Mt. Baker Orchid Society Meeting Information November 25, 2008 Program: TBD Announcements: 2009 Officer Elections at the November meeting. Dues are due on December 31, 2008 If you haven't renewed, please send your renewal to Joan Tezak or Stan Brashear. Don't miss out on upcoming newsletters! Winter Potluck Skagit Valley Gardens Nursery Soliciting volunteers to provide table settings Gift exchange

Our regular meeting place is at The Breazeale Interpretive Center, Padilla Bay. 10440 Bayview-Edison Road Mt. Vernon, WA 98273-9668 For more information and directions, see The Padilla Bay website Meetings are held on the 4th Tuesday of each month except for July and December. Doors generally open about 7:00 or so, and the meeting starts at 7:30pm, with society business, announcements, etc. We take a short break, there's time to socialize, talk orchids and have a snack or coffee. Then plant table results are discussed, and the door prize and a small raffle are drawn. After the general meeting, we usually have an educational program, either a guest speaker, slide show, or instructional session. Since there are a number of commercial growers in the society, they sometimes give seminars on repotting, deflasking, mounting, etc. These programs are informative and fun There will be a plant show table, where members bring in blooming orchid plants, competing for ribbons and points. Besides being judged by a team, all members get to vote for their favorite. At the end of the year, the member with the most points gets a prize. There's a little friendly competition each year, but mostly we just enjoy sharing our orchids with others, and getting to see new things and ask questions about how to grow the variety of different species and hybrids available. Sometimes there are plants for sale by members. Extra seedlings, divisions, or just something that the owner thinks would be better off with someone else. We are generally finished about 9:00 pm Topics for discussion: See the current Newsletter for monthly information. There are several shows in our region this spring, and we have stated our intention to participate. But there is no single person to handle coordination and to take responsibility for getting this done. Solutions and volunteers welcome.

Past Programs:

May 27, 2008

Susan Wood gave a very interesting presentation on some of the historical figures in the orchid world.  Over the past two centuries, orchid collecting as been the purview of the rich and the restless.  Cattleyas were discovered when plants were shipped to England from South America, as packing material for something else!  When they bloomed, they caused such a sensation that orchids became the obsession of wealthy families, scientific study and adventurers.  Hundreds of thousands of plants were stripped from their natural habitats, which were sometimes then destroyed to prevent others from finding what would be "exclusive" plants for the collectors and their employers.  Countless species disappeared, as their growing habits were not well known, and many imported plants perished wholesale in England and Europe.

Hopefully, we've matured since then, and grow responsibly from non-wild populations, or lab-grown hybrids.  Also, by observing the natural habitats, we understand better how to keep them alive and happy in our greenhouses or homes. Today, to grow orchids, you don't have to be rich, just smart.