Meeting Wednesday, September 4, 2013 at 7:00

Speaker: Bill Thoms

Topic: Orchid Collecting in the Phillipines

Bill Thoms photo edit

Bill Thoms, renowned orchid grower,  internationally recognized speaker and world traveler, will be discussing his experiences collecting orchids in the Phillipines.

Bill and his wife, Doris Dukes, have been growing orchids in Central Florida for more than 40 years and have received almost every award granted by the AOS. They received more Awards for Culture than anyone else in the world, (93 in over 29 genera, including 42 in the bulbophyllum alliance), capped off with a 97 point  Certificate of Cultural Excellence for Bulb. Sue Blackmore.

Bill has collected orchids in various parts of the world and has spoken throughout the United States and internationally on a wide range of orchid topics. His presentations are spiced with funny stories and great slides so whether you grow thousands of orchids, only a few, or none at all, you will have a wonderfully entertaining time and benefit from Bill’s long experience.He makes many of the most important requirements for growing world class plants easy to understand and remember.

Don’t miss this great opportunity to learn how to grow these fascinating plants and to hear one of the most knowledgeable, interesting and funny speakers in the orchid world. Bill will have plants from his collection, supplies, and other orchid related items for sale.

Event Calendar

VAOS EVENTS CALENDAR

March 22- Saturday.  VAOS Picnic 12-4PM, Caspersen Beach

April 2, 2014. Monthly Meeting. 7:00 at the Venice Community Center.  Rafael Romero, “Orchid Tales.”

April 10, 2014.  Hands-on Potting Clinic. 7:00 Community Center.  Bring 1 plant you wish to repot, a suitable pot and we will supply material and expertise to help you.

April 26, 2014 Greenhouse Tour, 9 to 2 pm.  details in the April newsletter.

May 7, 2014. Monthly Meeting.

May 17, 2014.  Redlands International Orchid Festival – Bus Trip.  Details  in the April Newsletter.

Ongoing:

Mentor Program: help for beginning growers, contact Peg Fahrenback, rsec@vaos.org.

AOS Orchid Judging takes place at Christ the King Catholic Church, McLoughlin Center – Room C, 821 S. Dale Mabry Hwy., Tampa, FL 33609 at 6:30pm on the fourth Wednesday of every month (in April 2014 Judging is on the  29 at ). Info:  http://www.fncjc.shutterfly.com/

 

 

August 7, 2013 Joint Meeting With Englewood Orchid Society

Tokunaga, Roy, H and R[2]

August 7th at 7:00 p.m.
Speaker: Roy Tokunaga
Topic: “Orchid culture and strategies for more flowers”

Roy Tokunaga earned a Bachelors in Education degree from the University of Hawaii in 1973, with a major in high school biology. He never used that teaching certificate as he was immediately recruited by Ernest Iwanaga to set up an orchid lab, where he spent the next seven years primarily honing his skills at cloning and germinating orchids. At about the same the time, Harry Akagi was growing bromeliads, and in 1981, Harry and Roy established an orchid lab in Waimanalo, giving birth to H&R Nurseries. Today, Roy is credited with 30-plus years of experience in hybridization with several thousand hybrids delivered. Most of his work has been in the Dendrobium and Cattleya alliances. He is a long time member of the Honolulu Orchid Society and an accredited American Orchid Society judge since 1990. Roy confesses to having one vice, the game of golf.
His presentation will focus on orchid culture and strategies for more flowers and he will have orchids for sale as well as bringing pre-orders.