Category Archives: Meetings

Joint meeting with the Englewood Area Orchid Society at the Christ Lutheran Church, 701 N. Indiana Ave., Englewood. Monday July 8^th at 6:30 p.m.

Speaker: Paul Phelps

Topic: “Cattleya, Queen of Orchids”

Paul Phelps and his wife, Patricia, are the owners of Phelps Farm Orchids, Inc., a commercial orchid farm located on five acres in northwest Hillsborough County. Patricia’s love of orchids turned their hobby into a business in 1986 and their original 3500 sq. ft. greenhouse has doubled in size. A new 1600 sq. ft. greenhouse was recently added for their mounted plants.
 
Cattleyas are their specialty but you will find Bulbophyllum, Coelogyne, Dendrobium, Oncidium, Paphiopedilum, Phragmipedium, Phalaenopsis and Vandaceous Orchids, as well as assorted species and hybrids of other genera. 

They began a breeding program in the late 80’s, with the main focus on the Cattleya alliance and Paul has developed more than 800 hybrids. Paul is a well-known speaker at local and regional orchid societies and Phelps Farm Orchids have been featured on NBC’s Daytime Show and the PBS series, America’s Heartland. Phelps Farm Orchids is open by appointment only Monday through Friday 9-5 and Saturday 9-12. Please call (813) 961-8427 for your appointment and visit their online catalog at www.phelpsfarm.com.
 
Paul’s motto has always been “Quality Plants at Reasonable Prices” and he will have a selection of his finest plants for sale.

Thursday, June 13, 7:00 pm – Growers Clinic, continues the “Diseases and Pests!” session started last month. If you have a “problem plant”, bring it in and we’ll help you make your plant thrive.

At the Venice Community Center!

June 5th at 7:00 p.m.
Speaker: Greg Allikas
Topic: Orchid Photography for the Digital Age

Greg Allikas is known the world over for his brilliant photographs of orchids, flowers and foliage. His extensive knowledge of his subject and artistic backgrounds offer a unique interpretation that is both accurate and stunningly beautiful. He has been a commercial photographer and orchid grower since 1970. He is awards photographer for the AOS West Palm Beach Judging Center, Florida-Caribbean Judging Center in Miami and numerous annual orchid shows in the U.S. and abroad. His photos are regularly seen in American Orchid Society publications including the annual calendar and ORCHIDS magazine. He has written numerous articles for both ORCHIDS magazine and Orchid Digest. His orchid articles have been published in Russia, Germany, Sweden and South America. His most recent book co-authored with Ned Nash is titled Four Seasons of Orchids. In 2005, Greg was honored to consult on, and supply photography for a United Nations postal administration endangered species stamp release featuring 12 endangered orchid species.

Recipient of the Silver Medal from the American Orchid Society, Greg is the proprietor of the popular Orchid Photo Page on the World Wide Web at www.orchidworks.com. Greg has traveled internationally to photograph orchids in their native habitats as well as to do award photography at International Shows. He will have a selection of his most beautiful photos for sale.