickoff
Additional: during judging we'll have a roundtable discussion on what people are growing & troubleshooting issues they may encounter [eg mounting, growing under lights, resting, etc.] See you tonight!
AOS OUTREACH JUDGING AT POS

Tuesday, October 24, 2023

We always encourage members and guests to bring their blooming orchids to our meetings to showcase them in the People’s Choice Awards, POS version of judging. This month at our November meeting, more than any other, we want to see you with your best plants. A team of AOS judges will be visiting our meeting to do “Outreach Judging” at the meeting. The judges will nominate some of the members’ plants that are at the meeting for consideration for an AOS award. An AOS award is a national award that enters your plant in a permanent database, used worldwide by hobbyists, breeders and researchers looking for the best orchids of their type, and may award plants they deem to be particularly worthy of recognition. The judges will explain the process to us, and you will be welcome to watch them as they work.

Judging orchids is an important part of the AOS’s mission, and while you might not believe your own plant is special, the judges will always notice outstanding quality. As you watch the process, and if it sparks your interest to become an AOS judge, don’t hesitate to ask one of the judges what it entails. There have been members of our society who have become judges. AOS and the Pacific Northwest chapter is interested in training individuals to become AOS judges, a 3-year process.

To prepare your plants, yes you may bring more than one, please keep in mind the following:

1. Plants need name tags, including genus and species, and if a hybrid, the cross.
2. Plants should be pest and disease free. Any plants showing obvious disease or pests
will be removed.
3. Dead leaves and pseudobulbs removed and leaves clean.
4. Plants should be unobtrusively staked as needed.
5. Pots should be clean or covered.

All plants that are on display are considered “entered” for nomination. An exhibitor not wanting to be included needs to mark their plant “Not for AOS Judging”. If the plant is awarded, the exhibitor is liable for the fee ($35. – $55.) Due to the time limit of our meeting, the judges will select the plants they think most likely to be awarded and discuss those plants first. If time permits, other plants there may be discussed, or questions asked regarding them.

Please note, your plant is not selected, or selected but not discussed, you are welcome to enter the plant at the next judging session, to be held on Sunday Nov. 5, 1:00, at PNWJC’s AOS judging at Keizer Community Center. If your plant was discussed at POS, it is considered “judged”, and can’t be entered again until it blooms another inflorescence. POS Board is planning to hold another Outreach Judging in 2024. In between now and then take the opportunity to take your blooming plant to be judged on the first Sunday of the month. Information and every month’s award winners are in each POS newsletter.

08/15/2023

Who: Patricia Harding
What: Huntleya Orchids [and Allied Genera]
Where: St. Luke's Lutheran Church [on California St., near Multnomah Village]
When: Tuesday, 22 August 2023 [ie Tuesday, next]
Patricia Harding will be speaking on the Huntleya clade, a group of orchids
covering the genera Huntleya, Pescatorea, Stenia, Kefersteinia, and
Chondrorhyncha among others. November 2008, Timber press released her recent
book that covers the known species of the group, and she will share some of
her work along with many pictures, stories, and cultural advice for this
group.

Patricia is a long time orchid grower from the Willamette Valley and traveler to see orchids in the wild and greenhouses of the world.

Patricia will be bringing plants for sale. She is not a commercial grower so it will be a collection of plants that grow well for her that she has divided.

07/20/2023

Reminder: Fred Clark will be our July speaker; Fred will be speaking about miniature and compact Cattleyas at our meeting next Tuesday [25 July]
What: POS July Member's Meeting
When: Tuesday, 25 July; 6.30 doors, 7pm start
Where: St. Luke's Lutheran & via Zoom [shoot us a note or refer to your newsletter for Zoom link]