MEETING PLACE CHANGE:  We are back at the Garland Senior Center (600 West Avenue A, Garland, TX 75040) this month as the Harrington library is being used for early voting. 
We meet at 2pm with Orchids 101 starting at 1:30.

Stephanie Varnum has been a Texas Master Naturalist since 2002 and has volunteered as part of a Citizens Science Project for 16 years doing an annual survey of native orchids in Texas. She will be giving an overview of the many species of wild orchids that grow here. They range from moderately common to extremely rare and critically endangered.  Come and hear how you can help with this annual survey! Starting this year, the survey has been adopted as GNTOS’s volunteer education opportunity.
We will have our usual raffle and table judging after the presentation.

Orchids 101 will be led by Kathi at 1:30.

Our January meeting will feature AOS Judge Dan Callahan, who will speak on “Orchid Shopping 101” at 2:30pm. Have you ever wondered how to decide what kind of orchid to buy and where are good places to get one? Dan has 15 years of growing experiences to share with us. Come and pick up some shopping and growing tips!

We will be meeting for the next several months at the Harrington Library, 1501 18th St., Plano, TX 75074. There is ample parking at the library with no steps. The room is well lit and on the left before you enter the library.  We will have our usual table judging and raffle, so come and join us!

We will begin with Orchids 101 at 2pm just as we have done at Northaven Gardens. Kathi will be leading the discussion.

We now have a location to meet until Northaven Gardens has rebuilt their facilities. We will be at the Harrington Library, 1501 18th St., Plano, TX 75074. There is ample parking with no steps. The room is well lit and on the left before you enter the library. 

It may some time before we know when Northaven Gardens will be ready for societies like ours to meet there again each month. You can follow their rebuilding progress at nhg.com.

NORTHAVEN GARDENS SUFFERED MAJOR DAMAGE IN THE RECENT STORM AND WE WILL BE UNABLE TO MEET THERE FOR SOME TIME. (Go to NHG.com to see the storm damage and get news on their rebuilding)
GNTOS WILL MEET NOVEMBER 3RD AT THE GARLAND SENIOR CENTER
600 W Avenue A., Garland, TX 75040

The November program “Madagascar:  Land of Extremes” will be presented by Society member Karl Varian who has been growing orchids since 1960 and is an American Orchid Society Student Judge.  Madagascar has one of the richest and most distinctive orchid floras anywhere in the world and boasts almost 1000 species.  He will highlight some of the endemic species such as Vanilla, Angraecum. and Bulbophyllum.

THERE WILL BE NO Orchids 101 in November.

Be planning ahead for our December auction! Go through your orchids: Are there any you are tired of? Do some need to be divided? Is there one you just can’t get to bloom? Donate those to the auction and bring some cash so you can replace them with new and different ones! Funds raised will help pay for our Spring orchid show in March next year.

Having some trouble with pesky pests on your orchids? On Sunday, Oct. 6, Dotty Woodson of Fort Worth will be speaking on “Orchid Pests/Diseases in Texas, and Their Treatment/Prevention” at 2:30pm. Dottie has been growing and hybridizing orchids with her husband since 1973.  They have 5,000 square feet of greenhouses and have registered 64 hybrids and have won many national AOS awards.  Dotty retired recently from Texas A&M AgriLife Research and Extension Center as an Extension Program Specialist. She may have some solutions for your pest problems! We will have our usual table judging for members and a raffle open to all.

Orchids 101 will precede the meeting at 2pm in the greenhouse. Kathi will be leading the discussion.

The Sept. 1 program on “Phragmipedium Culture” will be presented by Society member Vinh (Vee) Du.  Vinh has been growing orchids since the age of 12 in Vietnam, and now has about 120 orchids.  She is a registered nurse by night and an orchid addict by day, and is currently a Student Judge with the American Orchid Society Dallas Judging Center. Table judging and the raffle will follow the program. Join us!

Orchids 101 will begin in the greenhouse at 2pm with Kathi leading the discussion.

At our August meeting, we will have accredited AOS judges select a few plants from the show table and judge them for us. It will be a chance to see and understand how the judging process occurs, and what the criteria are in judging orchids. We will have the AOS judges do the Ribbon judging first – just as they would at a show – and during that process, select plants that they feel should be more carefully reviewed for AOS judging. If you have some orchids you plan to bring for the show table, clean them up and remove dead leaves, etc. so they look extra special!

The Dallas Judging Center meets every 2nd Saturday of each month to judge orchids, using the criteria you will see during our meeting. Their judging and teaching time is open to visitors who want to see what they do. They meet at the Garland Senior Activity Center at 600 West Avenue A in Garland , TX. You are always welcome to come out and see what they do – and there’s a raffle every meeting, too, just like at our monthly meetings!

Orchids 101 will meet in the greenhouse at 2pm with Kathi leading the discussion this month.

The July 7 program on “Recent Barkeria Hybrids & Line-bred Species” will be presented by Dr. Robert Marsh, a Society member for 37 years, and orchid grower for 60 years.  Dr. Marsh retired as Associate Head of the Molecular and Cell Biology Dept. at UT Dallas, and now teaches biochemistry as a part-time Senior Lecturer.  He has received American Orchid Society awards and now works to popularize Barkerias among orchid hobbyists. We will have our usual table judging and raffle after the talk.

Orchids 101 will be at 2pm in the greenhouse. Lorna will be talking about fertilizing your orchids.