Special Potting Workshop
We have had requests for a hands-on, instructional session on
repotting orchids, but rather than devote a regular meeting to
this, we will hold a special workshop before the March
meeting. Many of our beginners have not had much
experience with repotting, not always knowing how and when
to repot their orchids. Several of our society's so-called
"experts" will show you how to divide, repot or mount your
orchids. We will have several stations covering the basic
genera: Cattleya, Phalaenopsis, Paphiopedilum, as well as any
not-so common orchids you might have. Signs for orchids in
need of repotting include out-growing the current pot and
media breaking down, but if in doubt, bring it in! Bring your
own pots and supplies, or get some from our store. We will
have all necessary supplies on hand, and we now have a good
selection of clay pots at low prices. We will also have sterile
razor blades and TSP sterilant for your cutting tools. But
bring your own orchids! We will meet in the MBG auditorium
at 11:00 am, and go on until around 1:00 pm.
Greater Lansing Orchid Society Meeting
The next meeting will be on March 15 at 7:30 PM in Room
225, second floor of the Natural Resources Building. The
topic is "How GLOS Members Grow Their Orchids." The
building is on the southwest corner of Wilson Road and Farm
Lane, across from the greenhouses, on MSU Campus in East
Lansing, MI. The area is north of Mt. Hope Road, east of
Harrison and west of Hagadorn. Enter the parking lot from
Farm Lane. Use the door by the small loading dock on the
parking lot (south) side of the Natural Resources Building.
The door will only be open from 7:00 pm to 7:40 pm.
Because of a building security policy the door is locked at
about 7:40 pm. There will be a raffle and silent auction.
Orchid Exhibit Staging
We need to find a member or two who can store some of our
exhibit staging materials. A dry garage, basement or other
area with relatively easy access is desired. Materials include
a 5 ´' tall stand, several pieces of wood for display tops,
lights, cloth backdrops supports, and other items that we use
in our exhibits. These members would not be responsible for
moving these items, only storing them. Call Lynn
O'Shaughnessy for details at (517) 546-8303.
Ann Arbor Orchids Open House
Benny Gray has invited us to an orchid display and sale at
Turner's Greenhouse & Garden Center, 4431 S. Wagner
Road, in Ann Arbor, near Ann Arbor-Saline Road, on March
14-16. Hours are noon to 5:30 pm Friday, 9:00 am to 4:00 pm
Saturday, and noon to 4:00 pm Sunday. Benny will have
maps with discount coupons at our March meeting.
Michigan Orchid Society Palm Sunday Show
The Michigan Orchid Society Palm Sunday Show will be held the weekend of
March 22 & 23, at the Laurel Park Mall in Livonia, Six Mile Road and
I-275 during mall hours. There will be many orchid displays, and a
number of vendors. With the high turnout of orchids from our members at
the Lansing show, we are putting in another 100 square foot society
display. Neal Foster will coordinate this show, and we will need help
with set-up on Friday the 21st, as well as tear-down on Sunday, and of
course ORCHIDS. If you can provide any of these, please call Neal at
663-0756. In conjunction with this show, we will hold a "Reg-Tag Party"
at the Great Lakes Science Center on Wednesday, March 19 at 7:30 pm.
Filling out registration tags can be a bit confusing, even if you have
done a number of them, and we want to take the mystery and difficulty
out of doing this necessary job. We will have all the copies of
Sander's, and show you how to fill out the tags, what classes they could
be entered in, as well as show you how to see if any of your orchid
hybrids have been named. This will double as an orchid drop-off point.
If you have orchids for the show, please bring them to this "party" . If
you don't have orchids for the show, come anyway. If you can't make
it, but have plants for the show, contact Neal.
The Ann Arbor Flower & Garden Show
The Ann Arbor Flower & Garden Show will be held on April 3 to 6, at the
Washtenaw Farm Council Grounds on Ann Arbor-Saline Road. Hours are
Thursday through Saturday, 9:00 am to 9:00 pm, Sunday 9:00 am to 5:00
pm. The theme to this year's show is "An American Bouquet". We will be
setting up an artistic display of orchids entitled "Expose Yourself to
Orchids", with a photographic motif. Alex Challis is the coordinator
for this exhibit, with set-up on Tuesday, April 1. While we won't need
as many orchids as with a regular display, we do need some nice, showy
plants. We are in need of a couple of mannequins, and also need one or
two artists for painting the backdrops. This needs to be started soon,
so please call Alex at 971-6186 if you can help.
You may also wish to enter your orchids in the Horticultural
Class for Orchids under Section B: Flowering Plants. Your
entry is due by February 28, but it is not a commitment to
exhibit. Neal Foster is the consultant for this group, so give
him a call if you have any questions. There are also classes
for non-orchid plants, if you happen to grow these.