Fred Clarke of Sunset Valley Orchids will join us to speak about “Aussie Dendrobiums and their Cultivation” and we will celebrate ribbon and AOS awards from Orchidophilia 2024.

When: Sunday May 26, 2024 from 2:00 pm to 4:30 pm (4th Sunday in May)

Where: Nepean Sportsplex, 1701 Woodroffe Ave. in Hall F (Enter through door 2 from the rear parking lot)

At the end of May we welcome Fred Clarke of Sunset Valley Orchids via Zoom who will speak on “Aussie Dendrobiums and their Cultivation”.  Australian dendrobiums (like Den kingianum) are dendrobes that are very floriferous and colourful, and become nice specimen plants over time. However, like all dendrobes, they require a cool dry period to initiate bloom. Fred will talk about managing this issue to ensure consistent blooming.

Fred Clarke has been growing orchids for 42 years and has been hybridizing for 38 of those years. With over 34 years as a professional grower and manager in the horticultural industry, Fred applies these skills at his orchid nursery; Sunset Valley Orchids, located in San Diego, California. He is a passionate orchid grower whose curiosity in orchids is broad and varied. Although developing Cattleya hybrids has been his sustaining interest, he is also actively creating new Paphiopedilum and Aussie Dendrobium hybrids plus some others to be named if they work out! His pioneering work in Catasetum intergeneric hybrids led to the development of several notable hybrids, most recently the grex, Fredclarkeara,  After Dark, which produced “the blackest flower ever witnessed”. This grex has received over 100 awards worldwide with nine FCC’s and thirty AM’s from the AOS judges! Fred is an Accredited Judge in the Pacific South Judging Region. His plants have received hundreds of quality awards from the American Orchid Society.

This is a hybrid meeting. Watch for the email to register for the Zoom meeting. In addition, this month, we will celebrate the ribbon and AOS awards of our members at Orchidophilia 2024. At the end of the meeting, we will have an Ask Me Anything session (for those joining in-person only) particularly for our newest members. We will have the usual Show Table. Please bring your blooming orchids to the table by 1:40 pm. There will be refreshments and the monthly raffle for our in-person guests. If you are feeling unwell, please join us via Zoom.

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