Official PublicatiOn Of the cymbidium SOciety Of america, inc.

Cymbidium anna’S rOSe ‘VelVet’ b/cSa

in thiS iSSue

the influence Of cOmmercialiSm On JudGinG

recent trendS in PaPhiOPedilumS

hOW and When tO Water yOur PlantS

VOlume 7, number 3 • may/June 2007

Check out what's happening at

Royale Orchids

Cym. Memoria Marvin Gaye ‘Royale’

Cym. Street Tango ‘Ooh Ah’

In the United Statescontact

James and Lauris RoseCal-Orchid

(805) 967-1312

In AustraliaRoyale Orchids61-2-43-751199royaleorchids@bigpond.com.auwww.royaleorchids.com

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The CSA JournAl (ISSn 1541-5341) is published bimonthly by heidi Kirkpatrick, 2687 Dorking Place, Santa Barbara, CA 93105-2237. Annual membership in the Cymbidium Society of America, Inc., which includes a subscription to the CSA Journal is $30.00 a year. of the $30.00 annual membership dues, $25 covers a year’s subscription to the CSA Journal. Single copies are $5.00. While the CSA Journal strives to present responsibility for transactions between readers and advertisers, neither the publisher nor the Cymbidium Society of America, Inc., can assume responsibility for transactions between readers and advertisers. Periodicals postage paid at encinitas, CA 92024-9998. PoSTMASTer: Send address changes to the CSA Journal, 170 South nardo Ave, Solana Beach, CA 92075-2021.

the Official PublicatiOn Of the cymbidium SOciety Of america, inc.

Editor’s Page/The Cover Flower. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

The President’s Page By Jim lothrop . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

The Influence of Commercialism on Cymbidium Judging By Mark Dawe . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Ask Andy By Andy easton . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

I Was Thinking…By Andy easton . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

2006 Golden Gate Cymbidium Society Show By rita Pascoe . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

2006 Peninsula Society Orchid Show By Kenneth P. Jacobsen, Phd . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

Top Ten Cymbidiums: A Chat with George Hatfield By heidi Kirkpatrick . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

Recent Trends in Paphiopedilum Hybridising By Chris hubbert . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29

Meet the Grower: Lauris Rose By heidi Kirkpatrick . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33

How to Water Your Plants By lance Birk . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36

VOlume 7, number 3 • may/June 2007

Table of Contents

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the Official PublicatiOn Of the cymbidium SOciety Of america, inc.

Cymbidium Alcor ‘embers’ B/CSA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

Cymbidium Blanche Ames ‘liz’ hCC/AoS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

Cymbidium Burgundian ‘Sydney’ AM/AoS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

Cymbidium Dorothy Stockstill ‘Forgotten Fruit’ B/CSA, hCC/AoS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

Cymbidium Frank Kageyama ‘Keiko’ B/CSA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

Cymbidium hazel Tyers ‘Santa Maria’ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

Cymbidium Icho Tower ‘Trinity’ S/CSA, AM/AoS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

Cymbidium iridioides . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

Cymbidium Joanne Alexis ‘Jim’s Gift’ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

Cymbidium Kirby lesh ‘Cinnabar’ S/CSA, AM/AoS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

Cymbidium Kiwi Midnight ‘Geyserland’ S/CSA, FCC/AoS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

Cymbidium lucky Shamrock ‘Green Glen’ B/CSA, hCC/AoS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

Cymbidium madidum var. album ‘Memoria Mu-lan Wu’ hCC/AoS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

Cymbidium Mae West ‘Geyserland’ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

Cymbidium Mem. Amelia earhart ‘new horizons’ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

Cymbidium narela ‘Jennifer Gail’ hCC/AoS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

Cymbidium nine half ‘Charmant’ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

Cymbidium Phar lap ‘Yoshie Kage’ S/CSA, AM/AoS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

Cymbidium ruby Pendant ‘Anisa’ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

Cymbidium Tracey Doll ‘Cinnabar’ B/CSA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

VOlume 7, number 3 • may/June 2007

Color Illustrations

Editor. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Heidi KirkpatrickContributing.Editor.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..Ken JacobsenAssistant.Editors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Helmut Rohrl .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. ...Jim SlonikerAdvertising . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..Lucia Brandt Maeda .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. ...George HatfieldMailing.Committee. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Nancy and Loren BatchmanJournal.Administrator. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .George Hatfield

eDITorIAl SuBMISSIonSPlease submit articles and advertising materials two and one half months

before the issue date to:

Heidi KirKpatricK

2687 Dorking PlaceSanta Barbara, CA 93105

hkorchid@cox.net

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Cymbidium tracyanum . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

Cymbidium Valley of Death . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

Cymbidium Yai ‘Monica’ AM/AoS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

Ida fimbriata . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

Laelia anceps var. veitchiana ‘Tamara’ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

Oncidium forbesii . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

Paphiopedilum (Makuli x hsinying Maru) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

Paphiopedilum Alex Szabo ‘no. 7’ S/CSA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29

Paphiopedilum armeniacum . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

Paphiopedilum bellatulum ‘ruby Spot’ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30

Paphiopedilum Coro Gold ‘Papa Aroha’ S/CSA, AM/oCnZ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

Paphiopedilum Fanaticum ‘Jae hong’ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

Paphiopedilum fairrieanum ‘red Top’ B/CSA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30

Paphiopedilum gratrixianum . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

Paphiopedilum Knight’s Crown ‘Beauty ocean’ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

Paphiopedilum Macabre ‘Color Amazon’ S/CSA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

Paphiopedilum Maudiae ‘The Queen’ S/CSA, AM/AoS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

Paphiopedilum Pavarotti ‘Papa Aroha’ AM/oCnZ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32

Paphiopedilum Solo Flyer ‘Papa Aroha’ S/CSA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32

Paphiopedilum venustum album . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

Paphiopedilum White Knight ‘Century’ S/CSA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

Paphiopedilum Winston Churchill ‘Indomitable’ S/CSA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32

Potinara Circle Spirit ‘Wide World’ AM/AoS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

Phragmipedium Sorcerer’s Apprentice . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

Sophrolaeliocattleya Wendy’s redstone ‘Carmela’ hCC/AoS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

Color Illustrations continued

18 24 29

Cymbidiums for the new Millennium

Casa de las Orquideas

California’s leading Cymbidium hybridizerfor odd, unusual and high color plants.

Over 200 hybrids and 60,000 plants in stockfrom flask to blooming size.

3 inch seedlings, many bulb & growth - $8 each6 inch seedlings $15 each not in spike

Meristem cymbidium plants of some of our plantsand other attractive cultivars!

Cymbidium seedlings from The Rowland Collection!

see the list of plants available on our web site

170 South Nardo AvenueSolana Beach, CA 92075-2021Phone & Fax (858) 755-7572

open by appointment only on the web: www.orquideas.com e-mail: casa@orquideas.com

Our annual summer one day seedling saleMay 19, 2007

Selected 3” seedlings at half priceSelected 6” seedlings at $5 each

And start thinking about our dugup seedling saleThe whole month of August, 2007!

Check our web site for details and a list of seedlings in late July

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When I found myself as CSA Journal editor, I had only a dim concept of the amount of nagging that

accompanied the job. Yes, nagging. This is only natural. While my self-

imposed deadlines are very strong in my mind, most readers have only a hazy sense of the lead time necessary to produce a timely magazine. And yes, I know that those of you for whom the magazine takes six weeks or more in the mail might question the word “timely.”

In any event, I find myself doing a fair amount of (I hope) gentle nagging to get materials for the magazine. I would like to take this opportunity to thank those authors and members of the editorial team who have put up with my nagging with good grace. You have provided the Journal with educational and entertaining articles. At one point, I thought to hand write a thank-you note to every author, but that died a quick death in the face of practicality. So I will thank you all very publicly on behalf of myself and the general readership. I

have been receiving compliments about the content of the magazine, and these I pass immediately on to my hard-working authors and faithful editorial team. In particular, I would like to recognize the efforts of contributing editor Ken Jacobsen, who finds time to write articles, choose the cover photos, and collate new hybrid registrations and CSA awards.

now just a word for those of you with whom I am in “mid nag,” so to speak. Where is the article you promised me?

As always, I welcome questions, concerns and comments regarding the Journal. readers also can contact me with questions for the Ask Andy column. I may be reached via email at hkorchid@cox.net.

Finally, if you are enjoying the CSA Journal, encourage a friend to sign up as a CSA member!

Heidi KirKpatricK, Editor

The Editor’s Page

The Cover FlowerCymbidium Anna’s Rose ‘Velvet’

(Hot.Prime.x.Boleyn)

Bronze.Award.–.76 .33.points.....Gardena.Show.....Feb ..19,.2005Owner:.Don.Shigaki.....Photographer:.Charles.Rowden

It.is.amazing.what.difference.one.parent.can.make,.and.what.difference.one.plant.versus.another.from.the.same.seed.pod.can.make ..This.month.we.have.another.offspring.of.Cymbidium Hot. Prime. as. our. cover. flower .. Where. last. month’s. flower. was. an. intense.red,.Cymbidium Anna’s.Rose.‘Velvet’.is.a.very.pleasing.blush.with.pale.pink.markings ..The.broad.red.band.on.the. lip.and.the.pink.column.provide.a.great.central. focus.to.this.flower,.and.contrast.very.well.with.the.sepals.and.petals ..While.it.is.true.that.there.have.been.quite.a.few.blush.and.light.pink.cymbidiums.over.time,.a.truly.good.one.like.Cymbidium Anna’s.Rose.‘Velvet’.is.always.a.pleasure.to.behold .

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Ad 07 monthly.pdf 2/22/2007 11:16:32 PM

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Well, we made it through the winter and our growing season is well under way! our plants here

in Sacramento all survived, but like many of you, we lost a few flower spikes. This season allows us to get a new start by repotting and thinning out the plants that don’t bloom well or really aren’t good. I still have a few varieties that were among the ones I originally collected way back when I was a novice. Breeding has vastly improved since then; newer varieties are easier to bloom and tend to have more flower spikes. I’ve gotten better at blooming them, too, but I still have some that have mediocre flowers, weak spikes, and inconsistent blooming.

each year I resolve to cull out those plants, but they have been with me for a long time, so I don’t do a very good job of weeding them out. The best I can usually do is to repot them and keep just a 3-4 bulb division. In the meantime, more and more plants creep onto our patio, where they aren’t allowed. I won’t give a plant away if I wouldn’t grow it myself. So this year, I am going to narrow down my collection even if I have to throw some away. It’s tempting to take them to our cymbidium society branch meetings and donate them to the members, but donating culled plants is a bad practice and would probably result in fewer members.

Does any of this sound familiar to you? If you have any ideas of how we can keep our collection size manageable, please let me know. You can e-mail me at jdlothrop@sbcglobal.net. Maybe I can list some of your suggestions in the next issue.

next is a short progress report on CSA. We realized early that one good way to keep our members and increase membership is to improve the Journal and make it more timely. I am happy to

report that our Managing editor, heidi Kirkpatrick, is now producing the Journal with more color pages, on time, and at a lower cost. Advertising costs are also lower now. hopefully, we have our membership/subscription list problems resolved, but if you find any problems, let us know.

Speaking about increasing membership, community involvement is very important. If your club is active in the community, people want to be part of it. The Torrance branch is involved in many community activities and I’m sure that has contributed to their strong membership. With our fairly new branch, we sign up to participate in everything offered to the garden clubs in Sacramento, including presentations at home and garden shows, garden center open houses, and special events. That involvement has resulted in members of other clubs deciding to also join ours.

A recent event at the Sacramento Zoo, called Bloomin’ Crazy, brought many of the garden clubs together on a Saturday to interact with the public. As a result, we not only gave instruction in cymbidium growing and recruited some new members, but the Zoo’s horticulturist has asked us to help plan a permanent cymbidium exhibit at the park. We agreed to donate the plants, and feel that will be another step toward our club being recognized as a valued part of the community. The point is, we should all look for opportunities to help our communities.

So, until the next issue, enjoy the season!

Jim lOthrOP, President

The President’s Page

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Mark began by dressing himself in his protective full spray suit, complete with hood, face mask, and ventilator.

This is me dressed in the uniform of a commercial cut flower orchid grower. If you will just bear with

me as I get it off, but we will return to the spray suit at intervals throughout my talk. The label on the suit says that it is made of Breathalon material but I find if I wear it for any length of time I get sweaty and start to smell like a mouse cage. That sort of knowledge is something that one of my daughters refers to as “too much information.”

I find when I am dressed up like that for spraying that I have time for a lot of thinking. often when spraying in the summer I get very hot, my goggles fog up, and I’m surrounded by a mist of poisonous chemicals and my thoughts run along the lines of, “Tell me again why I want to be an orchid grower?”

Since speaking with ross a few weeks ago I have spent some spray days thinking about this talk. My mind has run along lines slightly different to that advertised in the programme for today, and I would like to share with you my thoughts on the subject of “The Influence of Commercialism on Cymbidium Judging.”

I have approached the subject of my talk from a number of different directions, the first of which is the influence of commercialism on cymbidium judging on an ethical level. Assuming that the awarding

of a plant would increase its value, the duty of a judge, “to refrain from judging any plants or flowers in which they may have any present or prospective ownership,” is important to protect the integrity of our judging system from any negative influence of commercialism. This is taken slightly further under our rules on judging ethics, whereby all personnel who are part of the judging team should “disqualify themselves from judging any plant, flower or exhibit with which they have any relationship that might be construed as interference with impartiality or as a conflict of interest.” This could be interpreted to include, for instance, having bred the plant in question. (Actually, having observed some of the interpersonal and group politics within the orchid judging community over a number of years, it is a sad fact that a strict interpretation of this rule could preclude some people judging each others plants as well as their own.) Such rules can cause a slight difficulty within a small judging group such as our own, especially in show bench judging, where occasionally the call goes out, “Does anyone in the room nOt have a plant entered in Class 1?”

Secondly, I looked at the influence of commercialism on an individual level. I have used myself as a case study on the possible influence of my commercial grower background on the way I approach cymbidium judging.

I find when I attend an orchid show that I walk around the show at least twice. The first time as a CSA judge I look at

The Influence of Commercialism onCymbidium JudgingBy mark daWe

Taken from a talk at the CSA New Zealand Branch Winter Seminar, May 20, 2006

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flowers and think, “I would like to judge that.” The second time round I’m wearing my spray suit, metaphorically at least; I look at plants and occasionally see one that makes me think, “I would like to have that.”

So how do I, and to what extent do I need to, keep the two of me separate?

looking at the CSA judging criteria for standard cymbidiums from the perspective of a commercial grower gives me no problems from the perspective of a CSA judge. Size, floriferousness, spike habit and flower arrangement, and, substance and texture each receive a maximum of 7 points.

Size, at least as in the sense of the bigger the bet-ter, is not a factor considered all that important in a cut flower orchid. With export orchids there are very few markets that actually ask for larger flowers. The way that flower size is important to me as a commercial grower is in having a collection of varieties that produce flowers of similar size. A good box of export orchids will have well matched flowers of the same size. obviously this is most easily achieved if the entire collec-tion is of varieties that produce medium size flowers. nonetheless the fact that our judging criteria state that “large individual flower size” is a “desirable characteristic for the category of Standard Cymbidiums” is hardly a point of difference that would make it hard for me to be objective.

large flower counts and tall spikes of well displayed flowers with good substance are certainly desirable to both Judge Me and Flower Grower Me.

While roundness of shape is not considered as important in a commercial flower as a show-bench one, many of the shape faults we consider a problem as judges are also not wanted in cut flowers.

For instance the re-flexing or turning in of the ventral sepals or petals and similar distortions of the lip are considered undesirable both under our judging rules and in the cut flower market place.

The one area of cymbidium judging where my commercial background may colour my thinking is that of colour itself. As a flower grower I greatly favour what our judging rules call “bright, fresh glistening colours.” And while “markings, stripes, veins and shading” are not usually wanted in the cut flower market place, when they are “definite, distinctive and evenly distributed so as to enhance the

colour appearance of the flower,” I can appreciate them as a Judge.

An export orchid box has space to write the number of spikes of each of the four colours white, pink, green, and yellow. Flowers

that fall outside these defined colours usu-ally have limited markets, but browns, reds, oranges and other unusual colours can attract high prices in the right place. I per-sonally like these colours both as a Judge and as a commercial grower. We have a small area of a greenhouse devoted to such plants. I certainly find myself gravitating to those colour classes in shows.

Many years ago Bill van der linden was asked by another grower, “What colour is this, Bill?” his reply was, “What colour would you like it to be?” In those days, a flower that looked pink when next to a good white or white when next to a dark pink was considered to be quite useful. This is no longer the case. A flower colour needs to be white, pink, green, yellow or one of the darker shades that can be marketed as autumn tones, etc. our award standards state that “the colour of the flower should be definite and attractive.” I personally put a lot of emphasis on the word “definite.”

Many.of.the.shape.faultswe.consider.a.problemas.judges.are.also.not.wanted..in.cut.flowers .

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The one area of colour where I personally need to be careful when judging is in looking at flowers that fall between the four “real” colours. These are the flowers that turn up in our shows in classes for “white and near white.” Blush and cream and colours that are wishy-washy by definition are ones that I need to be particularly careful about. one other in-between colour that does not appear to have any home in most show schedules is “grellow.” These can be quite intense colours, not necessarily wishy-washy but definitely wishy (as in I wish I could tell what colour that was).

Trainees and associate judges: What colour would you say this suit is? Judges? When I bought it the label said, “Breathalon spray suit, Green.”

To me it is definitely a poor shade of yellow, but is much worse as a shade of green.

I do actually have one plant of what I consider an attractive grellow at home in my “pets” collection, but I have been asked by my exporter not to put it in boxes going to Japan.

To have such a liking or disliking of a particular colour or any other part of the judging criteria really should only become a problem if the Judge does not actually recognise that they have it. To have a preference for one colour over another is not exactly rare and is recognized in our Principles of Award Judging. “Care must be used to avoid a Judge’s colour preferences or prejudices from influencing his colour appraisal.”

I am sure that in ray Dix’s judging career there must have been occasions when a trophy came down to a choice between a red and a white for instance. And unfortunately the white was better. I

have no doubt that a judge like ray could put aside his personal preference and vote for the better flower. no matter how much it may have hurt.

especially in award judging, I am able to put aside this prejudice and judge any flower on its merits. In a colour class I will admit to preferring a white to a near white, especially when some exhibitors somewhat stretch the definition of “near.”

next, I considered the influence of commercialism on how we as a judging panel look at cymbidiums.

Many years ago, right back at the beginning of the Cymbidium Society in new Zealand, we had a field day at Andy easton’s prop-erty in rotorua. In fact, I think this was even before we became a branch of the CSA and were looking at forming

the Cymbidium Society of Australasia. I remember sitting around his dining table and discussing the possibility of creat-ing a commercial award. I recall that we got as far as coming up with a name for such an award—the Award of Commercial excellence. ACe had such a nice ring to it. nothing seemed to come of it, possibly as a result of becoming part of the larger CSA group.

But really should we be even trying to judge cymbidiums in relation to commercial criteria? our system of award judging is based on theoretical perfection and how close to that any particular plant appears.

our judging criteria for novelty and miniature cymbidiums both relate to the judging of an entire plant. In both cases an awarded plant should make a very good pot plant. Whether or not it would necessarily be commercially viable in the pot plant trade will depend on factors such as ease of growth, speed of growth to first flowering

“Grellows”.can.bequite.intense.colours,not.necessarily.wishy-washy.but.definitely.wishy(as.in.I.wish.I.could.tellwhat.colour.that.was) .

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and even flowering time in relation to any particular marketing considerations (Mothers day, et cetera).

Most of the judging criteria for standard cymbidiums are also useful in assessing either a potential pot plant or cut flower cymbidium. As for miniature and novelty cymbidiums, the true potential for commercial success is determined by other plant traits that our judging system does not consider.

I recently came across a list of some of the orchid varieties being exported to Japan as graded by importers, employees of importers, auctioneers, overseas florists and designers. Some of the criteria by which they graded the varieties parallel some of our judging criteria.

The Japanese preferred the shape of the flower to be rounded, but other shapes are acceptable. We recognise three basic shapes—round, oval and star.

The Japanese not only prefer clear bright colours but also say the colour should appeal to the fashion and season at the time it is made available.

In Japan a strong stem is highly important to the buyer. our award criteria refer to flower arrangement and how well the flowers are displayed more than to actual strength, but under the principles of award judging we state that the spike should be sufficiently strong to support the inflorescence with a minimum of artificial support. obviously spike strength is even more important with cut spikes where even a minimum of support can be both difficult to achieve and look intrusive. We have been told that the thickness of the stem is often used as a quick method of assessing potetial for strength, with a consequent preference for thicker stems. The Japanese refer to spikes that are a bit soft as bowing to the buyers at an auction. This is on occasion when such courtesy is not appreciated.

other factors considered important to the Japanese market go outside our judging criteria.

The longer the vase life of the variety the higher the grade given. Vase life can be measured relatively easily, but not at an orchid show.

The Japanese market values consistency of supply. The longer a variety is on the market the higher the grade. Some varieties open all their flowers at once and have a naturally shorter season than others that develop over a longer period. As well as the length of the flower season for a variety, timing can be influenced by being grown in different environments and by different growers. While some idea of flowering spread can be seen from the range of spike and flower development apparent on any plant, consistency of supply can only be measured after a variety is in full production. To truly rate a variety as an ACe orchid would require the judging group to come back to us when you have 1000 plants in production and have already sold the variety on several other growers!

Cut flower growers in new Zealand have a huge variation in growing conditions, and many varieties that will do well for some growers will be a disaster for others. Knowing this, and a bit about grower politics, etc., I would say that any attempt by a group such as ourselves to rate the commercial potential of an orchid variety would not only be pointless but also unwelcomed by many in the industry.

lastly, I have considered whether commercialism has influenced the flowers we get to look at.

Back in the 1980s a number of commercial flower growers were regular exhibitors at orchid shows. The likes of Jill and Ian Mcewen, and Murray Anderson would arrive at the hall with a van full of large specimen plants for display. Gronwall and Dawe orchids was also a regular exhibitor at this time. For us it made good sense at the time to be on display like that as we were doing a lot more business in pot plants than cut flowers. While some of the plants may not have been the latest varieties, these commercial flower growers

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won their share of prizes, and certainly did more than their share in making the hall look impressively full. It is very much a commercial influence that has led to the greatly reduced participation of such growers. The sorts of plants they were bringing in to the shows had flowers worth far more than any of the prize money that they could possibly win. Frequently these flowers were no longer exportable after a show. new Zealand orchid societies will never be able to attract the large sponsorship that would be required to make prize money a part of a commercial grower’s income. It is only those growers who consider orchids as their hobby as well as their business that can be expected to be seen exhibiting in the future. For me personally, my greatly reduced participation in shows has been caused more by the time restraints of running a business than any lack of desire.

often the most interesting plants that we get to judge in orchid shows are the new seedlings. A continuing supply of these obviously depends on the orchid enthusiasts that participate in shows having access to ongoing breeding programmes.

The Australian orchid scene appears still to be dominated by commercial pot plant producers. A number of these have very active breeding programmes that also sell flasks and seedlings to enthusiasts. The requirements of these commercial growers is for plants of a quality that is at least near award standard, and these breeding programmes will be a continuing source of plants to be seen in shows.

The commercial orchid scene in new Zealand is greatly dominated by export cut flower growers. While a number of these cut flower growers have active breeding programmes, the results tend to be tightly held.

There are a few large scale breeding programmes in new Zealand that do sell flasks and plants. To be commercially viable these breeders often actually sell more flasks overseas than they do at home.

ross, when you make crosses who is your target market? Are you trying to breed plants that will be wanted by commercial growers? how important is award potential when you are making crosses? roy?

The other major source of seedlings for display is the breeding programmes of orchid enthusiasts. While these programmes may vary greatly in quality and scope, some members of this society have certainly shown themselves capable of breeding award quality plants.

over the last few years many horticultural societies have struggled to maintain membership. Certainly within new Zealand the orchid societies tend to have an aging membership. The judging of orchids is an integral part of any orchid society and commercial considerations will always have some impact on whose orchids we judge, we get to judge, and how we judge orchids. The challenge for ours and other societies is to ensure that those influences of commercialism that may be considered negative do not impact on the continuing strength of the society.

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Question: Is there an effective method for the hobbyist to test for viruses?~ David Thurber

Answer: This is not as easy to answer as you might think. I understand that Agdia is about to intoduce individual test strips that will test for the two most common virueses in orchids: odontoglossum ringspot Virus and Cymbidium Mosaic Virus. Folks will have to follow the instructions carefully to get an accurate reading. They will be costly and for that reason alone, it may be easier and less costly just to send leaf samples from suspect plants to Critter Creek laboratories. Their website is http://www.crittercreeklabs.com/ and they are excellent people to deal with. When I studied orchid viruses last century(!) in The netherlands, my teacher was quite adamant that he could find evidence of virus in every orchid he looked at under the electron microscope. Many virologists thought he was nuts but time has proved him to be right. even today, we don’t know why the titer of virus particles explodes in some plants and not in others but it is quite common to read virus analyses where the operator says fewer than a certain low number of virus particles were observed in the field of view. It is my personal view that major virus problems occur when both the major culprits are present, sort of a situation where one and one equals three! Anyway, the best thing is to keep your

plants clean. never reuse pots, and never cut live plant tissue with anything which has not been flamed or dipped in Chlorox for at least 20 seconds and which is free of any plant tissue residue. Generally seedlings are more likely to be clean but even then, if the hybridizer is casual or ignorant and uses a virused plant as the pod parent, green pod sowing will almost certainly spread virus to the seedling flask population. It is oK to make pods on virused plants; just be sure you let the pods ripen and sow dry seed. Your friendly lab will charge you more for this and in the absence of anything scientifically definitive, do not use pollen from a known virused plant to make a seed pod on a healthy one. You cannot be too careful when it comes to orchid viruses. There was a great old Scottish saying: “For want of a half penny’s worth of tar, the ship was lost.” Transposing it to modern day cymbidium growing I caution you that for the want of a $20 gas bottle and torch, many $100 orchids are lost to virus. ~ Andy easton, January 9, 2007

If you would like to submit a question to Andy easton, it can be emailed to hkorchid@cox.net with “CSA Journal Question” as the subject. Questions may be submitted by regular mail to heidi Kirkpatrick, CSA Journal editor, 2687 Dorking Place, Santa Barbara, CA 93105. Questions are chosen for publication at the discretion of the editorial team. Answers are provided by Andy easton and do not necessarily represent the views of the CSA or the Journal editorial team. Andy Easton has been a professional orchid grower since 1973. He specializes in cymbidiums and the odontoglossum alliance. Andy is a partner in New Horizon Orchids and a judge for both the Cymbidium Society of America and the American Orchid Society.

Ask AndyA question and answer forum with answers provided by Andy Easton

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Names

So many orchids are sold in bloom today without a name that one must wonder just how important names are to all but the enthusiasts. In fact, it may come as a surprise to some readers that a name is of little concern to the typical Costco or Trader Joe’s shopper. I spent an interesting hour just before Valentine’s Day at the Goleta, California, Trader Joe’s watching customers examine the orchids and select which one they wished to purchase.

Men generally made a cursory survey and seldom picked up more than the one plant they would purchase. Most never looked at the price either. From that one could deduce that they were very familiar with the plant prices or more likely, they were not greatly concerned about them.

Women on the other hand spent considerably more time looking over the plants, lifting up a selection before deciding on their purchase. Many looked at the price sticker also. They were quite unforgiving of broken spike tips and badly mashed flowers and quickly discarded those plants. I fail to see the logic of shipping orchids where a big portion of the spike is outside the protective

sleeve. Damage is inevitable and, based on my observations, it is the kiss of death for most supermarket buyers. Interestingly, in the time I was watching, no-one, man or woman, looked for a plant label on any of the orchids they were considering.

Where is all this leading you may ask? I believe that the general orchid buying public is becoming much more discerning of late. They know which orchids are in

good condition and which plants repre-sent good buys. At shows when jobbers try to foist hugely overpriced plants, say of pendulous clones like Cym. Dorothy Stockstill ‘Forgotten Fruit’ on the public, they end up taking most of them home again. This is not a bad thing!

The old orchid world is gone forever.

That may be sad but it is a fact. enthusiasts should appreciate that they have an oppor-tunity still to buy new seedlings and exclu-sive new meristems from a few traditional nurseries that are weathering the storm of mass-produced pot plant orchids.

Cymbidium Societies

I don’t have to tell you that there is an amazingly wide variation between the various branches of the CSA. Some

I Was Thinking…

By andy eaStOn

The.old.orchid.world.is.gone.forever .Enthusiasts.…still.havean.opportunity.to.buy.new.seedlings.from..a.few.traditional.nurseries.that.are.weathering.the.stormof.mass-produced...pot.plant.orchids .

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are thriving and some are dying. I don’t really think that it has as much to do with the orchid scene as the people who are in a position of influence in the various branches.

When you have an enthusiastic team of officeholders, serving with the membership’s best interests at heart, you will have a vibrant group. When you have some loser as President and a few of their cronies as a supporting lineup, you will have a moribund society which will be unattractive to cymbidium enthusiasts and visiting speakers alike.

one of the worst scenarios is when little cliques take over various CSA activities and individuals interpret the rules which have been established over the past 60 years. I see this happen all the time in judging where failed orchidists go on their little power trips. It doesn’t carry any weight with me nor with any of the other senior judges who have been grounded in the hudlow school of cymbidium judging. I am never in favor of lowering standards to provide feel-good awards for marginal plants. But way too many awardable plants get passed over because some dominating figure tries to buffalo their fellow judges. I remember well the words of a great judge of yesteryear. he said, judging is an exercise where we look for special beauty in orchids and if it is there, we see that it is recognized!

There is a revitalization of the CSA occurring at present with the magazine, the wider reach into northern California and new faces at the Board Meetings. It is a positive sign for our group.

Websites

It’s easy for me to say it because I don’t have one but so many websites present such a negative image of the orchid company that they are supposed to be a storefront for. I know they must take constant attention (like keeping your plants weed-free!) but why start one if it is quickly out of date and useless?

recently I went to a minor Southern Californian competitor’s website. My first step is always to check the gallery just like those folk who go the saucier sites on the Internet! What I found was a lineup of second rate orchids, some appearing up to three times as if once was not enough. We used to say that we could not understand why someone would waste slide film photographing such a mediocre plant but I am not sure what people say now. It reminded me of ned nash’s great comment at judging when someone would intone, “how much is this plant worth?” and he would reply, “About $12.50!”

now I was really curious to see whether any of the rubbish pictured had been used in crossing (note I don’t say hybridizing) so I went to see what was available for sale and came up with a blank page. now this is the kicker. Any operation that isn’t fully stocked and ready to go in the main orchid show season is just not a player in the game. Maybe they should quit playing at being in the orchid business and get a job delivering the mail!

Andy eastonFeb 13, 2007

MOVING?Keep your CSA Journal coming to you without delay.

Write or email your new address to:

Clara Moura, Membership Secretary, 1742 Grove Way, Castro Valley, CA 94546

melclaramoura@aol.com

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This year was our 17th annual Cymbidium show and I am pleased to report that each year has been

an improvement over the previous year. By the time for judging on Friday evening, the show room was filled with amazing plants. our public visitors on Saturday and Sunday commended us on the displays.

The first thing visitors see upon entering the show room is a large themed display. each of our commercial vendors is required to set up a table display in accordance with the show theme. The best themed commercial display is awarded a ribbon; this year’s winner was orchids by neal, owner neal Tadlock.

our Best of Show and Founder’s Trophy Awards went to Cym. ruby eyes ‘red Baron’, owned by rose Jacchico. This large plant impressed the judges with its number of spikes.

The Best White Cymbidium went to Cym. Sarah Jean ‘Pearl Falls’, owned by Aida lacson. Cym. narela ‘Jennifer Gail’, owned by Paul Wentrcek, was awarded Best Pink Cymbidium.

The Golden Gate Cymbidium Society also recognizes paphiopedilums and phragmipediums with a Best Cypripedium Alliance trophy. This award went to loretta rodriquez’s plant of Paphiopedilum Vista Del oro.

The Golden Gate Cymbidium Society acknowledges the efforts of growers of differing experience levels. Winner in the Best novice category was Kathi Ames with her plant of Cym. Pauwelsii. loretta rodriquez’s plant of Cym. Valley of Death

earned her a Best Intermediate award. And rose Jacchico won in the Best Advanced category with Cym. ruby eyes ‘red Baron’.

The cut flower arrangement classes are increasingly popular in our annual show. our Cymbidium Floral category consists of three classes: Show Theme; Fantasy; and Corsages. Floral arrangements encourage members to show off their orchids in another way. This year’s Show Theme winner was a very proud Mel Moura.

Two years ago, the Golden Gate Cymbidium Society added a new category to our show judging classes. This new class is the orchid related Artistic Display. entries can be paintings, photos, ceramics, or other artistic media with orchid subjects. This year’s winner was an oil painting by a new member, Shirly nagy.

our April 6-7, 2007 show theme will be, “orchids, A Field of Dreams.” We are looking forward to another great year.

As a final note, we at the Golden Gate Cymbidium Society would like to encourage members at our show and exhibitors at other shows to enter their plants for CSA judging. Fine plants may go overlooked because their owners are too shy to enter their plants for judging. Support the CSA judging system and enter your quality plants for judging. You may be pleasantly surprised!

Rita Pascoe received her first orchid as a gift 45 years ago and has divided it so many times since that she has lost count. She currently maintains a collection of about 700 plants. In addition to her involvement in her local society, Rita is the CSA corporate secretary.

�00� Golden Gate CymbidiumSociety ShowBy rita PaScOe

Photos by anGelic nGuyen

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Cym. Nine.Half.‘Charmant’

Cym. Ruby.Pendant.‘Anisa’

Cym. Burgundian.‘Sydney’.AM/AOS

Cym. Valley.of.Death

Cym. Narela.‘Jennifer.Gail’.HCC/AOS

Cym. Lucky.Shamrock.‘Green.Glen’.B/CSA,.HCC/AOS

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2007 started with one of the coldest Januarys in memory, and the effect of the cold weather on blooming orchids

on the San Francisco Bay peninsula wasn’t good. For all orchid lovers in northern California it was very fortunate indeed that the annual Peninsula orchid Society show and sale took place on January 5, 6 and 7, which was before the cold weather. In fact, the weather for the weekend was beautiful for January, and the number and quality of the orchids “rounded up” (the show theme was “orchid roundup”) for the show were both outstanding.

Perhaps because of the cold, then hot, then cold again weather in november and December, cymbidiums were a little later than usual, and there weren’t a large number of cymbidiums displayed at the

�00� Peninsula Society Orchid ShowText and Photos by kenneth P. JacObSen, Ph.d.

Cym. Icho.Tower.‘Trinity’.S/CSA,.AM/AOSExhibitor:.Weegie.Caughlan

Cym. Tracey.Doll.‘Cinnabar’.B/CSAExhibitor:.Weegie.Caughlan

Cym. iridioidesExhibitor:.Anna.Chai

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show. of course, there were cymbidiums entered by dependable cymbidium fanatics in the Bay area. Paul and Phyllis Chim of May on orchids had a display with several well-grown and well-bloomed cymbidiums, including a great example of Cym. erythraeum which was awarded as the best cymbidium entered by a commercial grower. Weegie Caughlan brought in several of her always well-bloomed and well-presented plants, including the intermediate Cym. Tracey Doll ‘Cinnabar’. She also had the best cymbidium entered by an advanced grower, which was the classic yellow standard from the eric Young orchid Foundation, Cym. Icho Tower ‘Trinity’. The best cymbidium entered by an intermediate grower was Cym. Alcor ‘embers’, displayed by Angelic nguyen, and the winner of the award for the best cymbidium grown by a novice was Cym. nut ‘Taida’ entered by Kathi Ames.

of course, there were other cymbidiums worthy of mention in the show. These included an example of the light-colored Cym. canaliculatum ‘Alice’ entered by

Angelic nguyen, the lightly spotted Cym. Joanne Alexis ‘Jim’s Gift’ brought in by Carl Jukkola, and a good example of Cym. tracyanum displayed by Dennis olivas of D&D orchids. As mentioned before, the number of cymbidiums entered wasn’t large, but these plants are representative of the quality of the plants that did make it to the show.

Cym. tracyanumExhibitor:.D&D.Orchids

Cym. Joanne.Alexis.‘Jim’s..Gift’Exhibitor:.Carl.Jukkola

Cym. Alcor.‘Embers’.B/CSAExhibitor:.Angelic.Nguyen

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For a small show, the variety of paphiopedilums was quite impressive. Starting with a display composed largely of paphs entered by Terry and Margaret Boomer of Boomer’s orchid Ark, paphs were visible in almost every display. Although Terry and Margaret didn’t get a trophy for their paphs, a couple seedlings of Paph. (Makuli x hsinying Maru) demonstrated the wide range possible within a seedling population, and their Paph. charlesworthii demonstrated the grace and beauty of this species. Another eye-catching entry was a fine Paph. venustum var. album entered by Anna Chai. This plant not only had high quality flowers, but also showed exceptional culture. The honor of the best

Paph. venustum albumExhibitor:.Anna.Chai

Paph. Maudiae.‘The.Queen’.S/CSA,.AM/AOSExhibitor:.Japheth.Ko

Paph. gratrixianumExhibitor:.White.Oak.Orchids

Paph. Fanaticum.‘Hae.Jong’.Exhibitor:.Anna.Chai

Paph. (Makuli.x.Hsinying.Maru)Exhibitor:.Boomer’s.Orchid.Ark

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paphiopedilum in the open class went to Tom Perlite of Golden Gate orchids. This is a plant we’ve seen before in the Bay area, since it received a CCM at the San Francisco orchid Show in 2005. Japheth Ko won the trophy for the best advanced paphiopedilum with his Paph. Maudiae ‘The Queen’, and the best intermediate paph, Paph. Sophomore ‘#1’, went to rene Biggs. Finally, the award for the best novice paphiopedilum went to Cordellia Wong who entered a fine example of Paph. armeniacum. The best first-bloom seedling of the show was also a paphiopedilum, specifically Paph. gratrixianum entered by Diana Gross.

A large number of other cool growing genera were also present. Since early January is the peak of L. anceps season in northern California, several excellent examples of L. anceps could be seen. Dennis olivas displayed a great veitchiana form in L. anceps var. veitchiana ‘Tamara’. This same blooming had just received an award of merit from the American orchid Society a few days before the start of the Peninsula Show. My wife, Amy, and I also showed some fine examples of the typical L. anceps coloration with ‘ultimo’, ‘Mari’ and ‘exeter’. of course, many Masdevallias were in evidence, ranging from Masd. ignea entered

by Dan newman of hanging Gardens and Masd. pallida entered by Ginette Sanchou in the realm of species, through hybrids like Masd. highland Monarch ‘Sheila’ entered by Japheth Ko. even an example of Pterostlyis nutans was in evidence.

of course, even in winter, warm-growing genera bloom, and some excellent examples of these were also in evidence. Quite a few vandas and ascocendas were on display including Ascda. Barbara havernick ‘Crownfox’ brought in by Japheth Ko. In the cattleya alliance there were several great entries, including Slc. Wendy’s redstone ‘Carmela’ entered by Kreg Martin. This warm grower was good enough that even in a region known for cool growers, it received best in show.

The Peninsula orchid Show isn’t

L. anceps var. veitchiana.‘Tamara’Exhibitor:.D&D.Orchids

Pot. Circle.Spirit.‘Wide.World’.AM/AOSExhibitor:.Amy.&.Ken.Jacobsen

Slc. Wendy’s.Redstone.‘Carmela’.HCC/AOSExhibitor:.Kreg.Martin

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well, with each showing excellent examples of the genera for which they are known. Amy and I managed to assemble the best amateur display and received the orchid Digest Bronze Medal for it.

Although there were no CSA awards granted at the show since cymbidiums came into full strength in northern California well after this show, there were four AoS awards. Dan newman of hanging Gardens entered a Maxillaria shunkeana which received an award of merit of 83 points. Amy and I also received an award of merit of 83 points on our Slc. Circle Spirit ‘Wide World’. This is one of the great recent crosses made and registered by Frank Fordyce over the past few years, and is an indicator of where this line of breeding, based on Lc. Culminant and S. coccinea, will lead. It would be an unusual show in northern California if Tom Perlite of Golden Gate orchids did not get an award on one of his plants. he didn’t disappoint, as his Oda. (St. Clement x robert Dugger) was the third award of merit for this event,

known as much for displays as for the individual plant entries, but the available displays were of very high quality. The Bronze Show Medal from the American orchid Society went to Golden Gate orchids; Tom Perlite provided an example of the wide variety of cool growing genera, all of excellent quality, for which he is known. This display also won the award for the best interpretation of the show theme and contained the best specimen of the show, Dendrochilum tenellum. All the other commercial displays were excellent as

Ida fimbriataExhibitor:.Hanging.Gardens

Ida fimbriata, plant.habitExhibitor:.Hanging.Gardens

Phrag. Sorcerer’s.ApprenticeExhibitor:.White.Oak.Orchids

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Cym. Yai.‘Monica’.AM/AOSExhibitor:.Amy.and.Ken.Jacobsen

getting a score of 80 points. rounding out the awards, Anna Chai entered a spotless example of Cym. iridioides (giganteum) on which she received a certificate of horticultural merit of 81 points.

The Peninsula orchid show started the new orchid season in great style, and ended the winter orchid show doldrums as well as any show can. Considering the extremely cold weather that followed on the heels of this show, in retrospect the quality of the show is doubly appreciated. In you happen to be in the San Francisco Bay area the first weekend of 2008, make a point of visiting this show – you won’t regret it!

Ken Jacobsen has grown cymbidiums and other genera for well over 35 years and has been doing his own hybridizing for the past 15 years. He is a judge for the Cymbidium Society of America and a past editor of the CSA Journal. Ken is also a probationary judge with the American Orchid Society.

Onc. forbesiiExhibitor:.Anna.Chai

Cym. erythraeumExhibitor:.May.On.Orchids

Paph. armeniacumExhibitor:.Corene.Wong

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and are easy to bloom. Plants that do not perform are not rewarding, no matter how beautiful the flower. George noted that easily grown and bloomed cymbidiums are particularly important for novices, who are encouraged in the hobby when the plant they purchased gives them a nice spike of flowers.

Cym. Mae WestCym. Mighty Sunset x Cym. Karen easton

George’s list began with striking color. This standard cymbidium could be

Ten Favorite Cymbidiums:A Chat with George HatfieldBy heidi kirkPatrick

Cym. Mae.West.‘Geyserland’

Phot

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sy.C

harle

s.Ro

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When I first began growing orchids, I would attend a show and be completely overwhelmed by the

variety of plants presented by the vendors. how could I possibly pick a worthy plant when there were so many that looked wonderful? The best option, of course, was to ask someone more informed than myself. Sometimes I would discreetly watch what the experts were buying; I was borrowing their taste in orchids until I developed my own.

I still find it educational to study the tastes of respected orchid growers. often, expert growers and hybridizers recognize special qualities in plants that are not immediately obvious to the average grower perusing an orchid show. Perception of beauty can be very personal, but most experts have very cogent and persuasive reasons for describing a plant as a favorite.

In my quest to discover which cymbidiums find favor in the cymbidium community, I recently caught up with George hatfield and encouraged him to list his top ten cymbidiums. George is a past president of the Cymbidium Society of America, a judge for both the Cymbidium Society of America and the American orchid Society, and chair of the Santa Barbara judging region of the Cymbidium Society of America. he is the owner of hatfield orchids, which specializes in cymbidiums.

In listing his favorite cymbidiums, George noted that the beauty of the flower is not the only criterion determining whether a plant makes it onto the list. he also looks for cymbidiums that grow well

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considered the brightest orange to date. Said George, it’s the “most intensely colored orange known. Period.” This namesake of the voluptuous movie star is definitely of exhibition quality. Three clones from the grex have garnered Cymbidium Society of America awards.

Cym. Hazel TyersCym. Sussex Dawn x Cym. Cariga

In George’s opinion, Cym. hazel Tyers has everything a great orchid should have. not only is it easy to grow and free blooming, but it has proven itself to be a great parent, with a number of award-winning progeny. As an example of this quality, Cym. hazel Tyers is the mother of a past Grand Champion at the Santa Barbara International orchid Show. George considers Cym. hazel Tyers to be one of the best of the modern pink standard cymbidiums. hazel Tyers was the mayor of Cape Town.

Cym. Dorothy StockstillCym. Phar lap x Cym. Miss Muffet

George called this favorite one of the most freely blooming pendent cymbidiums. It is also one of the most cloned cymbidiums. he noted that it is hard to complain about a plant that is easy to bloom and produces a large number of beautifully colored flowers. In addition, this hybrid is wonderful to grow to specimen size.

Cym. Dorothy Stockstill has proven itself by winning a number of awards. About 25% of cultural awards given to pendulous cymbidiums have gone to

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Cym. Hazel.Tyers.‘Santa.Maria’

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plants of Cym. Dorothy Stockstill. his own specimen plant earned him a Grand Champion award in 1999 with 39 spikes. Cym. Dorothy Stockstill was named after the mother of everett Stockstill, president of the Torrance Branch of the CSA.

Cym. Kiwi MidnightCym. Janet holland x Cym. Kaiphur

Cym. Kiwi Midnight is on George’s list of favorites for its color; it is one of the most intensely dark-colored cymbidiums to date. The color of this pendant, intermediate-size cymbidium is rich and very attractive, justifying the use of the word “Midnight” in its name. George notes that some clones of this particular hybrid are very popular. he calls this “a shock and awe orchid.”

Cym. madidum George considers this species a favorite

because it blooms at a very low point of the year for cymbidiums. Better yet, it has a wonderful count of fragrant flowers and is easy to grow.

George feels that Cym. madidum has been under-utilized in hybridizing. Perhaps this was due in part to the fact that the species was only recently converted to a tetraploid. (recall that crossing a diploid and a tetraploid produces a triploid, which

is often sterile—a hybridizing dead end.) however, Cym. madidum has a number of attributes that would useful in a parent, so George expects to see some good hybrids in the future. In fact, he sees this species as being one of the few used in hybridizing into the future.

Cym. Mem. Amelia EarhartCym. hazel Tyers x Cym. devonianum

This daughter of Cym. hazel Tyers

Cym. Kiwi.Midnight.‘Geyserland’.S/CSA,.FCC/AOS

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Cym. Mem ..Amelia.Earhart.‘New.Horizons’.

Cym. madidum var. album ‘Memoria.Mu-Lan.Wu’.HCC/AOS

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also made the top ten list. In fact, George considers this hybrid to be one of the top five pendent cymbidiums of all time. like its parent, Cym. Mem. Amelia earhart is free blooming and easy to grow. There are a number of wonderful clones of this orange-flowered cymbidium and many have won awards. The cross itself has been remade a few times. Amelia earhart, of course, was the noted aviator from the early days of aviation.

Cym. Kirby LeshCym. Pink Champagne x Cym. red Beauty

Who can argue with a past Santa Barbara International orchid Show Grand Champion? Cym. Kirby lesh is a spotted cymbidium that George called “stunning.”

It is easy to grow and free blooming, with a nice spike habit. Furthermore, George noted that a lot of good hybrids are coming from this cross right now, so it may prove itself to be a worthy parent.

Cym. Frank KageyamaCym. George Formby x Cym. red Beauty

Quite naturally, George placed this new hybrid to his top ten list; it earned him a Grand Champion Cymbidium Trophy at the 2006 Santa Barbara International orchid Show. Cym. Frank Kageyama is easy to grow. George considers this hybrid to be one of the mostly freely flowering of spotted cymbidiums. It is easy to bloom and will do so on relatively small plants. George notes that Frank Kageyama is a well respected grower from the Torrance area.

Cym. Phar LapCym. Flame hawk x Cym. madidum

This “timeless classic” has intense coloration in the burgundy and maroon hues and, for George, is a “stunning, shocking beauty.” A cross of Cym. madidum by Cym. Flame hawk, this perennial favorite is a parent of another plant or George’s list, Cym. Dorothy Stockstill.

The name itself has a rather Cym. Kirby.Lesh.‘Cinnabar’.S/CSA,.AM/AOS

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Cym. Frank.Kageyama.‘Keiko’.B/CSA

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Cym. Blanche AmesCym. one Tree hill x Cym. Kasuda Shining

The final cymbidium on George’s list is also easy to grow and extremely free blooming. hatfield noted that this “flowering machine” can almost kill itself with flowers; often, growers are best off breaking the flower spikes to force their plants to grow. Cym. Blanche Ames is one of the earliest bloomers of the season and exhibits very good warmth tolerance. hatfield expects it to be a great parent in future.

Cym. Blanche Ames was named for the first recipient of the American orchid Society Gold Medal. Ames is an interesting historical figure, known in the orchid world for her detailed illustrations on orchids, which she made to support her husband oakes Ames’ botanical research on orchids. Blanche Ames was also a staunch supporter of the women’s suffrage movement and an avid inventor. At the age of 90, she obtained a patent for her design of a non-polluting toilet. She died in 1969 at the age of 92.

interesting story, one probably unfamiliar to many northern hemisphere readers. Phar lap was a racehorse that ran during the Great Depression. The horse became an Australian national icon and is often considered one of the greatest racehorses to win the Melbourne Cup. In 1932, Phar lap was brought to north America to run the Agua Caliente handicap, which it won. Mere weeks later, Phar lap died suddenly in mysterious circumstances; there were rumors of gangster involvement in the horse’s demise.

Cym. Blanche.Ames.‘Liz’.HCC/AOS’

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Cym. Phar.Lap.‘Yoshie.Kage’.S/CSA,.AM/AOS

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it has been and what has been achieved to date. I compare it with the navigator’s chart on a ship; it tells you where you’ve been, but it doesn’t necessarily tell you what lies ahead. Sure, the navigator may pencil in an intended course, but the actual track the vessel takes may for all sorts of reasons be quite different.

I looked first at registrations in the Sanders lists over the last two years. I found a total of some 1150 paphiopedilum hybrid registrations in that period. Approximately 25% of that number had at least one species as an immediate parent. My impression (but without doing any detailed study) is that this is quite a high proportion compared with other “main” genera such as cymbidiums, dendrobiums, cattleyas and phalaenopsis.

As a matter of interest, I noted that

I must say at the start that I have found this a very difficult assignment, and at the end of it I am not at all sure that

I have detected any “trends”. It is more a rapid overview of hybrid paphiopedilum breeding over the last 5 years, as evidenced solely by awards given in the CSA system.

First, may I say that awards may not be a particularly reliable barometer of “trends!” There are too many random variables. Apart from the vagaries of breeding programmes in the first place—whether a particular pollination “takes” at all, the vagaries of ploidy, whether a pod that sets is actually fertile, whether the pod contents survive the in vitro process and emerge as viable seedlings, whether the seedlings survive and mature into flowering plants —there are influences due to:

• the growing seasons and different conditions in different orchid houses

• when shows are held and of the show schedules• what an owner chooses to exhibit

• the judges themselves

Also consider this thought: What has slipped through the judges’ fingers? What did they not consider for scoring? What did they score as Bronze or hCC, but the owner did not proceed with the award because he considered the plant deserved better?

I don’t think awards necessarily indicate the direction that hybrid breeding is going. rather, they are a record of where

Recent Trends inPaphiopedilum HybridisingBy chriS hubbert

Adapted from a talk at the CSA New Zealand Branch Winter Seminar, May 20, 2006

Paph. Alex.Szabo.‘No ..7’.S/CSA(Pavarotti.x.Ruth.Curran)

Owner:.Papa.Aroha.OrchidsA.fine.example.of.current.paphiopedilum.

breeding.using.Paph. Pavarotti .

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just 12 paphiopedilum species accounted for two thirds of that 25%. These were Paph. bellatulum, recorded 22 times; Paph. fairrieanum, recorded 20 times; Paph. delenatii, Paph. micranthum and Paph. rothschildianum, each appearing 16 times; Paph. malipoense, Paph. sukhakulii and Paph. vietnamense, each recorded 13 times; Paph. armeniacum with 11 registrations; and Paph. emersonii, Paph. niveum and Paph. wenshanense, each 10 times. Some of the more recently discovered species such as Paph. jackii and Paph. hangianum are starting to make an appearance, and no doubt more of the newer species will make their mark in due course. I guess one “trend” that does not require rocket science to predict is that as new species are discovered, they will make their entrance into the hybridizing lists.

So much for the Sanders lists. next I looked back through the CSA Journal and other recent orchid magazines, but found little of direct relevance to my theme. norito hasegawa, in “What Improvements Can We expect in Complex Paphiopedilums” (CSA Journal, Mar-Apr 2004), made the point that many of today’s judges came into the system perhaps in the last 15-20 years when “novelty” type paphs were predominant, and now the “complex”

paphs are enjoying a resurgence.harold Koopowitz, in the Orchid

Digest of Jan-Feb-Mar 2006, writes most interestingly on the breeding of miniature slippers, illustrated with delightful photos. The examples given are all very charming, and point the way to further developments along such lines. But I think it is far too early yet to say if this is actually a trend or merely just an interesting diversion. If mini-paphs do catch on, they will undoubtedly present a challenge to judging systems, and it may be necessary to devise special points scales to cope with them.

In the end, though, I resorted to making a trawl through the CSA award slides from just the last five years.

one immediate impression was a large number of whites. Many of them are progeny of Paph. White Knight (Green Mystery x Skip Bartlett), but there are examples from other breeding lines. Few appear to be truly all white, but apart

Paph. bellatulum ‘Ruby.Spot’..Paph. bellatulum is.the.species.most.frequently.

used.in.current.paphiopedilum.breeding .

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Paph. fairrieanum ‘Red.Top’..B/CSAThe.second.most.commonly.used.species.in.current.

paphiopedilum.breeding.is.Paph. fairrieanum .

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from general greenish or yellowish tones, allowances must also be made for variable photography. Interestingly, one of the best of the whites was Paph. Coro Gold (Freckles x Coastal Gold), which was the champion paphiopedilum at the hamilton expo 2005.

no review of recent hybrid paph awards would be complete without some of the so-called “Maudiae” types. These come in startlingly rich red tones, green tones,

and “coloratum”. The early dark red Paph. Macabre plants for which the cross was named made a great impact, after which it does take some mental adjustment to fully appreciate the more subtle shades of remakes made with different parents.

In recent years, Barry Fraser has achieved remarkable success with hybrids from Paph. Pavarotti (harvest Time x Divisadero). Such is the dominance of Paph. Pavorotti that it becomes difficult to tell some of the different hybrids apart! unfortunately, I think that there have been times when the judges have effectively felt

Paph. Coro.Gold.‘Papa.Aroha’.S/CSA,.AM/OCNZ(Freckles.x.Coastal.Gold)

Owner:.Selwyn.HatrickAn.example.of.current.white.paphiopedilum.breeding .

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Paph. White.Knight ‘Century’.S/CSA..(Green.Mystery.x.Skip.Bartlett)

Paph. White.Knight.has.been.parent.to.many.successful.white.paphiopedilums .

Paph. Knight’s.Crown ‘Beauty.Ocean’..(Green.Mystery.x.White.Knight).

An.example.of.Paph. White.Knight.breeding .

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nPaph. Macabre.‘Color.Amazon’.S/CSA.

(sukhakulii.x.Voodoo.Magic)A.coloratum.form.of.this.popular.cross .

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maxed-out on Pavarotti crosses and as a result have let some slip through without scoring that really should have been scored and awarded. one of those vagaries that I mentioned earlier!

Species paphiopedilums crossed with complex hybrids is always an area for experiment. Sometimes good and interesting things can result. other times one has to question why anyone bothered! Clearly, and again this is not rocket science, further breeding along these lines can be expected, not only with the regularly-used species, but also new species as they become available. CITeS, however it is interpreted by different countries, seems to have slowed legitimate access to new paphiopedilum species for use in hybridizing, but has certainly not stopped it!

Amongst the reds, there are the “plain” ones and the spotted ones. Paph. Winston Churchill (eridge x hampden) continues to feature regularly in the direct parentage, or at least recent parentage, in both versions of the reds, even though it is now some 55 years since it was registered. It may be an oldie, but clearly it is still a reliable goodie!

As I have said at the beginning, I don’t think that what we have seen in this rapid survey necessarily points to trends, but it does give some idea of the breeding results

that have been achieved in the opening years of the 21st century.

Chris Hubbert is a judge with the CSA and the Orchid Council of New Zealand. He is secretary of the CSA-New Zealand Branch and Editor of both the New Zealand Paphiopedilum Alliance magazine and the North Shore Orchid Society magazine. Chris has been interested in orchids since the early 1980s and grows mostly paphs with some cyms.

Paph. Winston.Churchill ‘Indomitable’.S/CSA..First.made.in.1951,.Paph. Winston.Churchill.still.is.a.

powerful.presence.in.paphiopedilum.breeding ..

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Paph. Pavarotti..‘Papa.Aroha’..AM/OCNZ(Harvest.Time.x.Divisadero)

Owner:.Kevin.SherlockPaph. Pavarotti.is.becoming.known.for.

its.qualities.as.a.good.parent .

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Paph. Solo.Flyer..‘Papa.Aroha’..S/CSA(Personality.x.Qantas).

Owner:.Papa.Aroha.OrchidsPaph. Winston.Churchill,.through.Paph. Personality,.

is.a.grandparent.of.Paph. Solo.Flyer .

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of how to keep a satisfied customer. Paul Gripp, who owned the Santa Barbara orchid estate, “really genuinely loved orchids.” It was from Paul that she gained her first understanding of orchids.

James rose worked as the manager at the Santa Barbara orchid estate. “James and I were kind of a team” early on, reminisces lauris. They married in 1981.

lauris was invited to join Stewart orchids, which had a branch in Carpinteria. There, she worked with leo holguin and ernest hetherington. “I really, really, really enjoyed sitting in that office and talking to leo holguin and ernest hetherington, being associated with a company like Stewarts with history and prestige.”

But she and James were looking for a place of their own. They found it in orchids by rowe, a cut flower cymbidium nursery then owned by John and Bob rowe. They

Meet the Grower:Lauris RoseBy heidi kirkPatrick

They say you can go around the world just walking through an orchid nursery. lauris rose’s encapsulation

of the world is Cal-orchid, Inc., the Santa Barbara, California nursery she owns with her husband, James. As we wander through the benches, lauris points out plants whose native habitats are so very far away. Cymbidiums from Australia and Asia. epidendrums from Central and South America. laelias from Mexico. Paphiopedilums from Southeast Asia.

lauris doesn’t wait for the orchid world to come to her. “orchid guys have to travel. orchid guys have to see what others are doing.” last year, Cal-orchid had a presence at 12-15 shows. lauris had as many speaking engagements. And she is very aware that the orchid world of today is not the same as it was when she became involved with orchids.

In the 1970s, lauris rose was fresh out of school, with an english major, an art minor, and an interest in the “green plant revolution” of the day. She enjoyed gardening in general and took care of her parents’ orchids, many of which were gifts from old-time Santa Barbara grower helmut Zoike. She spent a season with a cut flower cymbidium grower, but it was in working at the Santa Barbara orchid estate that she began to meet other members of the orchid community of which she would become a part.

During her ten years at Santa Barbara orchid estate, she developed her appreciation for orchids and the knowledge

Lauris.Rose.at.Cal-Orchid

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purchased the nursery with the help of an investment partner in 1987 and sold off the cut flower plants as landscape plants, gradually replacing them with breeding stock and a greater variety of orchids.

She and James “had a lot of confidence.” They had contacts. But, says lauris, “It is humbling, embarrassing, and scary to start a new business no matter how much you know.”

James was the point man. he wanted to breed lycastes, for which he had begun to make himself a name. Together they wanted to breed standard and miniature cymbidiums. lauris describes James as having a “tremendous ability to pick plants out of inventories of other nurseries that they hadn’t seen.”

Along the way, they have had set backs. A fire new Year’s eve of 1996 burned 25% of Cal-orchid. They lost the lycaste breeding program and many cymbidiums. Their Japanese partner withdrew. And James was diagnosed with hepatitis, probably from a blood transfusion after a youthful motorcycle accident. lauris counts it fortunate that ned nash was involved with Cal-orchid while James was ill.

Today, Cal-orchid is looking for its niche in a changing orchid world. lauris sees that the wholesale business is driving the orchid business. Consumers are presented with the cheap products of the “big box” stores and see them as throw-away plants.

Shows, lauris notes, are different, too. There are, she says, a “million” orchid shows and a “million” vendors, and nothing seems special about any of them. The flea market aspect that she sees in the orchid show of today has taken the panache out of being an orchid grower.

There are also fewer orchid enthusiasts willing to pay $50 and more for a plant. During the 70s, 80s and 90s, there was a tremendous cash flow from orchid hobbyists, many of whom had very deep pockets. Today, lauris sees the $25 plant as the golden ideal for nurseries. The

challenge is finding the plants that appeal to the orchid buying public that a nursery can easily produce to make a profit at that sales price.

lauris feels Cal-orchid can reach this ideal with a distinctly different product. Their goal is a plant that looks balanced on the table, something with attractive flowers and attractive growth. Cal-orchid looks to produce something for the wholesale market and for the hobby grower.

After the devastating fire, it has taken time for the Cal-orchid cymbidium breeding program to be rejuvenated. now, they are breeding for different colors—oranges, classic whites and reds. About 90% of their breeding product is upright. lauris notes that pendulous plants are too hard to pack as a pot plant.

lauris stops by a cross of Cym. Golden elf with Cym. madidum called Cym. Dutchman’s Gold. The cross has gone into production with the clone ‘Bonanza’. She notes that this plant has a broad market because it grows outdoors in Santa Barbara, and in warmer areas like hawaii and Florida. And it has the plus of fragrance.

Among lauris’s favorite cymbidium species is Cym. devonianum. She likes the look of it and notes that it is grown as a garden plant in new Zealand. harder to grow is Cym. canaliculatum, but lauris likes this plant for the tactile appeal of its stiff leaves and for its unusual flowers. She notes that there are some interesting hybrids of

Slc. Hsin.Buu.Lady.‘Y ..T .’

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this species coming up. Cym. tracyanum is a favorite because of the “cheerful abandon” of the spots. lauris says it is an easy plant to sell.

Cal-orchid is also experimenting with Laelia anceps hybrids. The species grows very well outdoors with cymbidiums, but is difficult to use in breeding and slow from seed. Cloning can be challenging because L. anceps is unstable as a meristem, but a commercial nursery can’t get a large production on seedlings. nevertheless, lauris says some of the hybrids are promising. For example, Slc. hsin Buu lady is a cross of Slc. Wendy’s Valentine and L. anceps that she particularly likes. It stays short, has a fire-engine red flower, and will grow with cymbidiums.

Cal-orchid sells a number of sobralias, Australian dendrobiums and masdevallias. lauris notes that production from the lab holds them back a little, particularly with masdevallias. The Dutch are breeding warm-growing masdevallias, but these often spot in the rain outdoors in Santa Barbara. odontoglossoms, which Cal-orchid also grows, do well in Santa Barbara but often find summers a little too hot.

one of Cal-orchid’s major breeding programs, and one particularly dear to lauris, involves epidendrums. After mingling Japanese and hawaiian breeding lines, Cal-orchid has a product that flowers in three years out of the flask.

lauris picks up an epi from a bench and tells me that the first flowering reveals the color and a hint of the size. The second and

third flowerings result in the hydrangea-head spikes. If it throws keikis, she culls it because keikis make for a messy plant. In fact, lauris notes that some growers cut the epidendrums back by a third, like a rose bush, to neaten the plant for the next season.

not every buyer likes the same look in a plant. The Japanese prefer epis with delicate stems. Americans like robust stems. The Dutch want clear colors—pink, yellow, red—not blends like “dusty rose.” But everyone seems to like the profuse heads of flowers.

While they have not done chromosome counts, lauris speculates that some of the particularly robust plants may be tetraploid. The color range is broadening after several generations of hybridizing. And better yet, with both warm and cool growing species in their backgrounds, lauris finds the hybrids to be temperature tolerant.

The breeding line of the future? lauris thinks so.

A.head.of.epidendrum.flowers.—large.as.a.hand .

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How and When to Water Your Plants

By lance birk

This chapter is reprinted with the kind permission of the author from his book, The Paphiopedilum Grower’s Manual, the second edition published in 2004 by Pisang Press, Santa Barbara, California.

This is not a theory waiting to be proved…it is a fact. You can see the results of this in everyday life. If

you would like your orchids to grow large, healthy and robust, give them plenty of water and they will respond accordingly. Water them often and they will just keep growing. but!

But… read further to learn the details of the procedure, and to understand what else is necessary to grow those magnificent plants yourself. These following principles are tested and proved, in greenhouses around the world. They have been adopted by countless orchid growers who read the First edition of this manual, and who then applied them, not only for their Paphiopedilum orchids, but also for the other orchids in their collections as well.

The fact that numerous other authors have now adopted these same methods is proof that they do indeed work, and many species of orchid plants in many collections have benefited from renewed vitality and vigor. You can achieve this same success.

“When should I water my plants?” This question is asked by every beginning orchid fancier.

The correct answer is of course, “When they need it.”

unfortunately, this answer does not begin to satisfy someone who is having great difficulty trying to understand how often to water his plants, especially since everyone he talks to tells him something different. Because of the many types of growing media, climates, greenhouse conditions and individual microclimates, there are

A plant’s growth is

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of water it receives.

Paph. Bruno.

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probably no two persons doing the exact same thing with their plants. one must know all the variable conditions in order to advise a beginner correctly.

If the conditions for sufficient air movement are not provided, the single most frequent cause of death of most orchid plants is from improper watering techniques. Anyone wishing to raise paphiopedilums should be fully aware of the influence water has upon the success or failure of his endeavor. If you wish to cultivate these beautiful orchids, then you should also assume the responsibility for their successful culture, and it is essential that the dangers of improper watering techniques be thoroughly understood and be avoided in order for the health and survival of these unique plants to be maintained.

Following are specific elements which will help you to understand what happens when you water your plants.

Habitat Conditions

In both literature and horticulture, paphiopedilums are referred to as terrestrial orchids. Yet some species grow upon trees with their roots embedded in mosses and lichens, and like the American laelias, they should be termed epiphytic orchids. Many species grow lithophytically in mosses on rocks, and some even grow upon the soil. This however, does not substantiate their being called terrestrial orchids.

Those found growing on the ground actually have their roots coursing throughout the leaves and detritus of the forest floor, and seldom do the roots penetrate the true soil. The plants found with their roots in soil often appear to have had that soil washed or fallen over them, after having been first established in that particular growing spot.

In view of the growing conditions I have personally observed in numerous different habitats, I regard Paphiopedilum orchids as epiphytes; and if you view them

as such, your success in their culture will be greatly enhanced. If you remember that epiphytic orchids are those found growing in mosses on trees, they are subjected to constant air circulation and they dry rapidly after a rainfall. With this in mind it should not be difficult to understand the basic concept for watering Paphiopedilum orchids.

Most habitats of paphiopedilums are subjected to prolonged periods of heavy winds and rainfall called monsoons. Some regions have both a wet monsoon and a ‘dry’ monsoon (less rainfall), others only a wet monsoon. Monsoons are large-scale wind systems and they are seasonal and predictable in their time and direction. regardless of the fierceness of these wind or rain storms, many plants and animals depend upon them and have adapted to their cycle.

It is even possible to examine the plant structure of some species of paphiopedilums, and to guess rather accurately, the general area from which they originate, or at least the climate in which they can be found.

For instance, Paph. celebesense is a species with a few, long roots, and it has thin leaves which are fairly short. Small bits and pieces of detritus will be found clinging

Paph. bullenianum ‘Michelle’Closely.related.to.Paph. celebesense.

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to these roots. This species inhabits a cloud forest, out of the path of the monsoon, and is subjected to heavy clouds and continual moisture vapor from the nearby sea. Plants inhabiting areas with abundant and continual moisture do not need a large root system, nor do they need thick or large leaves for water retention during a prolonged dry season.

on the other hand, a species like P. godefroyae, found growing at sea level in

the Gulf of Siam, has many very thick and succulent leaves, and its huge mass of thick roots weighs much more than its leaves. Judging by the plant, one would think that it comes from the desert, not from one of the most humid places on earth. But, while there are seasonal periods of long and heavy rains in the gulf, it is also a place where almost no rainfall will occur for five or six months. Knowledge of climates can be very helpful in governing the way in which we grow our Paphiopedilum species.

Throughout most of the areas where Paphiopedilum orchids grow, humidity constantly remains high. The majority of the species have relatively thin leaves, and they receive much of their moisture requirements through their leaf pores called

stomata. unlike other kinds of plants, orchids have fixed stomata, which always remain open, and they cannot regulate the amount of moisture they gain, or lose.

In habitat, when temperatures rise during the day, the ambient humidity is readily assimilated, and growers living in these regions might not irrigate their plants for several months. In fact, they find it necessary to protect their plants with an overhead shelter to prevent any rainfall from reaching them, thereby causing them to rot. A large number of orchid growers from these regions grow many species of their orchids, (but not paphiopedilums), in wooden baskets or in clay pots, with no potting media. The pots or baskets are used simply to confine the orchids and to give their roots surfaces to which they can attach. With so much ambient humidity, the ideal conditions also exist for fungi and bacteria, and these precautionary measures must be taken to prevent diseases from gaining a foothold.

In a greenhouse, too much humidity would be a problem unless large volumes of air could be circulated to keep surfaces dry, since the normal differential between outside temperatures and inside temperatures will cause continual dripping from the roof. In order to keep the plants healthy, a small gale would have to be maintained inside the growing area. Fortunately, the real problem seems to be in trying to maintain enough humidity in most domestic greenhouses, so this is not a common problem. It does however, serve to illustrate the needs of these plants.

Plants of the Brachypetalum section all have large masses of succulent, hairy roots. Their leaves are thick and numerous, although they are small plants. The species are usually found growing close to bodies of water and have their roots embedded in thick pads of mosses, which grow in water seepages on rocks. even though they periodically are exposed to hot drying winds for months at a time, the small surface areas of their leaves restricts the water loss, while

Paph. godefroyae var ..ang-thong ‘Izayoi’A.succulent-leaved,.thick-rooted.member

.of.subgenus.Brachypetalum.

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their massive root system and their close proximity to open water, enables them to gather and store every obtainable drop.

During the prolonged wet season, the mosses in which they grow are porous enough to allow air circulation to reach the roots, and they help to drain off excess water, thereby preventing the roots from decaying from lack of air. The orchid’s hard, fleshy and wax-coated leaves are accustomed to excesses of moisture, and are not damaged by constant rains and high humidity. (Paph. delenatii, previously included in the Brachypetalum section, does not have the same plant structure as others in this group, and it is not included in this description).

If excessive water really was a certain cause of death to these orchids, none would survive the monsoon, or even the heavy and prolonged convectional rains they are subjected to in habitat. Their adaptation to these prolonged wet periods is by growing in these mosses and other freely aerated surfaces, as their means of survival.

each species of Paphiopedilum has adapted to its own particular climate. While only a few species can be found growing on trees, and a slightly higher number can be found on the forest floor, most will be found growing in mosses on rocks. They live in regions with both high, and moderate levels of humidity. Whether they inhabit one-monsoon or two-monsoon areas, they have survived by changing to fit the conditions in which they live, as have the Brachypetalum species.

While we cannot reliably maintain the same conditions to which each species has adapted, we can cater to the basic needs of these plants. Their needs are very simply, to grow in relatively high humidity, to give them a porous growth medium, and to keep them from remaining too wet by supplying sufficient volumes of circulating air.

When to Water

no two plants need water at the

same time. Because of a large number of variables, one plant will always dry out sooner than another. Factors such as the size of the root system, whether or not the plant was recently repotted or if it needs to be repotted, the number of growths, the type of potting soil, if it is in a clay or plastic pot, the time of day and the time of year, the temperature, the humidity, the amount of light, the volume of air movement a plant receives and the weather forecast for tomorrow, are all factors which must be weighed in order to properly gauge the time to irrigate.

The final answer to the question of when to water can only be learned after many years of experience. But, by taking the above considerations one at a time, it will help to answer some of those first questions, and it will give the beginning Paphiopedilum grower a better understanding of how these plants function.

When a Paphiopedilum has been recently divided and repotted, the roots do not function because they have been damaged. Applying water to these roots too soon or too often can cause them to decay. Keeping them slightly moist will allow their recovery and will encourage new growing tips to emerge, therefore it is best just to mist a recently repotted plant daily for a week or two.

on the other hand, a root-bound orchid with multiple growths would need

Paph. delenatiiA.member.of.subgenus.Parvisepalum with.different.root.

structure.than.species.in.subgenus.Brachypetalum.

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to be watered several times a week. It could be maintained by misting, but in order for it to grow and prosper, it would need pot watering. If either plant were potted in plastic, it would need much less water than if it was in a clay pot, since clay is such a porous container. And a ‘heavy’ mix, meaning one that is composed of small particles which retain more moisture, would require fewer irrigations than a ‘light’ mix would, because the latter would dry out much sooner.

Plants growing in high light intensities require more water than those in shadier places, since the sun increases both the ambient temperature and the speed of plant metabolism. Also, the greater the volume of air passing over each plant, the more it will dry out from evaporation.

If the weather forecast for tomorrow is for rain, perhaps you might want to wait to water until fairer skies are predicted, since during a rainstorm the relative humidity goes up significantly. Since it will be cooler and darker during the rain, plants will not be respiring at their normal rate and it would be best to wait.

If you missed watering your plants in the morning, it usually is best to wait until the following morning rather than to water them too late in the day and have them remain wet during the nighttime. In the summer, with high temperatures during the nights, it is not so much of a problem, but during the winter it could cause plant diseases to gain a foothold, frequently with disastrous results.

Keep this one thought in mind: Plants respond in direct proportion to the amount of water they receive. When properly potted in a healthy mix suitable for your particular conditions, you should be able to water your paphiopedilums twice a week or more, without fear of over-watering them. I have found that many paphiopedilums can be watered nearly every day when the weather is bright and sunny. All factors, particularly air circulation and potting media, must be in balance to allow for this, but it is not difficult

to establish and to maintain once you get to know your individual plant’s conditions and needs. The results of frequent irrigations can produce growth in your plants which will simply amaze you.

How to Water

orchid culture can be filled with shortcuts, but watering is the one area where they really do not belong. It is easy to turn on the watering hose and water all the plants with a soft spray. They all get wet; you know they do because you can see all that water. Drenching them with water can be done in just a few minutes. But the proper method of watering your plants takes time.

Watering is the most important technique (air circulation is a condition, not a technique) in orchid culture, yet it is the most readily misunderstood. Most orchids can live with the wrong temperature, the ‘wrong’ amount of light or be in the wrong location. But few can survive if they are improperly watered.

You have to make a concentrated effort to water correctly, and it takes time to do it thoroughly. The rewards of seeing, or of showing a well-grown plant or a group of plants, are very satisfying indeed, and it should be high on the list of priorities of every orchid grower. Just being able to maintain a plant is not good enough these days; you should strive to do better with your plants every season. If you limit the number of plants you raise to those that you can care for well, then you will find the task much less forbidding. And if you do not feel that you have the time or inclination to water properly, then perhaps orchid culture is not for you.

hand watering is most easily done with a ‘rose’ type-watering nozzle, which breaks up the flow of water without restricting the volume. With this attachment you are able to direct large amounts of water towards even freshly potted plants, without the danger of having them become dislodged.

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The flow should be full enough to fill the pot, and to flow freely out the drain holes at the bottom, yet without welling up within the pot and loosening or scattering the compost.

Water the tops of the plants freely, as well as the undersides of the leaves, if that is possible. But do try to keep the water out of the flowers since it can cause them to rot. When you water, maintain a side-to-side, broad, figure-eight, or perhaps a circular motion, watering several plants at the same time, as it will allow you to complete your irrigation more quickly. The plants should be thoroughly soaked before moving on to the next group, and you should look for those which need watering from both sides of the pot.

This is only the first step in watering. The most important step is to go back and to repeat the irrigation a second time. This is called leaching, and it is what must be done in order to maintain healthy conditions in the pot. This step is the one most often overlooked, yet is the one step, which no one should omit.

Common sense tells us that it hardly would seem to make any sense to re-water our plants; after all, they can only take up so much water at a time. It seems such a waste of time and water. But it is not at a waste when you understand what happens as you water your plants.

each time you water your plants, salts (both soluble and insoluble) are deposited inside the pot, carried there by the irrigation water. every irrigation deposits more and more salts which cling to the roots, the compost and to the walls of the pot as the water evaporates. Salts are found in the water and in most potting soils, and are the components of fertilizers. Some of these

salts become locked-up in the compost and cannot be released, regardless of how often you leach, in which case chemicals must be used to dissolve them so they can be eliminated.

Salts also can cause changes in the ph, which can lock-up needed nutrients, thereby depriving the orchid of these elements. Signs of excessive salt are: loss of roots, lower leaf drop, leaf-tip die-back, chlorosis, lack of vigor, premature flower drop and I suspect, loss of fertility. each of these symptoms is indicative of other

problems, but because salt buildup is such a frequent cause of plant troubles, you should look there first.

There also is another condition sometimes encoun-tered in Paphiopedilum culture, caused by excess salts, but its diagnosis is not read-ily apparent. Perhaps you have seen it. In

a collection of nice looking and seemingly well-grown plants, suddenly, a large number of plants will exhibit leaf-tip burn, root loss and even mid-leaf or crown rot. The effect will appear in different species throughout the growing area.

Some of the damage could be fungal or bacterial, but usually it is caused by a rapid increase in the concentration of salts within the pot. The condition is the result of growing the plants without periodically leaching the medium, and by allowing them to suddenly dry out, when they are normally maintained fairly moist. This action causes an increase in the percentage of salt concentrations in the mix.

When the weather changes to hot and dry, or if an irrigation or two is missed, the water within the pots dries out more than usual, thereby it can raise the concentration of salts to a toxic level. The ensuing

The.most.important.step.in.watering.is.to.go.back.and.repeat.the.irrigation ..This.step,.called.leaching, is.most.often.overlooked,.yet.is.the.one.step...which.no.one.should.omit .

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rupturing of plant cells either shows up as salt damage, or else it can allow diseases to enter, (masking the original cause of injury). once the normal watering schedule is resumed, the damage seems to clear up, but the cycle frequently can be repeated a second or third time, never giving the grower a clue as to the real cause.

Damage from accumulated salts usually happens so gradually that it frequently is not noticed until it becomes widespread. It is unlike a rot, which can suddenly consume an entire plant. The cause of the salt damage cannot be easily determined, since there appears to be no relation between what seems to be “thorough” watering, and the leaf burn.

You should be aware of the potential for this damage to your plants, and be quick to remedy the situation. realistically, it may not be necessary to leach at each watering, although it would be most favorable for your plants. leaching can be done every third or fourth irrigation, or at any frequency consistent with the good health of your orchids. But, it must not be put off.

Chemicals are available to mix with the irrigation water, which have a residual effect, and after irrigation they continue to dissolve salts until the next irrigation when they will then be washed out. Phosphoric acid dissolves most of those alkaline salts, and is itself a fertilizer. Two operations at once can be performed by its use; however it can change the ph considerably so it must be used with caution. Where water is a restricted resource, perhaps greater use of chemicals can be made instead of frequent leaching in order to conserve water.

Fertilizer

Most Paphiopedilum orchids do not seem to require fertilizers. Because these ‘terrestrial’ epiphytes seldom if ever, exhibit the same signs of leaf yellowing that a Cattleya orchid does, it may seem hard to justify using any fertilizers at all. But experience has shown that they do show

improvement when fertilized, and it should be applied at a more reduced rate than that given other kinds of orchids.

Those species with plain leaves seem to benefit from weak applications at frequent intervals, much more than do those with tessellated leaves, (this is nOt a rule, just an observation!). The thick-leaved species, from the section Brachypetalum are easily and quickly damaged, even by light doses of fertilizers and should be given only fractional amounts at three- to four-month intervals.

There are no specific requirements for paphiopedilums, but any good, complete fertilizer, which is heavy in nitrogen, may be used. Any Cattleya or Phalaenopsis fertilizer, used at either one-half, or one-fourth the recommended rate will do well.

Although some growers have success with them, placing resin-encapsulated fertilizer pellets on the surface of the potting medium heightens the risk of root burn, and incorporating them into the potting soil is only slightly less risky. Fertilizers are best applied in liquid form through the irrigation system, to irrigate both the leaf area as well as the root zone.

Paphiopedilums potted in straight fir bark, as well as those grown in high-light intensities will both require more fertilizer

Paph. concolor.‘Rakuten’ A.species.sensitive.to.fertilizer.damage,.like.other.

members.of.the.subgenus.Brachypetalum.

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than those grown in compound mixes and under low-light conditions.

In view of the problems of salt burn, which seems prevalent with these lady’s Slipper orchids, it becomes a matter of personal choice whether or not to fertilize them. I would recommend fertilizing, but with the caution that a close watch should be kept over the plants, and that remedial action be taken at first sign of damage from excess salts.

Quality of Water

every community’s water supply is different, even within the same city and at different times of the year. The combinations and concentrations of minerals and trace elements, as well as the ph, vary from time to time and from source to source. Most are slightly alkaline, loaded with trace elements and have been treated (mostly with chlorine or chloramines) to make them potable.

A water ph of 7.0 is neutral; readings above that level are alkaline, and those below are in degrees of acidity. Your water district can give you details of your water quality and its components, or you might wish to test your own water supply and you can obtain an inexpensive ph test kit from your local garden supply store.

excess alkalinity in our artificial growing habitat can lock-up certain elements, and it can cause salts to accumulate faster within the root-zone. Alkaline water causes more problems for Paphiopedilum growers, despite the fact that many of the species are found growing on alkaline limestone. While it would appear that in their habitat, the limestone is a contributing factor to their nutritional requirements, in reality the mosses and leafy detritus into which their roots are imbedded are acidic. Since limestone is more readily dissolved in cold water, the warm tropical regions where Paphiopedilums are found growing cannot supply more than a trace amount of that substance.

rainwater is either neutral, or slightly acidic, having a range of 6.0 to 7.0, mostly the latter. Species paphiopedilums thrive in the slightly acid range of ph. Very low acidity, in a range from 3.5 to 5, also causes certain chemicals to lock up and become unavailable to the plant, but on the other hand, it does not allow many salts to accumulate within the pot.

A neutral ph water source is best for our plants, since it causes the least number of problems. Most fertilizers can be used under such water conditions, without such frequent leaching as would be required with more alkaline irrigation water. Few chemical treatments would be necessary with a water supply having a ph below 7.0.

Small amounts of lime could be incorporated into the potting soil in areas with water of lower ph, to counteract that greater acidity. Potassium hydroxide could also be added to the water supply to raise the ph, while phosphoric or hydrochloric acid can judiciously be used to acidify an alkaline water source, the former being the first choice.

Fresh rainwater is beneficial to your plants; you can almost see them grow after they have been out in the rain. Stored rainwater does not seem to have quite the same effects, but it does have many benefits. one of them is its purity and an absence of salts. rainwater is slightly acid, and because of this, it helps to dissolve those accumulated salts in potted plants. If collected from a clean surface, stored in impervious containers and kept from contamination, it will last indefinitely. A disadvantage of storage is that it either must be stored in a raised tank for gravity flow, or else it must be pumped mechanically.

Fresh water from wells or lakes can have high concentrations of dissolved solids, and it should be tested before being used on plants. Swimming pool water should never be used on orchids because of the high concentrations of chemicals used for its purification. Also, softened water from a home softener should never be

44

used for plants, since most of the softening chemicals (usually common table salt), can be lethal to plants. This is particularly important to remember if you have ever watered your plants in the kitchen sink.

Mechanical means are available whereby water of the utmost purity can be obtained. Both de-ionizing and reverse-osmosis machines filter out all the chemicals and impurities from the water, thereby delivering water as pure as distilled water. At the time when these systems first became available to orchid growers, it was thought they would solve the problems of salt burn and the excesses of unwanted mineral elements. As has been learned since, plants require many of the trace and macro elements which are removed from the water, although it is not known precisely in what quantities they are needed.

unfortunately, they waste a tremendous amount of water in the purification process. Another major disadvantage of these systems is their initial purchase price or their monthly rental fees, both of which are expensive. Another factor which precludes their use, except for very small needs, is in the fact of the limited volumes they are able to produce and the length of time it takes to deliver the purified water. Additional tanks and pumps must also be maintained to collect and to store the water for its use.

While other crops have been grown hydroponically, orchids have seldom been successfully raised by such systems. They like to have fresh water at their roots, not that which has been used several times before. Collecting and re-using water is fine for the conservation of resources, but one must be knowledgeable about its use, and to know how it can be treated for re-use, as well as when it must be discarded.

extremely cold water should not be used on orchids, and neither should hot water. Water which is comfortable to your touch, even though it may seem cold, is suitable for orchids. It also depends upon the interior temperature of the growing area. If the plants inside the greenhouse are

at very low temperatures, very cold water could cause them some harm. on the other hand, if the inside temperature is warm, very cold water would not remain very cold for long, and therefore would not cause any damage. Common sense can guide your decision.

To summarize, since you now know more about the effects water has on our plants, you can train yourself to be observant to the results of your watering practices. learning when and how to properly water your paphiopedilums requires a studied effort; it will not just happen. every time you irrigate your plants, you should also observe each plant individually, making note of its condition. The next time you observe the plant, either to irrigate or just to look, compare its condition to the previous visit. If anything has changed, is it because of the effects of water?

Study your watering practices and ask yourself questions such as: Do you always water about the same amount, or do you really pour it on one time, and then lightly dampen them the next? When you see some of your plants going limp between watering, or rotting, or doing beautifully, or poorly, can you correlate the problem to your watering methods?

Answers do not always come easily. You will have to search for them at first. But they are there, and since you have now learned how to understand the effects water has on orchids, your confidence and satisfaction at how well your plants are growing will increase as you find those answers. Your success at watering will be a satisfying, and very comforting reward.

Lance Birk has traveled to Southeast Asia, China, and Central and South America in search of orchids in their native habitats. His study of orchids in the wild and paphs in particular has extended over some 25 years of travels in remote locations. Lance can be reached at www.lancebirk.com.

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regular meetings 4th Tuesday of each month, September thru June, 7:30 PM, los Angeles County Arboretum,301 n. Baldwin Ave, Arcadia, CACall Greg Stanley: 626-355-1424

officerS

President: . . . . . . . . . . norma JohnsonVice President: . . . . . . eric AndreasenSecretary: . . . . . . . . . . Barbara BreichaTreasurer,-Membership: . . . Charles JohnsonCSA rep.: . . . . . . . . . . . .Greg StanleyPast President: . . . . . . . . . .Greg Stanley

directorS

richard Arlien . . . . . . . . Susan Arlienernest hetherington . . Mitsuru KubotaWen lin . . . . . . . . . . . . . regina VelardiTony Velardi

Santa barbara brancH

regular meetings 3rd Wednesday of each month, except March and August, 7:30 PM, Franklin neighborhood Center, 1136 e. Montecito St., Santa Barbara, CA

officerS

President: . . . . . . . . . . . David Thurber Vice President: . . . . . . . . . . . Phil Watt Secretary: . . . . . . . . .heidi KirkpatrickTreasurer: . . . . . . . . . . . . Shirlie Carter

directorS

Past President: . . . . . . . Frank MethmanCSA rep . . . . . . . . . . . . David ThurberDick Swain . . . . . . . . .randall umlandContact: thurberlaw@aol.com ororchidtrain@cox.net, 805-563-2894

torrance brancH

regular meetings 2nd Tuesday of each month, october thru June, 7:00 PM, Sam levy Adult education Center,340 229th Place, Torrance, CA

officerS

President: . . . . . . . . . everett StockstillVice President: . . . . . . . . . Byron ChanSecretary: . . . . . . . . . . Violet StockstillTreasurer: . . . . . . . . . . . . . Bert TagamiCSA rep: . . . . . . . . . . . . . Bob Streeter

directorS

George nakayama . . . Dave Teuschlerha Bui . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Don ShigakiWoody Yoshimoto . . . . . . . . . Joe Santyrobert Shigeno . . . . . . Frances ShigenoStan noguchi

WeStSide brancH

regular meetings 1st Tuesday of each month, november thru May, 7:30 PM, Grant elementary School Cafeteria, 2425 Pearl Street, Santa Monica, CAemail: luciamariebrandt@gmail.com

officerS

President: . . . . . . lucia Brandt MaedaVice President: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . openSecretary: . . . . . . . . . . . . Bobbi FlusserTreasurer: . . . . . . lucia Brandt MaedaMembership: . . . . . . . . . Sharon Gage

directorS

Past President: . . . . . . . . . Don MisumiCSA rep: : . . . . . lucia Brandt MaedaJudge lawrence Drumm . . Betty Wongedward Saraffian . . . . . . . . David BerryMoshe Sergeant

neW ZeaLand brancH

For information, contact:Chris hubbert, P o Box 3451, Auckland 1015 nZPhone 09-300-6933email: chubbert@jacksonrussel.co.nz

officerS

President: . . . . . . . . . . . . . Terry AustinVice President: . . . . . . . . . . . Joe VanceSecretary: . . . . . . . . . . . Chris hubbertTreasurer: . . . . . . . . . . Jeanette AustinMembership: . . . . . . . . Chris hubbert

directorS

CSA rep . . . . . . . . . . . . . Andy eastonJudging Chair: . . . . . . . . . . ross Tuckerheather Cooke . . . . . . . . Mick hughesBetty Vance

Japan brancH

For information, contact hajime Mori, e-mail:hanataro@bc4.so-net.ne.jpMeetings 1st Sunday of each month except August, The International house of Japan, 11-16 roppongi 5-chome, Minato-ku, Tokyo Tel. 03-3470-4611 Fax 03-3479-1738

http://www.cosmo.ne.jp/~csaofficerS

President: . . . . . . . . . . Masanori Miuramnmiura@rose.plala.or.jpVice President: . . . . . . . . Kamezo SaitoSecretary: . . . . . . . . . . . . .hajime MoriTreasurer: . . . . . . . . . Shigehisa SakataMembership: . . . . . . . . . . hisao nagai

directorS

Judging . . . . . . . . . . . . Isao MuramatsuCorresponeence . . . . . . Yosio YosikawaTomoyoshi ozawa . . . . . . Akira IshibikiMorikatu YamazakiCSA rep . . . . . . . . . . . George hatfieldgeorge@hatfieldorchids.com

Sacramento vaLLey brancH

regular meetings 4rd Wednesday of each month, october through June, except December, 7 PM, Shepard Garden & Art Center, 3330 McKinley Blvd., Sacramento, CACall rich: 916-989-1650

officerS

President: . . . . . . . . . . . . . rich heislerVice President: . . . . . . . . . Bob ConatySecretary: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Juan AlejoTreasurer: . . . . . . . . . . . ellen KraemerMembership: . . . . . Anthony Barcellos

directorS

Past President: . . . . . . . . . . Jim lothropCSA rep. . . . . . . . . . . . . . rich heislerJames Wolf . . . . . . . . . . . . Julio orozco Bobette DelCambre . . . .Brian lothrop

4�

To: Cymbidium Society of America, Inc.,c/o Clara Moura, Membership Secretary, ��4� Grove Way, Castro Valley, CA �4�4�.

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The Cymbidium Society of America was formed over 50 years ago in 1946 to stimulate and extend the appreciation of cymbidiums, paphiopedilums and other cool or outdoor growing orchids. Now consisting of ten individual branches (including three overseas branches), the Cymbidium Society strives to develop, acquire and disseminate information concerning these beautiful and enchanting orchids. As the official voice of the Cymbidium Society of America, Inc., the CSA JOURNAL is published bimonthly, with an international range of coverage. While the cymbidium and paphiopedilum scene on the West Coast of the USA is the major area of coverage, articles are included on the other cool-growing genera that will grow under cymbidium type condi-tions. We strive to include something for everyone in each issue, from the newest beginner to the most advanced grower. The CSA JOURNAL features full color covers that highlight recently awarded varieties and 8 or more pages of interior color. Articles are continually presented by many world famous authorities, which enable the reader to stay current with what is happening in today’s ever-changing orchid world. The current subscription rate for the CSA Journal is $30.00 per year, U. S. funds only, (sent via Periodicals Class Mail anywhere world-wide), which includes membership in the Cymbidium Society of America, Inc. The $30 does not include individual branch dues.

the Official PublicatiOn Of the cymbidium SOciety Of america, inc.

The

Official PublicatiOn Of the cymbidium SOciety Of america, inc.

Cymbidium hOt POrt ‘Wirl’ S/cSa

in thiS iSSue

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frOm the library: Cymbidium i’ansonii

VOlume 7, number 2 • march/aPril 2007

Official PublicatiOn Of the cymbidium SOciety Of america, inc.

Cymbidium anna’S rOSe ‘VelVet’

in thiS iSSue

the influence Of cOmmercialiSm On JudGinG

recent trendS in PaPhiOPedilumS

hOW and When tO Water yOur PlantS

VOlume 7, number 3 • may/June 2007

Official PublicatiOn Of the cymbidium SOciety Of america, inc.

Cymbidium tracyanum ‘dragOn Wing’ b/cSa

in thiS iSSuegrOOming cymbidiumSPreVieW Of the 2007 cSa cOngreSS2006 San franciScO ShOW rePOrt

VOlume 7, number 1 • January/february 2007

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Paphiopedilum alex SzabO ‘#7’ S/cSa

This flower combines the pale green color often found in Paphiopedilum ruth Curran with the yellow-orange color common in Paphiopedilum Pavarotti to produce a pale yellow flower of medium size but exceptional shapeliness. As with other Paphiopedilum Pavarotti offspring, there are mahogany markings on the petals and dorsal and a wide white margin on the dorsal which provide a contrast that enhances the overall appearance. This plant was shown by Papa Aroha orchids on July 10, 2004 in new Zealand and merited a silver award of 80.04. The photograph was taken by Val Bayliss.