|
February
2003 (Vol.15 No.1)
THIS MONTH'S FEATURES:
FRONT COVER:
Dendrobium Warragul 'Magenta'
Our
cover this month features the winner of the Gold Ira Butler Trophy for
2002. This fine orchid, owned by Philip Grench, was Champion Australian
Native Orchid Hybrid at the West Gippsland Orchid Club show, and also received a
Highly Commended Certificate and an Award of Distinction from SOCOV. The
grex was registered by Philip from a hybrid made by Down Under Orchids. It's
parentage is Den. Tie-Dye x Den. Rutherfford Sunspot.
We
also list the 10 "runners up" each of which received a Silver Ira
Butler Trophy for its owners.
Run
hand in hand with the Ira Butler competition is the Bill Murdoch Trophy, awarded
for the Champion Australian Native Orchid Species of the Year. For 2002
the trophy was awarded to a plant of Cymbidium canaliculatum var. sparkesii
'Clem Scott', owned by John and Irena Lojszczyk. The plant had
previously been judged Champion Australian Native Species at the ANOS Newcastle
Group spring show.
16th
Australian Orchid Conference 2003 introduces Awards of Commercial Excellence
The
premier event on the Australian orchid calendar is held every three years
in different States, and this year hosting has been undertaken by the Orchid
Club of South Australia Inc. The Conference dates are from 18 to 21
September, in the Centennial Hall of the Royal Adelaide Showgrounds.
On
this occasion the organizing committee has, for the first time, included a
section for Commercial Excellence. This is a quite different formal from a
normal orchid show. Sydney A. Monkhouse explains how this will be handled
and what the judges will be looking for specifically.
(For latest
Conference information, check the listing at the top of our ConneXions
page.
APOC
Orchid Conference 8 - Taiwan
It is only 12 months until the next Asia Pacific Orchid Conference to be held in
Tainan, Taiwan. The Conference dates are 6 to 8 March, while the show dates are
6 to 14 March. The organizers have a comprehensive information book
available listing almost everything you want to know. Early bird
registration is available for US$100 until 30 November 2003. (There is a
link to their website from our list of Major International Orchid Conferences on
the ConneXions page)
AOC
Awards Milestone
Early
in the new year, our Registrar General of Judging, Colin Jennings, processed AOC
Award No. 3000 - quite a milestone indeed. Colin gives an interesting run
down on the background and we feature AOC Award photos No.1, 1000, 2000 and
3000. A very interesting read.
Vulnerable
species listed
and
more under threat than ever, according to our man in the hot spot, Alan
Stephenson, the AOC Conservation Director. You can help. All the
information on what to do is contained in the article. Two threatened orchid
species are pictured.
Cymbidiums
- The Lip (continued)
Kevin
Butler from Perth and major Cymbidium grower, continues his fascinating series
of the variety of lip colour in the Cymbidium hybrids, and speculates the
influence from the parentage. There are 7 photos accompanying the
article. This month Kevin chose the pastel coloured blooms.
Selected
Species - Dendrobium cruentum
Species
master with a vast knowledgebank, Peter Taylor, this month writes of the
spectacular Den. cruentum which originates from the lowland areas of
Thailand in the humid swamp forest of Ranong province. Peter shares with
us the history, habitat and his growing method. As usual there is a
magnificent photograph to illustrate this beauty.
What's
in a Name
Seems
this title has covered many different articles over the year, but this time
Colin Jennings has gone to great lengths to explain the origin of some of the
orchid genus names, from Angraecum to Zygopetalum.
Black
is beautiful
Ian
Walters, a nurseryman in Townsville, describes some of the orchid species which
are so dark in colour to appear to be black. There are three excellent
photographs with the article.
Growing
Semi-tropical orchids in the southern State
Ray
Clement of Tinonee Orchids in NSW, has adapted an address he delivered to a
meeting of ANOS Victoria recently. Ray goes to great lengths to explain
"how", but perhaps his summary tells it all. "Sure tropical
orchids need relatively high humidity, sure they will die if they freeze solid,
but they can be grown in southern states if you do not torture them with water
during winter." Four excellent photographs of Dendrobiums and an
Oncidium are featured.
Back
to Basics - Water and Orchids (Part 2)
North
Queensland resident Dr Noel Grundon recently presented a paper on this topic to
a State meeting of the Queensland societies. Part 1 appeared last issue,
and in the December issue we publish Part 2.
FCC
Awarded to Phalaeniosis at Townsville Spring Show
Ted
Boon of Townsville writes of the joy of the judges awarding an FCC/AOC Award to Phalaenopsis
Carmela's Wonder 'Sharron', a magnificent white owned by Charlie Truscott.
The plant had previously been awarded an AM, but on this occasion it received an
average of 86.87 points. The inflorescence carried 13 blooms.
Another
Tassie grower is highlighted by Rex Johnson
Barry
Bugg of Sommerset, north-western Tasmania, has received a visit from our
intrepid reported Rex and his camera. Barry has converted his former
pigeon lofts into orchid houses using plastic sheeting and shade cloth. He
grows a range of genera and in 2002 received a HCC for his plant of Blc. Memoria
Warren Jones 'Pedro'. Three photos show Barry and some of his orchids in
display.
What
is a balanced fertilizer?
Rex
Johnson endeavours to dispell some of the mis-information about fertilizers.
Small
growing or flowering Oncidium species
Rod
Rice returns to present an extensive treatsie on this group of orchids.
Rod presents 8 photographs of some of these with his article.
Plastic
mesh orchid hosts in the tropics
Des
Pike continues his excellent series on an alternative method of potting orchids
in the tropics using plastic mesh tubes with plenty of illustrations (9 photos)
to show the results.
Plus… -
All the regular features of:
Latest list of Australian Orchid Council awards for 2002; Computer Corner, what's winning at
Shows around the country, Cultural Notes for various parts of Australia,
and our list of upcoming International orchid events through to 2005.
There is also a surprise for some lucky Australian subscriber - Orchids
Australia free for one year, provided it is claimed in 14 days.
|
Click here for