Speaker – John Budree 
Topic – Bulbophyllums
Meeting starts 7:00 – Doors open at 6:30.
Venice Community Center
Ramnarine John Budree was born in Trinidad and Immigrated to Florida some 23 years ago. Back then he grew many different types of plants and orchids and took part in collecting, growing and showing them at many of the shows, but there was always something more; he wanted to learn more about orchids, and wanted more of a challenge. He wanted to study, grow and flower them. So, when he came to Florida, he got involved with orchids at all different levels. Now he was able to grow all of those types of plants that he could only read about and even meet all of those people that grew and wrote the articles that he had read in the AOS magazines. So, he started out on his journey and adventure. He started to go to many of the shows and of course, what you do when you go to a show, YOU BUY ORCHIDS, which you know nothing about, in the hopes you can grow or flower them [yea right].
He always liked Paphiopedilums but was told he couldn’t grow them. This became a challenge to him and he found these plants very interesting as well. He met some of the biggest and best growers in the orchid business, Jack Schendowich, Warren Kelly {Orchid World}, Bob Skully {Jones & Skully}, Mr. Frank Smith {Krull-Smith} and Sheldon Takasaki {Carmela Orchids}.
These people really know how to grow all types of orchids; Paphiopedilum, Cattleya, Phalaenopsis, Dendrobium, and Oncidium. At the 19th World Orchid Conference, in Miami in 2008, he was the only hobbyist to do a table top display and also had the opportunity to work with Frank Smith on the KRULL-SMITH display. He tried to absorb as much of Frank Smith’s knowledge as possible, and because this, this is what he considered an lesson in life that he will never forget. He started to grow many different types of orchids, Paphs of course, and as of today, has grown over 3000 plants as well as other types of orchids. He has also lost count of the ones he has killed. In short, he has been growing Orchids for about 40 years, from flask to flower and has accumulated about 75 AOS awards.
John will have plants for sale at our meeting.