Category Archives: Meetings

Next Meeting: Wednesday, January 5 at 7:00 p.m.
Speaker: David Junka

“What Judges Look For”

David Junka has been growing orchids for more than 40 years and has been involved with
orchid societies for nearly that long. He is a past president [several times] for the Central
Ohio Orchid Society and the Manatee River Orchid Society and currently serves on the
boards of both.

He is a Senior Judge with The American Orchid Society and has over 30 AOS plant awards,
as well as 14 AOS “Best Exhibit in Show” trophies.

For many years, he was the curator of the Franklin Park Conservatory in Columbus, Ohio,
securing tropical plants for the many under-glass display areas. He currently takes care of
several thousand orchids, as well as many tropical plant collections of his own. He is
involved with presenting programs around the area.

Dave will tell us how judges evaluate containers, table top displays, and cut flower arrangements
and displays at orchid shows.

He will have plants for sale — some small Dendrobiums, as well as a lot of cattleya crosses.

Circumstances have necessitated a change in program speakers Wednesday night. Our guest speaker will be

Bob Hague of Venice Orchids. His topic will be “Variations On Growing Cattleyas” and he will bring plants for sale

Hopefully, we can reschedule Paul Storm at a future date. Feel better, Paul.

The Wonderful World of Schomburgkias, Myrmecophilas, and their Hybrids

Paul Storm and his wife, Mary, are the owners of Meke Aloha Orchids. Following a move to Sarasota, Florida, Paul purchased a division of schomburgkia tibicinis at an orchid sale. That was the beginning of an obsession for schoms and their hybrids –– the world of ‘schombo-love’!

They now own the largest and most diverse collection of this group of orchids and their hybrids in the world.  They have traveled extensively seeking the finest examples of schom species and hybrids and eventually started to make their own hybrids. Paul’s ‘schom-hero’, Dr. Carl Withner, donated his personal schom collection to the Storms. Some outstanding nurseries and hybridizers have named schom hybrids after Paul in honor of his schom mission.

The Storms’ love of people and orchids (and their mission of ‘schomboconversion’) have brought them invitations to many societies around the country and Central America.

The recent changes in schomburgkia/ myrmecophila taxonomy have necessitated a major revision in their program.  Aided by the Sr. registrar at RHS, Julian Shaw, and by Dr. German Carnevali in Mexico City, their schom program includes all the latest information.

Paul has been a featured presenter at the Mid-America Orchid Congress in Ohio and at the annual species symposium at Fairchild Gardens near Miami, where he lectured to many judges on the identification of his favorite group.

The Storms look forward to sharing their passion for schomburgkias and myrmecophila.