MARCH 2006
COS NEWSLETTER

NEXT MEETING
28 March 2006 at 19h45
                Athenaeum, Newlands

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MEMBER NEWS
Welcome to new Members Mr & Mrs Leonard from Sybrand Park, Mr Norman Mearns from Hout Bay and Miss Kathy Rowan from Bergvliet. Enjoy the new friends, interaction and the beautiful orchids.
Happy Birthday greetings in March go to Bill Phillips (8) and Jonathan Dennis (6) and early April wishes to Frieda Duckitt (2) and Hazel Sutherland (3).
Please notify Susan Olfsen if you have a change of address - residential or email.

JANUARY MEETING
Hopefully everyone enjoyed the interactive meeting with the SAOC Judges, Mike Byren, Mike Tibbs and Ellie van der Hoven. There seems to always be something more one can learn about the judging process at shows and for awards. Our thanks to the Judges for their participation. Please give me feedback on the programmes - it is not always easy to come up with fresh new ideas and your input would be appreciated.
Thank you to Marriane and Thomas Ellis, Volkmar Schmidt and Mike Tibbs for plant donations to the raffle. Winners this evening were Vic Baber, George Leyland, Lyndall Pease and Gerry Walden.

ACCOLADES FOR CARMEN COLL
At a recent farewell/retirement from committee function at the Natal Orchid Society, Carmen Coll was awarded the prestigious and coveted American Orchid Society Achievement Award for her 37 years of growing and promoting orchidology. Carmen is only the 19th person to receive this award and as far as can be ascertained, only the 5th non-American to receive this honour. This was probably the best kept secret in town! Carmen was apparently quite overcome and lost for words. Most will agree with the words of Lee Cooke, Executive Director of the AOS who stated that "If Carmen has touched you, she made your life better". She sends her thanks for the card that many of you signed from the COS Members.
CONGRATULATIONS FROM THE COS!

CAPE JUDGING REGION
Congratulations to Frans & Bes Gous whose plant Aerangis punctata received a Certificate of Botanical Recognition at the February meeting. The flowers were a lovely salmon colour and last about 3 days. The plant has huge breeding potential.
The April judging meeting will be on 8 April at 2.30pm at the home of Sheila Smith, 9 Leerdam Street, Bothasig. Her telephone number is 558 5820. The topic for the afternoon will be stepping-stones in Cattleya and Dendrobium breeding. Please confirm with Sheila if you will be attending the meeting and also contact her if you have a plant for award judging.

50^TH BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION - 2007
Plans are well on the way! If anyone would like to sponsor a trophy or has a contact for a company which would be interested, please contact Mike Tibbs. He has commissioned Ardmore Ceramic Art to make the trophies. If you are interested, sponsorship is R1 500.00 each.

ANNUAL MEMBERSHIP SUBSCRIPTIONS
There are still a few Members who have not yet paid their subs. Please contact Jacques or Susan as soon as possible.

COS SHOW
The dates for our Show are 16 to 18 June 2006 at the Cloete Cellar, Groot Constantia.
More details later but please make a note of these dates.
Remember we will be staging a show at the 13th SAOC National Conference and Show in White River from 4 to 10 September 2006 so will need your plants then as well. Have you registered and made your plans to go? Wessel Strydom may be able to arrange reduced flight costs so contact him on 082 5321416 if you are interested. He needs a total of at least 10 people to leave Cape Town together.

COMMENTS FROM THE PLANT TABLE
Vic Baber’s Laeliocattleya Mari’s Song ‘Cth217’ HCC/AOS was a first flowering for him. It was a peloric but had disappointingly very bunched flowers. Percy Olfsen’s Phalaenopsis Golden Peoker ‘BL’ was a jester or harlequin type phalaenopsis. Remember that the spotting is heat sensitive and so the spotted markings will be more prominent if the plant is grown in warmer conditions and flowers during the summer months. Percy’s Brassolaeliocattleya Mem. Ralph Placentia ‘Toreador’ was a stunning purple flower with a yellow and purple lip that measured 17cm across. It has a strong daytime fragrance. It is usual for it to only have a single flower although it may develop a 2nd flower on occasions. Volkmar Schmidt’s Vanda Hertziana (V.coerulea x suavis) was a white flower with blue/purple spotting from V.suavis. It was a beautifully grown plant with all its leaves and not like so many Vandas here in CT that lose their lower leaves and begin to look like palm trees. Volkmar’s Catasetum fimbriatum was also well grown - remember that these plants are deciduous. Hendrik & Ellie van der Hoven’s Disperis fanniniae had a lovely eco-system growing with it in the pot - lovely to see this flower even though it was on the small side.

PLANT TABLE  - February 2005
Use this monthly list as a reference to the flowering season of specific orchids and also to contact the grower if you have the same or similar plant that is maybe not doing so well for you.

Plant of the Evening
1^st  Blc. Mem. Ralph Placentia ‘Toreador’ from Percy & Susan Olfsen
2^ndAerangis punctata from Frans & Bes Gous
3^rdHawkinsara Koolau Sunset ‘Hawaii’ from Percy & Susan Olfsen

Most Difficult to Grow
Disperis fanniniae From Hendrik & Ellie van der Hoven

Member’s Choice
Angraecum Lemforde White Beauty from Percy & Susan Olfsen, chosen by new member, Kathy Rowan

FORTHCOMING EVENTS FOR YOUR DIARY
If you are travelling and in the area, pop in to the following shows or plan your holiday/business trips to coincide with these events if you can.

COS NEWSLETTER ARCHIVE ON THE WEB
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02 Feb | 02Mar | 02 Apr | 02 May | 02June | 02july  | 02aug | 02sep | 02oct | 02nov|
03jan  | 03feb | 03mar |03apr |05sep|05oct|05nov|06jan|06feb|     ----         Back to TOP

CAPE ORCHID SOCIETY
P O Box 3347, Cape Town 8000, South Africa 
 
NPO (Tax Exemption) Number: 930009225 ?

President: Hendrik van der Hoven  Tel 021-790 2443
E-mail:
Vice-President: Michael Tibbs  Tel. 072 446 6272
E-mail:
Secretary: Susan Olfsen Tel. 855 5701
E-mail:
Treasurer: Jacques Jefthas Tel. 021-511 4508
E-mail:
Librarian: Percy Olfsen, Tel. 855 5701
E-mail:
Newsletter editor: Wendy Gersie Tel 021-712 8721
E-mail:
Show Chairman: Tony Jarvis, Tel. 783 4004
Members:
Jonathan Dennis, Tel. 952 4570
E-mail:
Margaret James, Tel. 713 1376
E-mail:
Gerry Walden, Tel. 021-447-3850
E-mail:
COS Website: http://www.capeorchidsociety.co.za/     ñ