Top OrchidSpring2016

BOURNEMOUTH ORCHID SOCIETY

BOURNEMOUTH

ORCHID SOCIETY

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Front Cover: Cypripedium calceolus hybrid

* Members plants can only be sold at these meetings

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.

Programme2015

Sat 26 Sept Autumn Show Allendale Centre, Wimborne Minster, BH21 1AS

Fri 30 Oct * Helen Milner Orchids, but not as we know them!

Fri 27 Nov * Steven Candy The Restored Victorian Orchid HouseKingston Lacy

Sat 5 Dec * Christmas Lunch Marsham Court Hotel 1 pm BH1 3AB

2016

Fri 29 Jan * Mike Powell Hardy & Terrestrial Orchids

Sat 27 Feb Spring Show Allendale Centre, Wimborne Minster, BH21 1AS

Sat 25 March * John Haggar How I Grow Hardy Orchids

Sun 17 April Coach Outing Burnham Orchids, Devon

Fri 29 April * Mr. T J Hartung Mexican Orchids & the History of the Vanilla Orchid

Fri 27 May * A.G.M Including Plant Auction

Fri 24 June * Chris Purver Work of the Eric Young Orchid Foundation

Sun 25 July * Garden PartyHosted by Graham & Pat SmithLynmoor Farm, Newman’s Lane, West Moors,Dorset BH22 0LW 2.30 p.m.

Fri 26-Aug * Zoe Parfitt Writhlington School Orchid Projects & BristolBotanic Garden

Sat 24 Sept Autumn Show Allendale Centre, Wimborne Minster, BH21 1AS

Bournemouth Orchid Society does not endorse any products illustrated in this publication.Use chemicals with care:Always read the label and use only as directed. Dispose of chemical solutions and containers safely. Store chemicalsin cool dry conditions away from sunlight. Keep chemicals out of reach from children and pets.

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nother very successful Spring Show, with a competitivetable full of wonderful orchids. Although entries were downon last year, no monster cymbidiums this time, there was

still plenty to admire by the public. I think the most gratifyingaspect was the response to a new membership campaign, thebrainchild of Chris Broomfield, our very busy Show Manager,which brought in no less than sixteen, yes sixteen new members.see page 26. That is an all time record. As the committee wasconcerned membership numbers had declined significantly overthe past few years, this has come at just the right time to put us back on track. I amsure the campaign will be repeated at the Autumn Show and, I hope, will bringsimilar results. We have a dedicated committee constantly striving to improve thesociety in all aspects to enable it to continue to be one of the best in the country.

There is still time to book your seat on the jolly Bournemouth coach outing toBurnham Nursery on the 17th April. Roger can take bookings up to the day before,so no excuses, it’s a cracking day out.(See page 28) As repotting time is upon usonce again this will be a great opportunity to get your supplies.

This issue is a full one, the Show results, report and photos taking up a fair slice,and reports of two previous meetings; Hydroponics for Orchids by Geoff Hands onpage 14- 16, and the amazing world of close-up photography by Helen Milner,page 4-7 These meeting reports aim to give flavour of the guest speaker’spresentation and, therefore, cannot be as detailed, hence the need to attendmeetings whenever possible. So if you require more information on any of thereports please talk to a committee member, and they can get you the contactdetails of the speaker concerned.

This edition also includes a report of a study visit to Holland while I was still amember of the RHS Orchid Committee (now retired). This article focuses on theproduction of hardy Cypripediums by Anthura.(See pages 8-10)

Two “snippets” on members’ plants, John Dennis and Derek Copley, both regularcontributors, give us their comments on different orchids encountered. I do encour-age other members to send me copy of a similar nature, as not only do they helpfill these pages, always a headache for me, but inform and delight us at the sametime.

Due to requests from readers, I have put in another 3D orchid for you to view. ifyou don’t get the hang of it at first I do encourage you to keep trying, for oncemastered you will find it easy to see. Having said that, I do believe there a fewunfortunates among us who are not able to see 3D images, although they can stilladmire the two pictures!

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Orchids, but not as we know them!Helen Milner

Friday 30 October 2015Reporter: Neville Roberts

veryone turned up at this month’s Friday eveningmeeting expecting to hear Dino Zelenika give a talk onWild Orchids of Bosnia and Herzegovina, but alas, a

bout of influenza at the last minute meant that he was unableto attend. Hearing about this, Helen Milner came to therescue and very kindly offered to be our speaker at extremelyshort notice! As it happened, Helen had recently prepared atalk on how the techniques of macro photography can beapplied to photographing orchids and this was the subject wewere treated to on the night.

Helen last visited our Society on 30 August 2013 when she gave us aninspiring talk on Restrepias. She has been growing orchids of all sorts since1985 but her favourites are the pleurothallids. She took early retirement fromteaching and was fortunate to have the opportunity to return to University tostudy breeding systems in Restrepia. She has now been awarded her doctor-ate and continues to undertake research into incompatibility systems inorchids and how they affect conservation efforts – and this all started out froma hobby!

Helen started her talk by noting that many small orchids are often overlookedand dismissed because of their size, yet they are just as remarkable as thelarger, well known genera. Their strange or bizarre adaptations for attractingand often trapping pollinators are sometimes not recognized as belonging toorchids. Helen makes use of macrophotography as a way of exploring thesecomplex mechanisms. She explained that taking an object at a magnificationof 2:1 means that something that is 1mm long in real life results in an imagethat is 2mm long on the camera sensor.

It turns out that Helen and I have similar photographic equipment - she has aNikon D7100 and uses a AF Micro Nikkor 60mm f2.8 D macro lens and I havea Nikon D7000 and the same lens! So I for one was especially looking forwardto hearing her talk.

One problem with close-up photography is that of depth of field. When youget close to a subject with your camera lens, the plane that is in focus is verynarrow indeed.

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Top Orchid Orchids, but not as we know them!

Orchids, but not as we know them!Helen Milner

Friday 30 October 2015

So something that is, say 20mm away can be in focus, but that means anobject 15mm or 25mm away will be out of focus. Helen demonstrated this byphotographing a tube inscribed with ruler marks. The way to overcome thislimitation of purely optical photography is to use a technique known as focusstacking. This is where several photographs of a stationary object are taken,but focused on different parts of the object. Then special software is used totake the in-focus parts of each image and stick them together to make onephotograph, but with all the elements in focus.

There are two ways to take the batch of images. Firstly, the camera and objectare held stationary and the focus of the camera is adjusted in minute stepsusing a tethering program (tethering programs for Nikon cameras includeCamera RC at http://www.camerarc.com or Control My Nikon athttp://www.controlmynikon.com and for Canon EOS owners, some utilitysoftware is provided free with the camera). The other way is to set the camerato a fixed focus and then move the camera on a movable platform progres-sively closer to the subject in minute steps using a special platform equippedwith a stepper motor.

Helen has used the facilities in Adobe Photoshop to generate some of herimages. However, she is looking into the use of Zerene Stacker(http://zerenesystems.com/cms/stacker), which costs $89 (£50) for the Per-sonal Edition. There is also some free software available for download on theweb, such as CombineZP (seehttp://www.hadleyweb.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/), but it lacks the full set of bellsand whistles included in commercial competitors’ software. The user interfaceof CombineZP is dated now and the software is Windows-only. Nevertheless,the heart of the CombineZP program, i.e. the underlying algorithms that alignand stack the images, is considered to be excellent.

Helen then showed us another photograph of the same tube inscribed withruler marks that we had seen earlier, but this time as a focus stacked imageusing four images. She noted that although this was a considerable improve-ment on the original single photograph, there were still areas between thein-focus parts of the image that were a little blurred. She then started herpresentation of orchid photographs that were made using between 100 and300 stacked images and many of them were breathtaking, to say the least.We were treated to some extreme close-ups of her favourite orchids –Restrepias. The parts of the flower she had photographed included thecolumn and anther cap that covers the pollinia, but in such detail and so closethat it was hard to recognise them as being part of an orchid.

Helen’s optical photographs were interspersed with images taken using aSEM (scanning electron microscope) to show extreme detail.

Although SEM images are monochrome, the extreme magnification (500X)revealed subtleties to the plant structure, which has helped Helen understandsome of the pollinating mechanisms and the symbiotic relationships betweenpollinating insects and the plant. For example, a photograph of part of aProsthechea cochleata, formerly known as Encyclia cochleata, showed thatthe flower had developed a special growth to guide the insect’s tongue toreach the pollinia. (See Figs 6 & 7). The minuscule hairs on a Stelis flowerwere also clearly visible and are used to help insects.

Using the focus stacking photographs and SEM images, Helen illustratedsome more of these strange adaptations of orchids which included insect-trapping mechanisms, unusual cellular forms and pollinator scent-signallingdevices. We certainly saw our orchids in a new way. They were indeed realorchids - just not as we know them!

It was lovely to see Helen again and I hope that we will be able to welcomeher back to us again before too long.

Post-meeting note: there also appears to be some free camera tetheringsoftware available called digiCamControl at http://digicamcontrol.com/ offer-ing a host of camera remote control facilities, including focus stacking, forNikon or Canon DSLR camera owners.

Top Orchid Orchids, but not as we know them!

Left are 4 images taken ofa cymbidium flower.If you look at each frameyou will see a differentpart of the image is in fo-cus, back to front.

Using stacking softwarethe four images can be puttogether using only the fo-cused parts. This results ina single image, fully in fo-cus (See left).

This was taken by Nevilleto illustrate the process andthe result is very good.

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Dendrobium taloriWhole flower left, close-upof centre of the flower right

Fig 1 Dendrobium chapaense photograph showing only the lip in focusand petals and sepals blurred. Fig 2 Similar image but with everything in

focus, using stacking software

Fig 1 Fig 2

Bifrenaria aureo fulva Fig 3 close-up of Staminode with Fig 4 showinganther cap intact and Fig 5 anther capremoved, revealing pollinia. Note thegaping hole, this is the stigmatic cav-ity where the Pollinia (pollen) will bedeposited for fertilisation

Restrepia brachypusHere the flower is in perfectfocus but the background hasbeen left out of focus, whichthrows the image forward,

giving a 3D affect

Fig 8 Paphiopedilum sukhakuliiClose-up of lateral petal showing

hairs, which look like thejointed legs of an insect Fig 9

Fig 8

Fig 9Fig 6

Prosthecheacochleata

Fig 7 Specialgrowth toguide theinsects

Fig 4 Fig 5

Fig 3

Fig 6

Fig 7

Polystachya sp.

Top Orchid Orchids, but not as we know them!

Photos Figs 1 & 8 by Allan Burdis7

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Cypripediums in Holland

ypripediums was the name given to all slipper orchids, which includedPaphiopedilums, Phragmipediums and Selenipediums, but now onlyrefers to the terrestrial orchids of Europe, North America and China.

Cypripedium is the true ‘Lady’s Slipper Orchid’ which is the name given byLinnaeus 1737 in his Flora Lapponica.

The only British species is Cypripedium calceolus, and this had been reducedto just one or two surviving plants in the North of England, after over collectionby Victorian orchid enthusiasts. Their numbers might now be increasing dueto a project to raise young plants from seed, collected from these last remain-ing plants, but they will never again be as numerous in the UK as they oncewere.

Cypripediums have never been eagerly sort after byorchid collectors, and they were more commonlygrown by alpine growers, along with Pleiones. This isnot surprising when you realise there are many spe-cies which grow in cold conditions, making them greatbedfellows for alpines. However, in the last few years,they have made a comeback and can now be seen atmany large garden centres in the Springtime.

So where are these Cypripediums coming from?

Back in June 2013 I was part of the RHS (RoyalHorticultural Society) orchid committee study visit to Holland. There we visitedseveral commercial orchid nurseries near Rotterdam and the Botanic gardenin Leiden. Of these, Anthura was the nursery responsible for supplying mostof the Cypripediums to our garden centres, and is located in Bleiswijk, about20-30 km north east of Rotterdam.

The committee members were welcomed to this very modern and efficientnursery, which was built to raise Anthuriums, the largest member of the Arumfamily, which they still do today, but also raise the inevitable Phalaenopsis inquantity. The Cyps came much later when in 2005 Camiel de Jong joinedthem, a young man, fresh out of university. He brought with him his knowledgeand expertise on how to raise Cypripediums from seed, and the secret recipefor the perfect compost to grow them in.

Within a relatively short time a large range of species and hybrids had beendeveloped and multi growth plants made available commercially for the firsttime at low prices.

CAllan Burdis

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Top Orchid Cypripediums in Holland

Before we were taken to see the ultra modern greenhouse where the Cypswere grown, we were shown the delightful garden at the back of the mainentrance. This was laid out with meanderingboarders around a central lawn, with informalplanting of shrubs and small trees. This ledalong to a top bed with more mature trees andpathways between them. The planting turned

left which then took usback to the front of themain building. In allthese boarders wereplanted many Cypripediums, both species and hybridsof the most stunning variety, all in glorious bloom. Therewere several other hardy orchids such as a beautifulPleione hybrid (Fig.1) and a Calanthespecies (Fig 2). Ifwe wanted an ad-vert for the cultiva-tion of these orchidswe needed to lookno further. I tookloads of photos andcould have stayedthere, all day.

C. calceolus var parviflorum

Fig 1

Fig 2

A mixture of Cypripediums and other hardy orchids in the company’s delightful garden

Camiel de Jong, right,shows the committee the

orchid garden

Cypripediums in Holland

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Nevertheless, there was lots more to see as we were led into the mainbuilding. There we were confronted with boxes of white coats and shoecovers, which we had to put on before entering the growing area. This is acommon ritual these days, as chances cannot be taken with the crosscontamination of valuable stock.

On entering the growing area, which was about 5½ acres (2.2 hectares) wewere again greeted with another fabulous display of Cypripediums in fullflower, which left us breathless. Masses of Cyp. calceolus and C. lichian-gense, C. fargesii were flowering from seed after only five years. There weremany hybrids that were in flower after only one year from flask. The secretformulae was definitely working. A mass of C. reginae caught my eye andwhen talking to Camiel about them he casually informed me they were goingto be taken off the list of plants they would produce. I was surprised, as theywere some of the best I had ever seen and thought them a good subject forgrowing in the garden. It appears, they grow too tall, and smaller,morecompact plants are the way to go.

Many of you may already have purchased some of these Cypripediums inthe last few years and planted them in your gardens. I would be interestedto hear from any of you with your experiences - good or bad.

Cypripediums as far as the eye can see.

C. lichiangenseThis low growing species endemic to China,

was photographed in the outside garden

The facade of the greenhouse was designed around thePalm House in Kew Gardens, built in 1847

Thousands of Cyp. Kentuckydestined for gardens in the UK

Cypripediums in Holland

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C. lichiangenseThis low growing species endemic to China,

A Study of a Stanhopea OrchidJohn Dennis

am new to this genus having only grown them for threeor four years. I was always put off growing them be-cause the flowers only last a few days. However, in the

light of a little experience..…look out for a big specimen andyou could have flowers over several months.

I bought my first big plant at a Bournemouth Orchid Societyshow in autumn 2012, and I did have a regular show offlowers for a couple of years. This one is Stanhopea Hamptonne, a hy-brid. The perfume is unbelievable but very pungent and might be too

strong for some. Hamptonne smells ofclove balls, which I find very pleasant.

I kept it in our conservatory where the hu-midity is low and I only occasionally wa-tered it. Now I know that they grow in anintermediate to cool environment in Centralto South America at 13 Deg. C Min. 27 Deg.C Max., and appreciate about 70% humidi-ty, minimum. I have learned that Sphag-num Moss mixed with large Spongerock, isthe best potting medium. They like to bemoderately damp at all times but like most

orchids it is good to let them dry slightly before watering. During thesummer months they like to hang under a tree in dappledlight and receive a regular daily spray of rain water. Thecool summer evenings help in the rapid formation offlower spikes once they are brought inside for the winterat the end of September.

These are a fascinating orchid to grow but definitely onefor its mother, particularly, to appreciate, or an orchidnut. The genus was named after the 4th Earl of Stan-hope (Philip Henry Stanhope) (1781-1855), president ofthe Medico-Botanical Society of London (1829-1837).

Their pseudobulbs carry one long, large, elliptic leaf at the top. They liketo be grown in a basket because the flowers will emerge from the bottomin due course. They usually flower once a year but have sequential flow-ers spikes.

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Stanhopea Hamptonne( Photo John Dennis)

4th Earl of Stanhope

The flower spike literally emerges as a sharp, hard spike and will punch itsway through almost any fibrous potting medium, even a coir basket liner.The flower is one of the most intricate and complex among orchids and theperfume is usually spicy and strong.

I enjoy photographing them from many angles because they have reallybeautiful architectural shapes and appendages. They are very solid andfleshy in construction and it is surprising they only last two or three days.However, a large plant will flower sequentially and provide a beautifuldisplay from late summer through to winter, with a break between theopening of each inflorescence. A large and well grown plant can havemany flower stems. Four is the most I have had so far.

Bush Orchids in Bath grow a large variety of them and there are manyspecies and hybrids to choose from, with different colours and perfumes.(Bushorchids.co.uk)

A Study of a Stanhopea Orchid

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Fig 1 & 2Stanhopea Hamptonne growing in abasket with a coco husk liner. Theflowers spikes growing down andthrough the liner.

Stanhopeas have complex flowers with “beautiful, architectural shapes and appendages”Left Stanhopea occulata, Right Stanhopea nigroviolacea (Ed: Stanhopea tigrinum v ni-groviolacea).

Photos John Dennis

Stanhopea nigroviolacea flower spikealso from John’s collection

Fig 1

Fig 2

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bought this plant for £20 in Spring last year, to add to my growingCoelogyne collection. Marian Grimes also bought an identical plantat the same time. Both plants were in spike when we purchased

them (tiny and thin but clearly spikes). We had high hopes of showingthem at the Malvern Show (in June Ed), some weeks away yet.Malvern came and went, with noobvious change in the spikes. Sum-mer came and went too, with thesame result. At one point I said toMarian that we should now give uphoping, the spikes were dead. How-ever, in the Autumn Marian thoughthers had fattened slightly, and bystretching my imagination a little, Ifelt mine had too. However byChristmas, the buds were appearingand it was definitely going to flower.And lo and behold it did flower onJanuary 17th 2016.It is simply gorgeous, orange red,and the flower measures 10 mmacross and the flower spike is 4 cmlong. Reality far surpasses the pho-to in The Genus Coelogyne by Dud-ley Clayton page 257. However,there are good images on line andthey resemble mine more closely inform and colour.Where does it come from? Well it is from Hpare in Burma and Yunnan inChina at 900 to 1800 metres in the subtropical forests, and usuallyflowers from March to May.

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Derek Copley

Photo: Derek Copley

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hose of you who were not at our end of August meetingmissed a treat when our own member Geoff gave us aninsight into how he has become a pioneer in growingorchids in what was then a very innovative way i.e.,

Hydroponically or as Geoff prefers to describe the method asHydroculture.

In his early days of growing orchids he specialised in the Genus Paphio-pedilum with such enthusiasm that he had the National Collection of some90% of the 65 species of Paphs which were recognised by Kew at that time.Geoff in the 80’s had 60 or 61 of the known species of the 65 in total.Always looking for new horizons he started growing Vandas in the 90’swhen it was commonly believed that in the climate of the UK they would beneither possible to grow or flower but Geoff was one grower that proved theestablished ideas wrong.

Geoff has always had a strong interest in the science of nutrition in whatorchids would require as feed and to that end he famously sat in a rain forestsomewhere in Northern Thailand armed with a test tube and a rain gauge.He sat under a tree in the rainy season collecting drips from the aerial rootsof a Dendrobium in the test tube, and then comparing the analysis with raincollected at the same time in the rain gauge set in a clearing ( it held 3inches of rain, and was overflowing after a couple of hours). This was in aNational Park/ Reserve they call the Dinosaur Park as you can, evidently,see fossilised dinosaur footprints there- so they say!

The substance of the talk was how Geoff has very successfully usedHydroculture which, when he first started giving this talk, his audiencethought it a spoof, that is keeping orchids wet all the time. We were showna number of excellent slides which proved how successful this method ofgrowing is, notably an Aliceara bulb which was 7 inches high and a plant ofBrassia Rex ‘Tahoma’ again with an enormous 7 inch new growth andexhibiting a progressive increase in bulb size year on year. Plants even withsmaller bulbs tend to flower earlier and as a general rule it is in about thethird year that results of this method of culture start to show rewards.

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Breaking the Rules(Hydroponics for Orchids)

Geoff Hands Reporter: Ken Griffiths

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Geoff prefers the term ‘Hydroculture’ rather than ‘Hydroponics’ and it is, inessence, the provision of continuous moisture and nutrients 365 days ayear. He described two different methods. In the first plants are potted in aninorganic substrate of Perlite with atop dressing of grit which inhibits algalgrowth. The pots sit permanently inup to 2 cm of water (see Fig. 1)in trays on the benches, and moisturerises up the ‘compost’ by capillaryaction and surface tension giving amixture of moisture and air to theroots. Care has to be taken whenusing Perlite as it can be very dustyand affect the lungs so goggles and aface mask are a good idea initiallywhen dealing with this materialstraight from the suppliers.

What Geoff does as an alternative, to lay the dust, is cut off the top cornerof the sack and pour in water - about 4 gallons in a 100 litre sack. Aneffective alternative to ‘Perlite’ is baked clay pebbles , and this is thepreferred media for thicker rooted orchids and essentially for the secondmethod, see later in this report.

Geoff prefers the type of plastic pot that gives good ingress of water both inand out, standing in gravel trays and uses the highly scientific instrument,his little finger, to judge the required water levels.Evaporation of water will leave a residue of nutri-ents in situ which can be controlled by the additionof plain water which helps keep the levels at asafe concentration. Smaller plants and seedlingsare stood on capillary matting which will limit theamount of water around what can be tender rootsin these younger plants.

Sadly at this point of Geoff’s presentation we had an IT failure when thecomputer refused to talk any more to the projector but undaunted he carriedon with the small screen.

Geoff went on to talk about the type of fertiliser he prefers which is marketedby ‘Growth Technology’ as Orchid Growth and Orchid Bloom and alsoAkerne Orchids Rain Mix Orchid food which is formulated to use with rainwater, unlike other manufacturers, who assume that tap water would beused.

Fig 1

Hydroponics for Orchids

Breaking the Rules

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The second method, used particularly for thick rooted orchids, such asCattleyas and Vandas, is called flood and drain. The pots are periodicallyflooded to the brim with water containing the nutrients of choice which soaksthe roots and pushes all of the air out of the compost. When the pot isdrained after a few minutes , this drags fresh air in, to surround the wetroots. This method could include sophisticated adaptations with the use ofauto timers, pumps and valves for the waterflow and drainage. Vandas grow well using thissystem, Geoff having achieved averages of 7inches of leaf growth per month with doublespikes in 55% of his Vanda collection.

His regime is that in Mid-summer the plants arewatered every 6 hours, but reducing in stagesto once every 3 days in Mid-winter.

In summary the advantages of these methodsof culture are in economy of time, longer lastingblooms and faster growth. Repotting is alsomuch easier.

Disadvan-tages arethat youshould notrush into this method of culture withoutmaking sure that you follow the rulesand if your own current method of grow-ing works i.e. ‘if it ain’t broke don’t fix it’,don’t go there.There then followed several questions

which included that drying out completely is bad for orchid culture and thismethod is not ideal for all genera.

Altogether a fascinating and very well presented talk which gave a lot tothink about and encouraging experimentation to see if it works for you! Don’t

try it with the entire collection ini-tially.

Coelogyne Burfodensisshowing multiple new growths

View of Aquaculture method us-ing blue plastic trays

Coelogyne WM Micholitz AM/RHS

Photos: Geoff Hands

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Hydroponics for OrchidsTop Orchid

Top Orchid Spring Show

AWARD AWARD WINNERS

PRESIDENT’SSHIELD BEST IN SHOW Alan Sapsard Papilianthes teres

SPECIES CUP BEST SPECIES Alan Sapsard Papilianthes teres

EDITH EDGE CUP BEST ONCIDIUM Alan Sapsard OncidopsisCambria hybrid

PHALAENOPSISCUP

BESTPHALAENOPSIS Jane Carter Phalaenopsis

hybrid

PURBECK CUP BEST NOVICEENTRY Jane Carter Phalaenopsis

hybrid

MADGE MULESCUP

MOST POINTS INCLASSES Geoff Hands 18 points

JOHNNY DYBALLAWARD

BEST MOUNTEDORCHID Not awarded

CONGRESS CUP BEST GROUP OFTHREE Alan Sapsard Class 12

SIMPLY CONTROLSHIELD BEST HYBRID Doreen Williams

CymbidiumSarah Jean

‘Ice Cascade’

THE ANNIVERSARYCUP BEST CYMBIDIUM Doreen Williams

CymbidiumSarah Jean

‘Ice Cascade’

GROVES BOWL BEST SLIPPERORCHID Allan Burdis Paphiopedilum

superbiens v curtisii

HAMPSHIRE CUP BESTDENDROBIUM Allan Burdis Dendrobium

chionantha

MILLENNIUMBOWL

BESTCATTLEYA/LAELIA Allan Burdis Cattleya coccinea

FRANCES SIMMONSMEMORIAL CUP

BESTPLEUROTHALLID Lynn Smith Masdevallia ignea

DELIA HUDSONMEMORIAL TROPHY BEST COELOGYNE Allan Burdis Coelogyne taronensis

SINGAPORE CUP BEST S.E. ASIANORCHID Allan Burdis Paphiopedilum

superbiens v curtisii

Spring ShowFebruary 27th 2016

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RESULTS BY CLASSCLASS 1 CYMBIDIUM SPECIES OR HYBRID (3 entries)

1st Doreen Williams Cymbidium Sara Jean

2nd Dave Walters Cymbidium erythraeum

3rd Geoff Hands Cymbidium Castle of May

CLASS 2 ONE SLIPPER ORCHID HYBRID (3 entries)

1st Lynn Smith Phragmipedium Devil Fire

2nd Alan Sapsard Phragmipedium Feelingii

3rd Allan Burdis Paphiopedilum St Ouen’s Bay

CLASS 3 ONE SLIPPER ORCHID SPECIES (4 entries)

1st Allan Burdis Paphiopedilum malipoense

2nd Geoff Hands Paphiopedilum wardii

3rd Mike Powell Paphiopedilum villosum

CLASS 4 ONE ONCIDIUM SPECIES OR HYBRID (3 entries)

1st Doreen Williams Colmanara Masai Red

2nd Alan Sapsard Oncidium splendens

3rd Geoff Hands Oncidopsis (Burrageara) Nelly Isler

CLASS 5 ONE DENDROBIUM SPECIES OR HYBRID (4 entries)

1st Allan Burdis Dendrobium chionanthum

2nd Geoff Hands Dendrobium Star of Riverdene

3rd Neville Roberts Dendrobium x delicatum

CLASS 6 ONE CATTLEYA/ LAELIA SPECIES OR HYBRID (3 entries)

1st Allan Burdis Cattleya coccinea

2nd Sally Mill Cattleya Aloha Case

3rd Geoff Hands Cattleya Psyche

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RESULTS BY CLASS continued

CLASS 7 ONE PHALAENOPSIS SPECIES OR HYBRID (6 entries)

1st Geoff Hands Renanthopsis Mildred Jameson

2nd Jane Carter Phalaenopsis Hybrid

3rd Chris Broomfield Phalaenopsis Hybrid

CLASS 8 ONE ORCHID HYBRID NOT MENTIONED ABOVE (5 entries)

1st Mike Powell Stenosarcos Hybrid

2nd Geoff Hands Vandachostylis Pinkie ‘Starry Night’

3rd John Dennis Coelogyne x intermedia

CLASS 9 ANY OTHER SPECIES NOT MENTIONED ABOVE (7 entries)

1st Mike Powell Pterostylis curta

2nd Lynn Smith Masdevallia ignea

3rd Allan Burdis Sarcochilus hartmanii

CLASS 10 THREE SPECIES ALL DIFFERENT (5 entries)

1st Mike Powell Cyclopogon elatus

Gennaria diphylla

Sacoila lanceolata

2nd Sally Mill Cattleya coccinea

Restrepia brachypus

Restrepia contorta

3rd Roger Russell Dendrochilum stenophyllum

Dendrochilum tenellum

Dendrochilum pulcherrimum

Spring Show

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CLASS 11 THREE HYBRIDS ALL DIFFERENT (4 entries)

1st Allan Burdis Paphiopedilum Wössner Perle

Paphiopedilum Rosy DawnPromenaea Crawshayana

2nd Alan Sapsard Phragmipedium Sedenii ‘Wilcox’ AM/RHS

Oncidopsis Cambria Hybrid

Lycaste Leo

3rd Geoff Hands Brassia Rex

Oncidium Tiger GlowMasdevallia veitchiana x Summer Sun

CLASS 12 GROUP OF THREE MIXED ORCHID SPECIES AND HYBRIDS (8 entries)

1st Alan Sapsard Papilianthes teres

Oncidium Black Beauty

Phragmipedium Eric Young

2nd Mike Powell Stenosarcos Hybrid

Gennaria diphylla

Tainia hongkongensis

3rd Allan Burdis Paphiopedilum malipoense

Paphiopedilum Denehurst x Whitemoor

Dendrobium infundibulum

Spring Show

20

Top Orchid

21

CLASS 13 NOVICE CLASS (2 entry)

1st Jane Carter Phalaenopsis Hybrid

2nd Lin Po Phalaenopsis Hybrid

3rd Not awarded

CLASS 14 ONE CUT ORCHID FLOWER SPIKE (5 entries)

1st Geoff Hands Cymbidium Call Night ‘Geserland’

2nd Allan Burdis Dendrobium spectabile

3rd Colin Aitken Cymbidium hookerae

CLASS 15 ONE WINDOW-SILL ORCHID (6 entries)

1st Roger Russell Phalaenopsis Hybrid

2nd Geoff Hands Phalaenopsis Hybrid

3rd Pat Marshall Phalaenopsis Hybrid

AWARDS FOR CULTURAL EXCELLENCE

Allan Burdis Paphiopedilum superbiens var curtisii

Paphiopedilum malipoenseDendrobium chionanthum

Roger Russell Dendrochilum stenophyllum

Mike Powell Pterostylis curta

Cyclopogon elatus

Doreen Williams Ludisia discolor

MOST POINTS AWARDED IN SHOW

1st Geoff Hands 18 Points

2nd Allan Burdis 17 Points

3rd Mike Powell 12 Points

Spring Show

Top Orchid

22

Spring Show ReportReporter: Mike Powell

t 8am last Saturday the hall at the Allendale Centre wasfull of the quiet, purposeful activity that characterises theset up of all BOS Shows. Members of the Society were

hard at work, covering tables, setting up tombola’s and raffles,erecting backdrops and sorting out plants. The Trade was alsobusy setting up their stands. Soon, members began to arrivewith their plants and those who had taken the trouble to email their registra-tion forms were able to put them in the right section without fuss. Meanwhilethe raffle table was starting to groan under the weight of bottles, nestingboxes, plants, cakes and other prizes. People were wandering around,admiring and eyeing up each other’s plants and wondering how well theywere going to do. Meanwhile, the people setting up the non-competitivedisplay had completed the backdrop and draping the crates and werestarting to place the plants- extras kindly donated by members. Colours hadto be carefully placed to provide a focal point to catch the public’s interest,but eventually all was done, the Society’s sign was placed and switched onand the display was ready to beguile the paying public. Soon after, the hallwas cleared so that judging could begin. Exhibitors and officials alikedispersed to the restaurant for chat over breakfast and coffee.One and a half hours later, the doors opened (slightly early) and membersand the paying public were allowed into see the Show and to see how wellor badly they had done.What impresses about the Bournemouth shows is the high number of orchidspecies that appear on the show bench, not just occasionally but as aregular occurrence. Members seem to take pride in showing as manybeautifully grown species as they can. It reflects the depth of expertise thatthe Society can draw on. Alan Sapsard showed his superb Papilianthesteres which was even bigger than last year and required even more scaf-folding to support it. Deservedly, it bagged the President’s Shield for Best inShow and the Species Cup. It is a tricky orchid to get right in this climate asit needs very high levels of warmth, light and humidity. He also won theEdith Edge Cup for his Oncidopsis Cambria hybrid. Allan Burdis as usualshowed a range of unusual and prize winning orchids, among them Dend-robium chionanthum from New Guinea , with its snow white flowers, whichwon the Hampshire Cup ( and a Cultural Award) for Best Dendrobium, andthe even more unusual Coelogyne taronensis from Yunnan, which won theDelia Hudson Memorial Trophy for Best Coelogyne.

A

Spring Show

Spring Show Report

Top Orchid

23

Pride of place however, went to a raft of superb Paphiopedilums, Allan’sspeciality. The best of these in the Judges Eyes was his enormous Paphio-pedilum superbiens var curtisii. Standing nearly two feet tall with beautifulfoliage and one enormous immaculate flower, this secured the Groves Bowlfor Best Slipper Orchid and the Singapore Cup for Best S.E. Asian Orchid anda Cultural Award, so much so that his majestic Paphiopedilum malipoensehad to be content with the mere Cultural Award and a First Place. Almost inpassing he won the Millennium Bowl for Best Cattleya with a fine plant ofCattleya coccinea. (It is worth remarking that most, if not all, of his plants havebeen grown from seed.) Doreen Williams will have been thrilled to win theAnniversary Cup for Best Cymbidium and the Simply Control shield for BestHybrid with her impressive Cymbidium Sarah Jean with its multiple bunchesof small white flowers. Jane Carter made her mark on the show bench bywinning the Purbeck Cup for Novices and the Phalaenopsis Cup for herexcellently grown Phalaenopsis hybrid. Lynn Smith lit up her little corner ofthe show bench with a fiery little Masdevallia ignea, which won her the FranceSimmons Memorial Cup for Best Pleurothallid. Mike Powell showed a rangeof unusual and well grown terrestrial orchids including a fine pot of Pterostyliscurta (Cultural Award), the ‘Greenhood’ from Australia with its strange hood-ed, gnat-pollinated flowers, the South American Cyclopogon elatus (CulturalAward) with its attractive striped leaves (Ed. see page 19) and its spikes ofdainty olive green and white flowers, a strange hybrid ‘Stenosarcos’ withspikes of tubular red flowers and attractive leaves inherited from its Stenor-rhynchus parent, as well as the strangely beautiful Sacoila lanceolata whichflowers before its leaves with spikes of rich pink slightly tomentose flowers.Geoff Hands reaped the fruits of his industry and skill with a plethora of wellgrown plants which gained him the Madge Mules Trophy for Most Points inShow. There were, sadly, no mounted orchids this year so the Johnny DyballTrophy was not awarded. Many other people entered plants on the showbench to a total of sixty-eight separate entries, which reflects the level ofenthusiasm and commitment of the membership. Hopefully, in years to comemore will be successful in carrying off trophies.This was, again, an excellent show. There was a footfall of 290 paying public,of which sixteen elected to become members, taking advantage of an attrac-tive initial offer. The plant surgery was constantly in business, and the Tradeall reported good takings. In all a total of just under £1500 was banked fromall sources- the best result we have had for many years. Big thanks are owedto Chris Broomfield the Show Manager, and the Show Committee and to allthose who took the time and trouble to come and help in whatever capacity,but above all to you the members who came and put your splendid plants onthe show bench and made the show the success it undoubtedly was.

PS Check out Roger Frampton’s superb short video on our Facebook Page!https://www.facebook.com/BournemouthOrchidSociety/

Spring Show

Show photo gallery

All Photos: Allan Burdis

24

Spring ShowTop Orchid

Top Orchid

25

n this Information Age of ours, the possession of informa-tion is power. But equally true is that giving information ispower, too, and that is – or should be – the role of anywebsite.

The Society has had its own web site since 1992, thanks toNeville Roberts, the same year as the first ever public website. Then, asnow, its purpose was to inform the world about our Society. It initiallyprovided just basic Society information and contact details, being ad-dressed to a somewhat limited internet audience. These days that's no-where near enough as we have to try to satisfy the needs of a far widerworld – the passing net surfer, the interested “Seeker after truth”and, notleast, our own Members.

In broad terms, the website's aims are to -1. Encourage a wider interest in orchids.2. Publicise the Society and its activities.3. Encourage membership of the Society.4. Keep Members up-to-date on general Society matters.

Information is now offered about what the Society has done (our own andother Shows), what it's going to be doing (our programme), who's who withcontact details, our journal 'Top Orchid' (all issues since Summer 2005 areon-line), plus much else including some superb photographs. This is aimedat all visitors to the site, both members and non-members. Other informa-tion is relevant only to members so is isolated to the site's “Members' Area”access to which is restricted by password which is changed yearly whensubs are due - it's on the Programme Card. This “Private”informationincludes documentation for our Shows (Schedule, printable Posters, etc.),Members' Handbook, the past year's issues of 'Top Orchid' (strictly limitedto Members) and other Member-only “Stuff”

Members are strongly encouraged to make good use of their site, tofamiliarise themselves with it and get to know its strengths and any weak-nesses. The site will always be under constant review and Members mustfeel free to join in the continuous process of improvement; just raisesuggestions for additions or changes with any member of the Committee.

I

BOS Websitewww.bournemouthorchidsociety.org.uk

Graham Smith,Website administrator

16 New Members!

26

Top Orchid

e had a record number of new members join the Bournemouth Or-chid Society at the Spring Show last month. Would all our existingmembers please introduce yourselves and help them settle in.

W

Jane ArnoldLinda BarterAlan BrindedJane Carter

Robert HarrisonKaren IlottPaul Ilott

David Lloyd

Elly MitchellStephen NevillePaulene Owen

Elisabeth PurvisLynne Richley

Francisco SharvlotteDebra SweeneyMartin Yarwood

The Bournemouth Orchid Society welcomesthe following new members:

New members are encouraged to ask questions about anything regardingthe society and orchids in general. The Member’s Handbook covers mostof the main topics.

The editor of Top Orchid, Allan Burdis, encourages everyone to send himcopy, and he would love to hear from any new member who has experi-ences with growing orchids they would like to share. (See contact detailson page 30)

If you have a problem with your orchids we have someone who couldhelp you, that’s what we are here for… Don’t be shy, ask!

Cattleya coccineaBournemouth Orchid Society

emblem.

This plant is owned by Sally Mill

Don't forget to

purchase a BOS

lapel badge

Top Orchid

3D Im

ages without 3D

Glasses

Focus above the two im

ages where the w

hite dots are located. By changing your focus the tw

o white dots w

ill appear to come together

(remem

ber to keep your head level). When the dots m

erge the 3D im

age will appear in the centre.

Quickly blinking w

hile you stare might m

ake this process easier. Moving your head back and forth w

ill also help you to focus.A

fter a little practice you will find this process a lot easier. A

s with all things, practice m

akes perfect.

Please let me know

if you were able to see the 3D

image and if you w

ould like to see more 3D

Orchids

(see back cover for Editor’s email address)

Unfortunately, som

e people cannot see 3D im

ages, but like the Emperor’s new

clothes, they will probably never adm

it to it!

Coelogyne mooreana var ‘Brockhurst’3D Orchids

27

The Bournemouth Orchid Society welcomes

2016 BOS COACH TRIP

When :Sunday April 17th 2016

Where :Burnham’s Orchid Nursery, Devonhttp://www.orchids.uk.com

Cost :£20.00 (if 30+ book, reduced to £15.00 if 40+ book)

Includes free lunch and free entry to ‘Orchid Paradise’Note : There is a £5 surcharge for non-society members to cover lunch andentry into ‘Orchid Paradise’ (normally £2.50).

Times : 08:30 Leave BNSS (Please be on-time) 08:55 Pick-up in Staples Car Park, Poole 09:30 Pick up in Tesco’s Car Park, Dorchester

There will be a comfort stop for ‘breakfast’ etc. at the Café Royal, Bridport.The Café Royal is designed on the lines of a 50’s style American Diner.They can provide cooked food, snacks and drinks at reasonable prices.Service can be ‘slow’ so please place orders quickly on arrival.

We should arrive at Burnham’s around lunch time.Our FREE LUNCH will be in Papa Zulu’s coffee shop. They have many interestingand unusual gifts for sale as well as good food. Also, there is a garden centre closeby that has a good range of bedding plants as well as normal garden centre items.

Burnham’s closes at 16:00. Please ensure you make purchases well before this time.The staff will be happy to ‘start a box’ for you so that you do not have to carry yourpurchases around with you – just ask. Your items will be kept near the tills and canbe paid for towards the end of your visit. The coach will leave soon after 16:00.

Bookings :Your place on this coach trip can be reserved with a £10 deposit.The remainder can be paid in advance or on the day before boarding the coach.Monies payable in cash or by cheque.Cheques MUST be made payable to ‘Bournemouth Orchid Society’.

Contact : Roger Frampton in person or via email :rogersmail@ntlworld.com or on my mobile : 07947089784.

Note : Only disabled parking is available at BNSS on the day.There is plenty of unrestricted parking in the local side-streets on a Sunday.

Please support YOUR society by joining in this day out. Open to all - invite friends/family – let’s fill the coach!

Top Orchid

28

There'sstill timeto book!

Open to all - invite friends/family – let’s fill the coach!

April 17th Coach Outing (see details opposite, page 26)

November 5th - 6th BOC Congress,Holiday Inn Norwich North,Cromer Road,Norwich, NR6 6JAFull registration £35, Associate registration £25 (4th Jan - 30th June )after this period the above rates will increase to £40 & £30 respectively.Visit the BOC website at www.british-orchid-council.info

April 1st-2nd RHS Spring Plant Extravaganza (incorporating the LondonOrchid Show), RHS Halls, London. Preview evening 31st March 18:00-21:00

June 17th-19th British Orchid Council Malvern International Orchid Show.Royal Three Counties Show, Malvern9:00am - 6:00pm Contact: Chris Barker 01642654748 cjbandjb@ntlworld.com

Diary Dates2016

29

Update to Membership detailsPlease would all members remember to inform our Secretary, Ken Griffiths,of any changes to their membership details, such as home and email address.It is important we have your latest contact details.

ClarificationClarification of exhibiting plants at BOS Spring & Autumn shows & the

Monthly Points Competition.

Definition of "Exhibitor"Plants can only be exhibited by an individual member.

‘Members who have double membership of the society are each consideredas individual members, who grow and exhibit their own plants.’

Top Orchid

30

n April the 9th, this year we have the opportunity to listen and talk toone of the foremost Orchid experts in America., Tom Mirenda, OrchidSpecialist at the Smithsonian Institute in Washington DC. He travels alot in his work, helping to promote the sustainability of Orchids in the

wild and is a laid-back and funny guy. He helps to look after about 8000 Orchidsand he is said to have a personal collection of 1000 in his garage at home.

This year Tom will visit the UK with his Sister, Rosemary, so it is largely afamily holiday. However, they will spend some time with John and Aida Dennisand travel to the Westminster Show with the Wessex Orchid Society (WOS ).

Tom will give a talk on "The Mysteries of Orchid Pollination" at the normalmeeting place of the Wessex Orchid Society, at Shawford Village Hall nearWinchester. We will meet at 2pm for 2.30pm for what promises to be anunmissable and entertaining talk. Everybody, please make the effort and comealong. We could comfortably accommodate all of the WOS and BOS regularmeeting attendees.

John Dennis is over the moon that he has been able to encourage such aspecial guest to our shores, all the way from the USA. We hope to encouragea really large group of people along to the hall to listen to Tom. Take friendsand family along for this very special event.

Tea/Coffee and cakes will be available during the break.

Take along an item for the raffle, and if you enjoy this special event then acontribution for the speaker would be acceptable.

You will find links to printable directions and map on the WOS society website,Wessexorchidsociety.org.uk

An Invitation to attend a talk:The Mysteries of Orchid Pollination

by Tom Mirenda

O

Top Orchid

This Free event

includes

refreshments so

don’t miss

it

President: Keith Andrew Esq.

Vice - Presidents: Graham Smith & Allan Burdis

Officers

Chairman: Dr. Derek Copley chairman@bournemouthorchidsociety.org.uk

Vice - Chairman: Ken Griffiths

Hon. SecretaryKen GriffithsTally House

Hawthorn RoadSouth Bockhampton

ChristchurchDorset

Tel. 01425 672492 info@bournemouthorchidsociety.org.uk

Hon. Treasurer: Terry Eve16 Barton Way Barton-on-Sea New Milton

Hants BH25 7JN

Tel. 01425 623470 treasurer@bournemouthorchidsociety.org.uk

Show Manager: Chris BroomfieldTel. 01202 381019 show@bournemouthorchidsociety.org.uk

Hon-Librarian: David Longman

CommitteeGlen Jamieson, glen.jamieson@bournemouthorchidsociety.org.uk

Mike Powell, mike.powell@bournemouthorchidsociety.org.ukNeville Roberts (Programme Secretary) neville.roberts@bournemouthorchidsociety.org.uk

Nick Fry (Publicity), info@bournemouthorchidsociety.org.uk

Top Orchid EditorAllan Burdis

31 Heath RoadWalkford

ChristchurchDorset

BH23 5RHTel. 01425 275251

E-mail : toporchid@bournemouthorchidsociety.org.uk

Top Orchid

BOS Websitewww.bournemouthorchidsociety.org.uk

by Tom Mirenda