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Top OrchidSummer
2014
BOURNEMOUTH ORCHID SOCIETY
BOURNEMOUTH
ORCHID SOCIETY
Top Orchid
Front Cover: Paphiopedilum rungsuriyanum (See page 31)
All Photographs and artwork by Allan Burdis unless otherwise stated.
All photographs and articles are the copyright of the Bournemouth Orchid Society and their authors, andshould not be reproduced without permission.
Programme2013
Sat 21 Sept Autumn Show Allendale Centre, Wimborne Minster, BH21 1AS
Fri 25 Oct * Ian Parsons Chinese Cymbidiums
Fri 29 Nov Malcolm Perry Bulbophyllums
Sat 7 Dec * Christmas Lunch Days Hotel 1 pm BH1 3AB
2014
Fri 31 Jan * Roy Bailey-Wood Aspects of the Evolution of Orchids
Sat 22 Feb Spring Show Allendale Centre, Wimborne Minster, BH21 1AS
Sat 1 March Coach Outing Kew Gardens
Fri 28 March * Andy Philips Phragmipediums
Fri 25 AprPlant Clinic Your Cultural Questions Answered
(Bring your problem plants)
Fri 30 May * A.G.M Including Plant Auction
Fri 20 June * Sally Mill The Orchids of Ecuador from 500 to 3,500 metres
Sun 20 July * Garden Party ‘Rolls in the Hay’ Hosted by Graham & Pat Smith
Lynmoor Farm, Newman’s Lane, West Moors,
Dorset BH22 0LW 2.30 p.m.
Fri 29 Aug Graham Smith A Walk up Sugar Loaf (Sierra Leone)
Sat 27 Sept Autumn Show Allendale Centre, Wimborne Minster, BH21 1AS
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Allan Burdis
his summer has been a good one, so far, and I ampleased with the good growth of my orchids.
I decided this year I would up the feed and wateringrate to all my plants, including low nutrient genera such asmasdevallias. I was interested to read in the article byJohn Dennis, (see page 11), that one of the best growersof this genus feeds his plants at a relatively high level.
To take advantage of this feed, plants require good light levels, hence wefeed more in the summer months. I always choose days when the weatheris bright and not overcast and dull and feed and water first thing in themorning to allow excess water to dry off before nightfall. This way you willavoid rot problems.
I also keep a close eye on any possible outbreaks of insect and fungal at-tacks by spraying at recommended rates. Mealy bug is especially damag-ing and I believe they actually poison plants. I have noticed immediateimprovements to the appearance of infected plants after I have treatedthem. You should pick up your plants now and again to inspect moreclosely, especially the underside and lower crevices of leaves, for anysigns of mealy bug. They love to hide away to do their worst.
It was great to see the Bournemouth display at Malvern win gold with animaginative display. This was a brave decision to make by our orchid com-mittee and the judges obviously liked it. The committee should be congrat-ulated.
Also on display for the first time was the new BOS nameplate. This wasdesigned by members of the show committee and built by Andy Philips ofJust In Glass. It took several months of trial and error to finally complete,and is a very modern illuminated name plate that reflects our modern com-puter world. The old sign, though very much out of date, had served uswell for 40 odd years and will probably be seen next on the AntiquesRoadshow.
Please take note of the warning on page 29. This a good time to check allelectrical installations and have any work, that’s needed, done now whilethe weather is good.
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oy started growing orchids in the late 1970’s when hewas a teenager and now grows Masdevallias.
Roy explained the orchid family is one of the largest groupsof flowering plants, with over 35,000 known species.
Masdevallias, for instance, have over 500 species record-ed. Our own native orchids number 55 species, with manyvarieties.
How did Mother Nature manage to produce such variety?
What defines a species?
● A perennial herb
● They are monocotyledons (parts arranged in threes)
● They produce a large number of seeds
● Require a fungus to aid germination
● Seed produces a protocorm, which is virtually unique
● Mature plants more or less depend on a mycorrhizal fungus
History of Planet Earth
● Big Bang 13.5 billion years ago (or longer)
● 3.8 billion years ago first signs of life - bacteria performing photo-synthesis evolve to produce oxygen
● 800 million years ago Multicellular organisms evolved
● 470 million years ago land plants appeared
● 2.5 million years go humans appeared
● During the earths life there have been many mass extinctions.(Makes you think - should I buy a hard hat? Ed.)
The Evolution of OrchidsRoy Bailey-Wood
Reporter: Allan Burdis
31st January
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Estimated there are 8.7 million species of life on earth with 1 million nowidentified.
The early primitive bacteria had to survive extremely high temperatures.There are bacteria which survive near boiling point in Yellowstone NationalPark.
These primitive bacteria raised the levels of oxygen and the subsequent for-mation of the ozone layer helped to buffer the extreme effects of the sun.
70% of the earth is water and life naturally first evolved in this medium andcontains a huge bio mass.
Bryophytes, such as Liverworts and mosses, evolved and these did not re-quire water to survive in. These are simple plants.
Horsetails evolve which had xyloglucan strands in their structure which gavestrength to the stems allowing them so grow upward to great heights andgrew alongside club mosses.
Seed appears 350 million years ago - a significant evolutionary step.
Cycads had earliest seeds and produced on enormous cones and wereloved by dinosaurs.
Flowering plants appear 150 million years ago
● Had structural improvements
● More efficient seed production
● Wind pollinated in early forms
● Later began to use animals as pollinators
● Co-evolution of plants and animals kept Darwin awake at nightsthinking about how it all worked.
● Evidence suggests orchids go back much earlier than first thought(Latest fossil evidence shows insects preserved in amber with pol-linia attached to their body parts)
Charles Darwin was fascinated with the mechanisms orchids used to effectpollination and studied our own native species to further his knowledge.
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When visiting the island of Madagascar he found Angraecum sesquipedalein flower and noted its very long nectar spur on pure white flowers. This nec-
tar tube can reach lengths 27-43 cm. As aresult of his theories of evolution, he sur-mised there must be a night flying mothwhich would pollinate the flower; and itwould have to have a proboscis of similarlength which would fit down into the spurand so reach the nectar. No such mothwas known and his theory was laughedat. 21 years after his death such a mothwas discovered which had the longestproboscis known and was indeed the pol-linator of Angraecum sesquipedale.
The pollination of this orchid had neverbeen recorded on film until relativelyrecently and this image shows this verymoment.
Xanthopan morganii African Hawk Moth
Top Orchid The Evolution of Orchids
Angraecum sesquipedale
Photo Roy Bailey-Wood
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Roy went on to talk about our native Ophrys species and said they were anexcellent example of flowers evolving to be perfect mimics of insects.
He showed Ophrys apifera and O. insectifera
● Their shape fools insect to believe it is a female
● Hairs give tactile properties
● Shiny parts supposed to give impression of wings
● Smells like the female insect.- Pheromones. (Even chopped up theflower still attracts male insects)
● Females do not emerge until three weeks later - once females haveemerged the males are no longer fooled by the flowers. (Who saidmen were stupid? Ed.)
● Our own bee orchid, Ophrys apifera, isself fertile. The anthers fall down andpollinate the flower. So why all the showylip? This worried Charles Darwin as tohow this species manages to survivewithout cross pollination.
This was a thought provoking talk and althoughstuffed with lots of dry facts it made you considerthe incredible mechanisms involved in evolution.
Natural selection is easy to say but difficult tobelieve it’s only trial and error …..mostly error!
Ophrys apifera close-up of lip
Ophrys insectifera Fly Orchid
Top Orchid The Evolution of Orchids
Photos Roy Bailey-Wood
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Colin Barry Carter15th January 1941 - 16th June 2014
olin left school at 15 and immediately went tohis local Vauxhall garage, Mitchell Brothers, afamily firm in Romsey, and asked if they had a
vacancy for an apprentice. They said yes and hejoined them. This was a four year apprenticeshipwhich involved attending Technical College in South-ampton.When his apprenticeship was completed the firmtook him on full time and he was sent to Luton to at-tend a short course, which he thoroughly enjoyed. He applied for a jobthere and was taken on to work in the Rig Shop where they tested variousvehicle components . Colin then transferred to Testing Prototype vehicles.When these were taken to the MIRA (Motor Industry Research Associa-tion) testing depot the vehicles had to be covered to hide them, so nobodyfrom rival car companies would be able to see their designs. In 1965, afterabout 2 years, he was asked by the manager of Mitchell’s, Brian Batch-elor, if he would consider returning to Mitchell's and much to Brian’s de-light, he accepted. The business eventually was taken over by both Brianand Colin.
Colin was able to semi-retire at 57 after the business was sold and he andChristine purchased their present home in Romsey with the idea of creat-ing a garden from scratch. They both spent hundreds of hours togetherdigging, planting, mowing etc. And sixteen years later they had turned ablank canvass into a plantsmans garden, full of colour, mature trees andrare and choice plants.
Many of us knew Colin through his interest in growing orchids. This fasci-nation was started while on holiday in Singapore, celebrating, with Chris-tine, their Silver Wedding Anniversary.On returning home he commenced collecting a few plants and so began ahobby that would fill his life.
Colin soon joined the Bournemouth Orchid Society and had been a mem-ber for 26 years.
From those early days he soon progressed and eventually joined thecommittee as Treasurer, later Christine took this position on and Colinwas invited onto the Show sub-committee, becoming Show Secretary.
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Colin Barry Carter
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a position he held for many years. He became a British Orchid CouncilJudge and judged plants at shows throughout the country and abroad.He continued on the committee up until a few months ago when he stooddown due to his failing health.
Christine, also embraced his love of orchids and they were joint membersof the Bournemouth Orchid Society.
The BOS acknowledge his huge contribution to the society and will misshis input and humour at our meetings.
Colin actually started growing Phalaenopsis in his first greenhouse andtold me Christine announced one day she was going to start growing Pha-laenopsis in the home, Colin remarked, "you won't be able to grow themindoors".He, of course, was proved wrong, very wrong, as Christine has gained areputation over the years for growing Phallies to perfection on her window-sills. And, I have to say, Colin was very proud of that.
Colin and I were very much on the same wavelength when it came to mostthings, but especially orchids.
I recall an occasion when I was visiting him and viewing his orchid collec-tion. I noticed how well he was growing his plants - they looked so greenand healthy. I deduced he must be feeding them more than me and so, onreturning home, I began a new feeding programme and within a few weeksmy plants were looking much better.
Later Colin made one of his return visits to me and we had our usual tourof my greenhouse, discussing orchid topics. Weeks later I was again in hisgreenhouse and again noted his healthy plants. I voiced my approval toColin and he turned to me and said, “ Well, after I last saw your plants, Ithought how green and healthy they were looking and decided I had bet-ter improve my culture to get my plants looking as good as yours”We both laughed when I explained I had exactly the same thoughts when Ilast saw his plants.
I personally have much to thank the orchid growing hobby. The pleasureand excitement of seeing them grow and flower, revealing strange andbeautiful flowers which are truly exotic. It has enabled me to travel aroundthe world, visiting orchid shows and other growers. But mostly, I am thank-ful it has given me the opportunity to have known Colin.I will miss his company.
His plants will live on in our collections around the country and I will cher-ish those I have, they will remind me of a dear friend.
Our thoughts are with Christine and family at this time.
Top Orchid Colin Barry Carter
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Granddaughters, Ruth and Lydia, holdingCalanthe transiens ‘Lydia Ruth’
BC/RHS. Awarded by the RHS OrchidCommittee at Peterborough June 2009.
Allan Burdis
Photo Colin Carter
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have no commercial interest in advertising thisproduct but have very strong conviction that it is avery good orchid food, and if my comments help to
keep an orchid nursery prosperous, that's great.Over the past years I have received a lot of help andsupport with my Orchid endeavours from my friend BrianGould of WOS (Wessex Orchid Society), and I trust thathe will not be offended by me singing the praises ofRainmix. He has calculated that Rainmix is a relativelyweak feed and he would not switch from Peter's Excel. Irespect his opinion and experience, but in fact, I have read that it is goodto try various feeds as time goes on, just as one might try various sub-strates.
I currently put a lot of store in using Akerne's Rainmix, an orchid fertilizerinitially developed by horticultural Department of the Michigan State Uni-versity in the U.S.A. and there is a lot of information available on the Inter-net about this. Dirk,the owner of Akerne Orchids further tweaked theformula by running a 2 year trial with other amateur orchid growers. Theysaw tremendous results and he decided to market it as Akerne's Rainmix.Its popularity is gaining all the time among several of our Orchid growingfriends. Keith Kent of Kool Orchids, markets it in England.
As you know I am really interested in Masdevallias, and have been a bitnervous about feeding them. They seem to grow quite well on just Rain-water, but before Grahame Coleman corrects me again..."John, all plantsneed food". He has reminded me several times that the clean rainwaterfrom our typical house water tubs probably contains several unknown ele-ments including some goodies and some nasty’s. I am not alone in sing-ing the praises of using just rain water. Barry Cook, one of the keymembers of The North Thames Orchid Society, never feeds, yet he growsmagnificent Bulbophyllums.
On the other hand, Roy Barrow of Royden Orchids is a very good growerand supplier of Ecuagenera Plants. He has been using Rainmix for sever-al years and he has had tremendous results. He doesn't measure his con-ductivity, but just mixes Rainmix at the recommended concentration.
Akerne’s RainmixJohn Dennis
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I have made particular note of how well his plants have been growing dur-ing the last couple of years.
Most of our colleagues would say that Masdevallias should be fed at aconcentration of 150 to 200 micro Siemens but Dirk has explained to methat he feeds all of his Orchids at the same strength and at every watering.Perhaps that is why his Masdevallia leaves were so large. When you mixRainmix at the prescribed concentration, you end up with a conductivity of550 to 600 micro Siemens. He explained to me that this is not a strongfeed ratio and perfectly safe for Masdevallia's. One might not need to feedor water too often because Masdevallia's normally stay damp becausethey grow cooler than most other orchids. I still ere on the cautious sideand only feed my Masdevallia’s about once a month, but I am experiment-ing with an increased frequency on a few controlled samples of Masdeval-lia.
Some of our best growers, religiously feed their Orchids every week.The list of possible orchid feed brands available is large and I'm sure thatany one of them would be OK. But there are two powdered feeds thatseem to give excellent results, Scott's Peters Excel and Akerne's Rainmix.I have tried them both but can't claim any particular effect yet, positively ornegatively. However I like the information that I have gleaned about Rain-mix. A further note on feed strength. Ellis Eyres is undoubtedly one of thebest Masdevallia growers in this country and he told me that he feeds at astrength of 400 ppm, which equates to about 600 micro Siemens.
Many professionals have told us to steer clear of Nitrogen in the form ofUrea and also to steer clear of powdered feeds because it is said to bedifficult to dissolve all of the crystals but this article is based upon resultsthat I have witnessed first-hand. Peter's Excel does contain Urea which issaid to be unusable as a source of Orchid Nitrogen at room temperatures.Our fellow Orchid grower, Brian Gould swears by using Peter's, and heundoubtedly grows fantastic plants. Cymbidiums, Thunias, Catasetums,Cycnoches, Lycaste, Calanthe and Sobralia seem to benefit from astrong food like Peter’s Excel.
Those of us that went on the Coach Trip to Holland this year were able tosee Akerne's Greenhouses and I think that we would all agree that theplants were in tremendous condition.
The following is extracted from Akerne's leaflet on Rainmix and is printedwith their permission.
Akerne’s Rainmix
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"As orchids can flower at any time of the year, it is not always clear whenone should use a fertiliser for growing or one for flowering. This problemcan be solved by using a balanced fertiliser year round." More than ten years of research has gone into the development of Rain-mix. "All of the Nitrogen in this fertiliser is directly absorbed into the plant.This fertiliser does not contain Nitrogen in the form of Urea, which needshigh temperatures in order to be absorbed by the plant.”It is suggested that this unused Nitrogen causes premature breakdown ofthe substrate due to growth of micro-organisms. I think that Brian's suc-cess with Peter's is a result of growing his plants only in inert substances,primarily Rockwool where media break down is far less likely. Rainmixalso contains Calcium and Magnesium, necessary for cell production, itcan feed both roots and leaves. A low phosphorous "P" content.The study has shown that a high phosphorous content is not necessaryfor a better flower production in orchids. All the necessary trace elementsare present: Fe, Mn, Zn, Cu, B and Mo."
There is another side to Akerne's success. Dirk waters from above. I amvery cagey about adopting this method, but what he said to me makessense “John, that is how they are watered in nature”, he continued to ex-plain that ”it is very important to do something else. In Nature orchids arewatered from above, usually with pure un-polluted rainwater, which keepstheir leaves relatively clean, but in our typical greenhouses, dust and bac-teria abound. If you water and feed from above without first cleaning theleaves the bacteria can multiply very rapidly and cause bacterial rot andthe growth of other fungi. So, it is very important to spray your plants witha good anti-fungicide” (I am told that Rose Clear is very good) probablyeach week for a couple of weeks, “then you can begin watering fromabove with clean rain water mixed with the orchid food. Regular wateringand feeding keeps the leaves clean.”
This information makes a lot of sense to me, but I think that there are oth-er factors. In particular, a large greenhouse is beneficial because it allowsa lot of air movement. Watering in the morning is also important to allowthe foliage to dry.
In my little greenhouses I am still not convinced that overhead watering isa good idea, but that is how all commercial growers handle their plants.Of course such a watering technique will not be popular indoors or in theconservatory.
Note: Rainmix should be mixed fresh for each feeding and not stored inthe dissolved form. I made this mistake for quite a long time.
Akerne’s Rainmix
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Malvern Gold
ournemouth Orchid Society represented its members by putting on adisplay of members’ plants, as it has done at similar prestigiousshows for the past ten or more years [our first major show was a
BOC Congress in Sheffield in 1982, that makes it 32 years. Ed.] As in pre-vious years, the members reaped the rewards for their skill in growing andthe Show Committee for its skill in staging quality displays.
To save money the Show Committee decided to dispense with a van thisyear. The Show Committee also decided, again for reasons of economy,to build the display in a single day. All plants and resources would be car-ried up in members’ cars and Ken’s trailer. It was also decided to departfrom our usual naturalistic displays and construct a formal, ‘minimalist’ dis-play. This also had the advantage of doing away with the need to pur-chase bark and companion plants thus further reducing costs. This did nothowever make it any easier to plan. However, as the Show Committeediscovered it takes a great deal of time effort and indeed money to pro-duce an economical display!
Planning started in January. The design adopted took a ‘classical’ theme,using a Roman arch on a 12” base, framing a mirror with a symmetricalarrangement of terracotta pots on plinths leading up to it. In essence thedesign aimed to simulate a Roman garden with both an outer and an innersanctum. On a plinth in front of the mirror would stand the ‘focus ‘plant.The concept made strong use of bilateral symmetry and stark simplicity.The design was developed by Nick Fry, and built by Chris Broomfield whohad access to a supply of large paint tins used to make the Roman pillars.There were two building sessions when the arch and other componentswere assembled and fitted together. A problem came to light a week be-fore the start date when we were told our display was too long and wewould have to shorten it by two feet!
One of the problems with a display such as this is getting hold of sufficientplants of the right quality, as the two sides of the display have to be in bal-ance. Fortunately, our society can be relied on to deliver the goods and anumber of highly suitable plants duly appeared, of which more later. By9.00 am on Thursday everyone had arrived, the plants had been un-packed and we could start building the display. We at once encounteredtwo problems:
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Firstly the construction crew had ignored the spec’s and built the basetoo high; and secondly there was no power. None the less we set to workand by midday the components were in place- but still no power! Thiseventually arrived about 2.30 pm – five and a half hours late. Finally,about half past four everything was as good as we could make it, withlighting on and all plants and components in place.
The next day we arrived at the show ground to see how we had done. Toour delight, Bournemouth had won a Gold Medal – one of only twoawarded. Not only that, but the society had a trophy for Best AmateurHybrid, two Firsts in Class, Two Seconds and two Cultural Awards. Thiswas a great vindication of Nick’s idea and Chris’ building skills andproject management. The judges liked the concept of the BOS displayand the execution as it was completely different from any other, butfound fault with some of the details.
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There were a number of noteworthy plants on the display. Pride of placewent to Alan Sapsard’s enormous Phragmipedium Eric Young x sargen-tianum which richly deserved its First Place and Best Amateur Hybrid Tro-phy. Roger Russell won First in Class for his Eulophia guineensis‘Weymouth Bay’ with twelve spikes. Mike Powell won Second in Class forhis Cattleya pulcherrima alba which boasted three spikes and Ken Griffithscollected a Second in Class for his lovely Stanhopea frymirei. Also of notewas a pot of four Himantoglossum hircinum the native Lizard Orchid. Colinand Christine Carter also contributed a number of terrestrials, in particulara large pot of Dactylorhiza fuchsii, a fine Cypripedium reginae and a nicewhite flowered Phalaenopsis Sorea Delight. Alas, Colin never saw the fin-ished display. There were many other interesting plants both on the maindisplay and on the extra display Bournemouth were able to mount.
Overall this show, like the others, can be counted a great success and weerected and completed a Gold Medal winning display in just under eighthours, which was universally acclaimed by the viewing public. Thanks go toNick Fry for the idea and Chris Broomfield for building it and managing thewhole project ably supported by Ken Griffithsand Marian Grimes, Graham Smith (labels)and Mike Powell (plant transport and cake).Thanks also to Tracy Broomfield and GlenJamieson, who worked quietly away behindthe scenes. The Show Committee is alsograteful to those members who so kindly do-
nated their beautifulplants, without whichthe whole enterprisewould have been in
vain. A big thank youto you all.
Phrag. Sargent Eric(P. Eric Young x sargentianum) Stanhopea frymirei
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s my last literary efforts got into Top Orchid(thanks Allan) and these sorts of activitiesdon’t take a lot of effort (but reduce efforts by
hard working editors), I thought I’d try another one.Here goes.Also, spurred on by my success at our last show, a1st and a 2nd, I’m buying more plants. By-the-way,‘catch 22’ governs the novice class – once you winit, you can’t enter again!
As discussed in the Spring copy of Top Orchid, I grow my orchids ‘in-doors’ mainly on a home-made two tier shelf arrangement on the end ofthe dining room table against the patio doors. This allows for the mostlight I can get. There is no ‘direct’ sun even though the room faces SWbecause of the conservatory which has a polycarbonate roof. The in-side shelves of a ‘mini-greenhouse’ without the plastic cover give addi-tional space. Many trays with clay pebbles and water help keep up thehumidity – it seems to vary from 55% to 80% although the little £5gadgets that are telling me those figures might not be 100%. Basically,‘cats’ at the front, paphs/phals at the back with assorted ‘others’ in be-tween. This has all worked fine until that urge kicked in and I justcouldn’t resist MORE PLANTS!
Time to Expand - MORE ROOM REQUIRED so this will need a‘project plan’ just like in the old I.T. days. So this is the initial projectplanning meeting minutes – in attendance – “ME”.Can’t have a greenhouse – no room. Most of the small back garden istaken up with staging for my Bonsai trees. The answer is just outsidethe patio doors – “the conservatory”.
Risk assessment.Gets up to 50C in the sun – yes, that’s 50C – not much ‘lives’ in thatheat INCLUDING ME and down to 2C on a very cold Winter night -8Coutside temp. Currently on March 29 in hazy sunshine, it’s 42C – butthe washing is drying nicely. It needs to accommodate ‘me and my cof-fee’ when the temperature suits. Will need ‘fresh air’ (something theplants don’t get much of at the moment).
Time to Expand - it had to comeRoger Frampton
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It will also need power to run various gadgets like a light, thermostat, ex-tractor fan, humidistat for my fogger etc. AND a good clear out leavingjust the sofa and coffee table. Will need some water storage arrangementto avoid a constant trek into the kitchen and back. But what if I get a power cut? Potentially too hot AND too cold.In freezing weather, plants pop back indoors for the period. Opening thepatio doors should allow any excess heat to disperse into the house –shorts all round for the occupants! So far, the longest power cut was inthe last set of storms and lasted just over an hour. These systems willlast without power for some time so this risk will have to be acceptable asalternatives are just too complicated/expensive.
Problems. Outside door and frame partly rotted in one corner meaning it’s jammedshut and if opened pulls the frame off the base – too much hassle to ‘fix’.It’s glazed with large double-glazed units – no-where to get air in or out.The small window is also broken but could be fixed/replaced. Can I affordto do this and ‘run’ it?
Stage 1 – Keeping Cool. 1st cover SE and SW sides with heavy-duty shade netting on the out-side (stopping the sun hitting the glass in the first place works best). TheNW end only gets evening sun during the summer as some trees maskthe sun during Spring/Autumn. Putting this on the outside leaves the in-side for bubblewrap in the Winter? Next get the window replaced by awood panel so that an extractor fan could be installed. There will probablybe enough ‘spaces’ to allow air to get in – I don’t think I’ll create a vacu-um. An extractor fan would need to be thermostatically controlled.
Stage 2 – Keeping Warm. Internet supplied figures for ‘wattage’ needed for that airspace. 2K oilfilled radiator – overkill, but job done. In nights that are not expected todrop too low (Autumn/Spring), costs can be saved by opening the patiodoors at bed time. The central heating will bring the lounge/diner back upto comfortable human temperature in the morning. That might help keepthe cost down?
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Time to Expand
Stage 3 – Environment. Shelving – easy, home made. Already have a start with the mini-greenhouse shelves. (Note: Not all the plants are going out. Thephals/paphs will probably stay in away from all that bright light plussome of those in flower will come in to be viewed.) I’m only planning for14-15C minimum temperature. Humidity will initially be from the trays ofclay pebbles but the fogger (ultrasonic room humidifier) hooked up to ahumidistat should help when it gets low – aiming at around 60-65% av-erage but 70-75% would be better. Some rails near the roof will allowplants to ‘hang’ – great way to increase plant space without reducinghuman space. 3 holes near the rim of the pots and some bonsai wire(stacks of that around) make instant hangers. I’ll need a ‘tank’ for room-temperature water as well. Will probably need some sort of long-reachsprayer/waterer for plants that are hanging. Already got a min/maxthermometer remote unit in the conservatory with the main unit in thekitchen. I will probably add an air-moving fan to keep thing nice andeven – no hot/cold/damp/dry spots.
So far, this is all ‘plan’ and very little ‘action’ apart from the shade net-ting that’s already done. The real bonus is that I will be able to ‘get at’all the plants easily without knocking some over and standing on chairsto get to the high shelf. More attention can be given to watering needsrather than the ‘once a week’ regime that’s in place now. I’ll also beable to inspect each plant easily and more frequently.
This article does provide for a ‘continuing story’ – next Top Orchid foran update perhaps? In fact, it should all be up and running by then. Ofcourse, you know what this means – more space, more plants. Wherewill this all end? AND, bang goes my ‘windowsill/indoors only’ status.It’s not just for the orchids – it provides a place to relax and do somereading in a comfortable environment surrounded by the plants I lookafter. It should also provide a place to keep some indoor ferns – myother favourite indoor plants. Project planning meeting over. Outstand-ing action on me – GET ON WITH IT.
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Time to Expand
BOURNEMOUTH ORCHID SOCIETY 56th ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING
Friday 30th May 2014 MINUTES
1. APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE.Apologies were received from: Keith Andrew, Carole Norman, Colin Cart-er, Christine Carter, Mary Pharaoh, Nick Fry, Geoff Hands, Eddy Kirk-wood-Lowe, Brian Maton, Freda Maton, Nick Crabb
2. MINUTES OF THE 55th ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING.The minutes of the 55th AGM had been published in the June 2013 TopOrchid and also circulated to all members with the notification of the AGMso were taken as read.
The proposal that the minutes were a true and accurate record of whatwent on was offered by Chris Broomfield and seconded by Pat Marshalland all were in favour.
3. MATTERS ARISING. There were no matters arising.
4. CHAIRMAN’S REPORT FOR SEASON 2012/2013.Derek Copley then presented a comprehensive and again thought pro-voking report of the societies activities during the current year and thisreport will be published in full in the Summer 2014 Newsletter. The pro-posal that this report be accepted was by Neville Roberts and secondedby Graham Smith. All were in favour. (See page 21 Ed.)
5. HON TREASURERS REPORT.Terry Eve, then presented her set of annual accounts which will also bepublished in the Summer Newsletter and are attached to the original setof AGM minutes. The main points were that membership had increasedslightly and now stood at 86 paid up subscriptions which still unfortunatelydoes not cover the annual costs of running our Society. Terry explainedthat with the costs of hire of the meeting room, speakers expenses, teaand biscuits, Top Orchid, Shows, insurance etc the subscriptions whichhave not increased since 2008/2009 could not be expected to stay attheir present levels. Terry had calculated that to function the BOS at thistime costs £28.50 per member. Acceptance of Terry’s excellent A/Cs wasproposed by Neville Roberts and seconded by Mike Powell and all werein favour.
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In the light of the above report Terry then proposed, seconded by RogerFrampton, that the annual membership subscription of the BOS shouldbe increased to £20 for a single membership and £30 for a double. Gen-eral discussion then followed led by Mike Powell and the vote on the pro-posal was unanimously in favour with no abstentions as Nick Crabb wasan apology.
6. ELECTION OF OFFICERS and COMMITTEE 2014/2015.Committee nominations: As there were no further nominations for theCommittee and all current members were willing to have their names putforward for re-election all were elected en block, namely, Glenn Jamie-son, Nick Fry, Chris Broomfield, Mike Powell and Neville Roberts. Thiswas proposed by Graham Smith and seconded by Roger Russell and allvoted unanimously in favour.
This next bit is not necessarily in the order in which it happened but theoutcomes are very accurate!Hon Sec. Ken Griffiths. Proposed by Glenn Jamieson and Seconded byNeville Roberts. There were no other nominations. Treasurer. There wereno further nominations forthcoming for the post of Treasurer so Terry Evewas re elected proposed by Pat Marshall,seconded by Allan Burdis andpassed unanimously. Hon Auditor Graham Smith Proposed by RogerRussell seconded by Terry Eve. All were in favour.Vice Chairman. Ken Griffiths Proposed by Glen Jamieson Seconded byNeville Roberts. There were no other nominations and all were in favour
Derek Copley was then invited to leave the room whilst his name wasproposed by Dave Longman and seconded by Gerry Eve and he wasthen re-elected as Chairman, again with great acclaim and unopposed.
Keith Andrew was then unanimously and enthusiastically re-electedPresident for the ensuing year proposed by Neville Roberts seconded byPat Marshall as were Graham Smith and Allan Burdis as Vice Presidentsproposed by Chris Broomfield and seconded by Gerry Eve.
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7. AWARD OF POINTS COMPETITION CUPS.Derek thanked all the judges and, in particular, organiser Glenn Jamie-son, for all the hard work that they had put in over the year in making ourmonthly points competition so enjoyable.
Open Class : 1st Lynn Smith. 2nd Gerry Eve. 3rd Pat Marshall.
Lynn humbly accepted a cheque for £20.00 and received a huge clap ofappreciation and no cup as the current holder had simply forgotten tobring it back. To save any further embarrassment it was decided to keepthe name of said member anonymous. Silly Nick Fry!!!
Experienced Class : 1st Colin Carter. 2nd Christine Carter. 3rd Mike Powell.
Very unfortunately due to continued ill health Colin was not able to bewith us and consequently the cheque for £20 and cup were accepted onhis behalf by Allan Burdis. All our very best wishes go to Colin and Chris-tine who are going through a very rough trying time at the moment.
A.O.B. There was none appropriate to an AGM.
The AGM finished at 20.03 hrs.
Ken Griffiths Hon Sec.
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Annual General Meeting
recently checked with Allan, who is brilliant on detail, and asked himhow long I had been Chair, having succeeded him, who in turn suc-ceeded Graham. He quickly came up with the answer-12 years. No,
this is not a resignation speech, and indeed the appointment as Chair issubject every year to the will of our members. But it is an example ofhow long people stay in office and on the committee.
Is this a good or bad thing? To my mind it is both. On the plus side thereis continuity. Some of us have served for 20, 30 or even 40 years. Andon the whole members seem to feel we are doing a good job. And itseems that the members are comfortable with this pattern. On the minusside, many committed and talented members are not being given theopportunity to serve the society in this way. On committee we have be-gun discussions about this and we tend to feel that maybe the time hascome for reform and modernisation. We are taking note of how othersocieties operate so that we can pick up good ideas from them. It is unu-sual for their committee members to be elected year after year indefinite-ly. In fact, their rules do not usually allow that. I hope we can bring someproposals to you within the next year, and we would appreciate yourcomments in the meantime.
As always we have had successes at our local shows and those acrossthe South. But exhibiting at so many events has taken its toll on theShow Committee, whose numbers now need strengthening if we are tocontinue to make our presence felt in so many places. This summer wewill be at Ellingham for the very first time. It is local, and is itself an ex-cellent show, and there is no reason why all our members should notcome to support our display and our Society. We were disappointed withthe number of paying guests at our own Spring show in Wimborne, andwe believe that more extensive leafleting and personal invitations are theanswers to building back the numbers. In September we are planningsomething of a party atmosphere for our leafleting, so let’s go out andtell the world about Bournemouth Orchid Society!
CHAIRMAN’S REPORT FOR SEASON2012/2013
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Annual General Meeting
Annual General Meeting
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On a personal note, we have been delighted that our President, KeithAndrew, has been able to judge at our shows and has even come toone or two Friday meetings. Talking of honourable people, I attendsome meetings, especially in Asia, where everybody who has doneanything at all has to be praised and given gifts. I don’t propose to dothis, but I do like each year to mention one or two people. This time Iwant to mention 3 people, Pat Marshall, Dave Walters and MarianGrimes. Our Christmas luncheon was a huge success, and this isdown to Pat, who despite ill health, motivated so many of us to comeand to invite our friends. And Dave, who quietly hauls in his vast arrayof unusual plants at very reasonable prices, and who also serves asplant sales representative, quietly and efficiently getting the money tothose who have sold plants. Finally, though not least, Marian, who justpops up and quietly gets on with whatever tasks that need doing at thetime.
I want to repeat my concern about our age profile, which continues tocreep up, with few coming in at the younger end. We have experiment-ed with a number of approaches and schemes, yet with limited suc-cess. Writhlington continues to inspire us, yet inspiration alone is notenough. Growing Orchids is one of the most interesting and informa-tive pastimes you can imagine. In society as a whole we realise thatwe must give opportunities to younger people. The orchid world shouldbe no exception. But how do we get among them? How do we exposethem to this fascinating and absorbing hobby? Let us know if you havesome ideas, especially if you are able to help carry them out.
And my thanks to all of you who make your own unique contribution bycoming here, bringing plants and serving the Society in a variety ofways. It is my hope that more people will be willing and able to work forour Society, as we look at modernisation with its new opportunities, aswell as the need for leafleting and promoting our society and ourshows. Finally, the Committee deserves all our thanks, and my person-al thanks for not only being productive, but have been fun in the proc-ess.
Chairman:Derek Copley
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A name that is well known to Bournemouth Orchid Socie-ty ‘Phragmipediophiles’ (did I really type that?) is AndyPhillips. Perhaps less well known is the fact that Andy isthe man who creates all of the Society’s glassware fortrophies and the like. The fantastic award presented atthe Christmas Lunch is a testament to his superb crafts-manship and he is currently working on a very clever illu-minated sign for the Society to display at orchid shows.
Anyway, back to the main topic! Andy started his orchidcollection with a Cymbidium that was purchased as a Mother’s Day gift.Following the purchase of the well-known book “Orchids for Everyone”(which in my opinion is essential reading for anyone starting out with or-chid growing), Andy joined the North Hampshire Orchid Society, of whichhe was eventually made President! During this time, he started growingPhragmipediums and has now specialised in them.
The discovery of Phragmipedium besseae in Peru by Elizabeth Bess in1981 was one of the most exciting events inthe history of orchid discoveries. Whilst ona botanical expedition in Peru, she cameacross some slipper orchids. At first shethought this was the first discovery ofPhrag. schlimii at the east side of the An-des. However, when she flowered her col-lected plants in her botanical garden, shenoted the striking red colour of the flower,unique among the slipper species. Thisfact, together with other features of the flow-er, made it clear that she had found a com-pletely new species. This new species was
described by Calaway H. Dodson and Janet Kuhn in the AOS Bulletin in1981 as Phragmipedium besseae after its discoverer. Unfortunately, as aresult of this publication, so many plants were irresponsibly collected thatthe plants were thought to be extinct at the original site in Peru.
Friday 28 March 2014Phragmipediums - Andy Phillips
Reporter: Neville Roberts
P. besseae
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However, new growing sites havenow been discovered in Peru andalso in Ecuador.
Andy started his presentation show-ing examples of the various forms ofP. besseae with colours ranging frombright orange-red to almost strongsalmon-red. There is a yellow or paleyellow form, Phrag. besseae f. fla-
vum, which Andy showed us demonstrates the wide variety of forms andcolours of this species.
Next, we were shown P. dalessandroi At first this species was thought tobe similar to P. besseae, especially as it was found in a similar region ofEcuador. However, it was evident that it is a species in its own right due tothe difference in flower colour, the differently shaped staminode, the posi-tion of the petals and the difference in growth. Andy commented that itwas interesting to note that many Ecuadorianorchids are found in Peru and many Peruvianorchids are found in Ecuador!
Looking at P. longifolium, Andy stated thatthe flowers can be huge, but a more compactform can be seen with P. longifolium f. grac-ile, which can be about ½” across. Althoughtraditionally associated as a variant of P.longifolium, P. gracile is now to be defined asa separate species.
Phragmipedium sargentianum has a distinctive spotting on the throat ofthe pouch and a nice branching habit. P. lindleyanum has a distinctivepaddle shaped pouch and has incorrectly been identified in some loca-tions as P. sargentianum.
The lovely white/purple flower of P. schlimii can be found in Colombia andnorthern Ecuador. P. fischeri, along with P. andreettae, is found close toP, schlimii in Ecuador.
Moving on to the pouchless phragmipediums, we saw Phragmipediumlindenii where the pouch has developed into a third petal and tends toself-pollinate
P. besseae f. flavum
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P. fischeri ‘Highcliffe Castle’
Phragmipediums
However, particularly noticeable arethe long petals that hang downwardsfrom the flower. This species is foundin Ecuador and Venezuela. Similarly,P. wallisii also has long petals and isa species of orchid occurring fromColombia to Ecuador. The PeruvianPhragmipedium caudatum has petalsthat can grow to over 3’, unless they
touch a surface first - then they stop growing! These plants also need tohave high humidity to grow well. Finally on our journey through Peru, wewere shown Phragmipedium kovachii, a pouched phragmipedium withan incredibly deep purple colour – so deep that Andy wondered if someof the photographs that have been published have been tweaked!
We were then treated to a succession of beautiful hybrids. First, we sawP. Sorcerer's Apprentice (sargentianum x longifolium), which is frequent-ly sold as P. sargentianum, has distinctivespotting. Next up was the lovely P. EricYoung (besseae x longifolium) where theshape and colour depends on the parentsused. A hybrid of P. sargentianum andbesseae gives us P. Mem. Dick Clementswith its distinctive spotting around thepouch throat and the enlarged staminode.Crossing this with P. besseae again re-sults in P. Jason Fischer, which also hasthe spotting on the pouch throat carriedthrough Memoria Dick Clements from sargentianum, as well as the en-larged staminode from Memoria Dick Clements.
A particular favourite of mine – Phrag. Don Wimber (Eric Young x besse-ae) reminded me of my sadly departed specimen that suffered from what
I now know to have been ‘Crown Rot’! Re-placing the besseae with longifolium produc-es Phrag. Saint Peter which, according toAndy, is often used as a stepping stone inbreeding as it gives staying power and sub-stance to flowers.
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P. kovachii
P. Mem. Dick Clements
P. Don Wimber
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Phragmipediums
Photos Henry Oakley
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The gorgeous purple-pink Phrag.Hanne Popow (schlimii x besseae)can be crossed with Eric Young togive Grouville, which varies from verypale to deep red colours. As withPhrag. Saint Peter, Phrag. Coral Jew-el (Hanne Popow x sargentianum) isused as a stepping stone in breedingand is also sold as a pot plant in Hol-land.
Andy concluded his talk by taking us on a trip through his greenhouse,pointing out a well in part of the building that actually overflowed duringthe winter and was the principle cause of some flooding this year. Wewere also introduced to his small laboratory where he enjoys doingsome breeding (which he hastily clarified as playing with yellowy besse-ae flavum x Mem. Dick Clements!). His seedlings are grown on underGrowlux tubes.
Andy stressed the importance of watering with water at greenhousetemperatures to avoid cold shock to the plants and told us that he findshydroponic feeds, such as ‘Optimum Bloom’, to be great for phragmipe-diums. A conductivity meter is essential and Andy uses a strong feed at1,000 ppm. He prefers black pots rather than clear pots and usesRockwool as a potting material, which has the advantage that you canpot-on rather than repot as it doesn’t decompose like bark. Humidity canbe maintained with small mist-making devices between the seedlings.
Despite liking humid conditions, phragmipediums can suffer from CrownRot where water accumulates in the crown of the plant. Andy uses lib-eral doses of cinnamon to treat infected areas (changed every 2 or 3days) and sterilises tools with methylated spirits.
Alas, Andy had lost many of his collection of slides as a result of theaforementioned flooding – when he went to look out suitable material forhis talk, the slides had turned milky-white from damp! However, hemanaged to put together a superb PowerPoint presentation from whathe had managed to rescue and we were treated to a superb talk withgreat photographs. We look forward to having Andy back to talk to usagain.
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P. Hanne Popow
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Keith AndrewA Living Legend
t the meeting held on the 20th June our Pres-ident, Keith Andrew, was honoured with thepresentation of a special Bournemouth Or-
chid Society publication in recognition of his life withorchids.
This 40 page publication has been in the making forover six months and contains many tributes frompeople Keith has met and worked with over theyears. It contains over 90 photographs, 60 of whichare plants he has bred over his long orchid growingcareer.
Keith didn’t know anything about this project and was genuinely surprisedand humbled by the tribute.
Many members, who were at this meeting, took the opportunity to pur-chase this unique publication and Keith was kept busy signing their cop-
ies.
If you didn’t get a copy don’t fret, asthere will be copies available at othermeetings at the bargain price of £4.
Don’t miss out, as anelectronic version is notavailable.
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Keith, receiving the special Presentationcopy from chairman, Derek Copley
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n exciting new discovery of a miniature paphiopedilum has just beenpublished in OrchideenJournal on 28 May 2014.Paphiopedilum rungsuriyanum discovered in Northern Laos
Plants of another previously discovered species, Paphiopedilum canhii, werepurchased in a local market and on flowering were recognised as distinctlydifferent.This is a miniature species with flowers 5-8 cm tall and measuring 4-5 cm indiameter. The colour is a striking dark purple with a darker, striped, dorsal se-pal. The staminode is most unusual, with two distinct lateral bulges and one inthe middle, which look like a shiny pink pearls.
My hope is plants will be made available, under licence, to the trade for artifi-cial propagation in flask. This will be a safety net against possible destructionof this species in the wild.
If and when this species becomes available it might prove useful in producingnew hybrids of unusual colour variations. It might also help further the breed-ing of miniature hybrids, a developing trend in paphiopedilum breeding.
Allan Burdis
Breaking News!New Paphiopedilum species discovered
Paphiopedilum rungsuriyanum
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Photo by kind permission of Roland Schettler editor in chief, OrchideenJournal
Visit website www.orchideen-journal.de
Check Your Electrics!Derek Copley
onth after month, our committee members publicly tell us tocheck our heating equipment. Experience has shown that eventhe most advanced growers still have near disasters. I have
listened to the good advice. I bought a new heater, and had an electri-cian rewire the connection from the house to my greenhouse. Yes, likemany people I do need to use an adaptor. I have 3 fans and an under-soil cable in my hot bed, in addition to my 2.8 Kw heater, thought I runthat on lower power. I would hate too blow a fuse.
One day in November I smelled a burning smell, but could not locate itssource. We do get donkey and pig smells locally, and some people cre-ate acrid smoke from what they burn in their gardens. So, having had alook round I decided all was well. A few days later, I noticed the heaterfan, always running night and day, all the year round, was silent! It hadstopped and the burning smell was overpowering.
Then I found the culprit! The neutral terminal of the plug on my newheater had burned out in the socket of the adaptor, leaving a charredsmelly mess. Obviously, for some reason, there was a poor connectionbetween the terminal of the plug and the socket of the adaptor.
M
This sort of failure is usually due to loose wires or other connections. If elec-trical connections are not secure this will create a high resistance which willresult in overheating and possible fire. Ed
Photos Derek Copley
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Breaking News!
President: Keith Andrew Esq.
Vice - Presidents: Graham Smith & Allan Burdis
Officers Chairman: Dr. Derek Copley [email protected]
Vice - Chairman: Ken Griffiths
Hon. SecretaryKen GriffithsTally House
Hawthorn RoadSouth Bockhampton
ChristchurchDorset
Tel. 01425 672492 [email protected]
Hon. Treasurer: Terry Eve16 Barton Way Barton-on-Sea New Milton Hants BH25 7JN
Tel. 01425 623470 [email protected]
Show Manager: Chris Broomfield Tel. 01202 381019 [email protected]
Hon-Librarian: David Longman
CommitteeGlen Jamieson, [email protected] Powell, [email protected] Roberts (Programme Secretary) [email protected] Fry (Publicity), [email protected]
Top Orchid EditorAllan Burdis
31 Heath RoadWalkford
ChristchurchDorset
BH23 5RHTel. 01425 275251
E-mail : [email protected]
