Doors Open: 6:30pm
Venice Community Center, 7pm
Speaker: Keith Emig
Topic: I Know My Plant is Awardable
This orchid journey all started with a trip to the dentist where, on the receptionist’s desk, there was a small plant with three leaves and an inflorescence with twenty blooms suspended above in a beautifully presented fashion. When asked, the receptionist replied that the dentist grew this orchid, and he was an orchid hobbyist. This multi floral Phalaenopsis captured my attention and it was on. Orchid fever is infectious, and all possible information and practice plants acquirable were obtained and the endless experimentation to better grow and flower these plants was a driving uncontrollable force.
As the passion grew, joining our local orchid society and the American Orchid Society opened the orchid world’s secrets. There is no substitute for the company of other infected souls, with whom to share this fever. Soon the passion of combining the attributes of two beautiful plants, by cross pollinating, stimulated the imagination. The flasking case was built and has been a fixture in the kitchen for almost 20 years now. Over 1000 seed pods have been flasked to this point and it seems each season there is some new cross that has more exciting possibilities than anything before. We have now registered plants in the Oncidium, Cattleya, Phaleanopsis, Vanda, and Dendrobium alliances, and have created our own genera (Emigara). In recent years we’ve enjoyed going to judging and seeing everyone’s beautiful plants and bringing some of our plants too. We’ve been excited to have received over 50 flower quality awards, so far, including 9 awards on our original crosses.
It has been a great pleasure to have served on the board of directors of the Ridge Orchid Society for over a decade, including at least 7 terms as President. The highlight is the fellowship of the membership and sharing the passion of orchids with the orchid community.
Be sure to check out Keith’s article in the March 2017 Orchids magazine (pg 208). It is titled Luck of the Draw.
Winter Haven Orchid Nursery We can be found on social media at fb.com/whorchids or
Instagram.com/wh_orchids
Keith will have orchids for sale