Manny Aybar: Tolumnia

The genus Tolumnia, a captivating group of orchids, enchants enthusiasts with its vibrant colors and unique growth habits. Native to the Americas, particularly the Caribbean and parts of South America, Tolumnia orchids are known for their small size, intricate flowers, and remarkable adaptability. Tolumnias are epiphytic orchids, often found clinging to trees in their natural habitats. Their compact size and vivid blooms make them popular choices for orchid enthusiasts with limited space.

Manny works in the Technology Industry. He has been growing orchids for approximately 26 years. He has been a member of the American Orchid Society (AOS) since 1997 and the Greater North Texas Orchid Society since 2000. Manny is an Accredited Judge of the AOS Judging program, and serves currently as a Chair for the AOS Dallas Judging Center. His current research includes the orchids of the Dominican Republic, for which he has gone on numerous orchid collecting trips.

Serena Roman: Vandas

Serena, also known as Lady Vanda, will talk about growing Vandas. Serena provides common sense cultivation tips and makes learning fun.  She will focus on watering, fertilizing, light, and temperature to promote healthy roots, leaves, and blooms. In addition to general care, she'll talk about basic hybridization and the growth cycle of these beautiful orchids. Come with questions about your own plants, and be ready to talk orchids with Lady Vanda!

Serena has captivated orchid enthusiasts with her passion and expertise in orchid cultivation. With a background rooted in her grandmother’s inspiration and a lifelong dedication to orchids, Serena has transformed her hobby into a thriving business at Lady Vanda Orchids. Specializing in a diverse array of orchid genera, including Vandas, Paphiopedilums, Phragmipediums, Dendrobiums, and Cattleyas. Serena’s nursery in Florida has become a beacon for orchid lovers.

Join LBAOS at this yearly event that is always a night of fun, laughter, and cool orchids to go home with. This is the yearly fundraiser for LBAOS and there are many organizations that provide great orchids like The Huntington, Sunset Valley Orchids, and Andy’s Orchids.

Carlos Lopez: The Four Seasons of Cattleyas

Carlos is a Business student at MiraCosta college who has been cultivating orchids for over 12 years. His orchid venture began at the age of 13 years old when he started to follow his father to work at Sunset Valley Orchids. Before he knew it, he was volunteering at the nursery and was helping clean orchid flasks, repot orchids, and doing small tasks. Carlos eventually began to become more involved in the nursery's operations and maintenance and started to take part in attending orchid shows. He is currently Sunset Valley Orchids' Greenhouse Specialist and has years of experience with Cattleyas, Catasetums, Australian Dendrobiums, and Sarcochilus. Carlos is currently training to become an accredited AOS Judge.

Deb Boersma: Sobralias

Deborah’s interest in orchids was sparked by a trip to Hawaii and has been under their spell for over 30 years. She started with a few plants and her mixed orchid collection expanded exponentially with the construction of a greenhouse in 2014. She joined the Windsor Orchid Society to gain more orchid knowledge and found herself in the Presidents position six months later.

She is an Accredited judge in the AOS judging program at the Great Lakes Judging Center, Ann Arbor, Michigan and enjoys presenting and educating audiences about orchids. She was an invited speaker to the World Orchid Conference Tainan, Taiwan in 2024.

Academically, Deborah has a degree in Chemistry and spent her first years of work as a researcher in medical microbiology and infectious diseases at both the University of Calgary and Foothills Hospital in Calgary, Alberta. She recently retired from St. Clair College in Windsor, Ontario, Canada, where she taught chemistry for over 28 years. She now has time to enjoy her passion for orchids, gardening, photography and travel.

Bill Thomas:  Bulbophyllums

Bill Thoms has grown and shown orchids for more than 45 years in the central Florida area. He has more awards for Culture in Bulbophyllums than anyone else in the world, 51 so far. The AOS has added a new Annual Award for the Bulbophyllums, the Bill Thoms Award. His website (Bulbophyllums.com) has his book, special food, and super eBook, which is more than 5 years' worth of videos of their plants, all his articles, fabulous photos, and lots more. 

Roberta Fox:  “Outdoor Orchid Growing in California”

Roberta Fox began growing orchids nearly 20 years ago, when she received a Cymbidium plant from a co-worker. She went to the New Otani show that year, and was completely captivated. She was so overwhelmed by the variety, she did not buy anything — the last time THAT happened! She joined several societies, and one orchid followed another. As the collection increased in size and variety, the process of learning how to care for the plants led to an interest in their origins and relationships. This in turn led to a focus on orchid species, since she found that the best way to understand the needs of a hybrid was to learn about the natural growing conditions of the underlying species.

Her current collection is about half hybrids and half species. She has a small greenhouse, but nearly 90% of the orchids (around 1800 at last count) live outside, about 5 miles from the coast. Of those, perhaps 25% are Cymbidiums, the balance a large range of other genera. She gravitates toward those orchids that can handle the Southern California temperature range, because greenhouse space is very limited, but there is “always room for one more” in the back yard.

Roberta will be presenting Outdoor Orchid Growing in California.

Peter Lin:  “Brassavola Species and Their Hybrids”

Peter Lin started growing orchids over 40 years ago, but then stopped due to school and starting a career.  It wasn't until about 20 years ago that the orchid "bug" came back and he is now heavily involved once again!  He is an accredited judge with the American Orchid Society, and a hybridizer of mini-catts.  He enjoys meeting with other orchid enthusiasts, and can often be found at various orchid shows and societies around the country.

Due to limited growing space, Peter likes to specialize in miniature orchids, both species and hybrids, and has received numerous AOS awards.  His interests in orchids include Dendrobiums, Angraecoids, and Neofinetias.  He is also known as "Mr Sophronitis" as he has a passion for growing and collecting them.  He maintains a collection of a several thousand orchids at his home in Southern California in three small greenhouses, outdoors, as well as an off-site greenhouse.

Peter is presenting Brassavola Species and Their Hybrids and he will be supplying the plant table.

Doug Overstreet:  “My 10 Favorite Oncidiums”

Doug is a very experienced orchidist who has extensive knowledge on a large number of orchid genera. His talk will present a selection of beautiful and enjoyable species of plants in the Oncidiinae alliance that are easy to locate and grow in SoCal.

James Roberts:  “Sarcochilus, the Butterfly Orchid”

James Roberts began his adventures with orchids when he came across a book in his college library. He bought his first Dendrobium, but school and work took priority until he started growing orchids when it was suggested he liven up his classroom. Ten years later, relocating to the east coast, and moving again to California, he is an associate AOS Judge in the Pacific South Region. He holds a Doctorate in Synthetic Organic Chemistry and uses his laboratory skills to flask his own plants in a small hobby nursery in his garage. He grows many orchid plants in his backyard, living room, and small greenhouse.

Gayle Brodie:  “Thinking Outside the Pot”

Gayle Brodie started growing orchids over 20 years ago and is an accredited judge with the American Orchid Society. 

Gayle's talk will focus on how to recognize and compensate for potting challenges.  She will have recommendations for how to deal with real-world issues that can come up while caring for orchids.

Dr. Kristen Uthus: Honey, I shrunk the Ordhids

Eventually everyone runs out of room for more orchids—unless they’re really small.  While their size intimidates some people, miniatures are just as hardy as their larger relatives.  What makes them so appealing is their variety of form in addition to flower, and they are just plain cute!   The fact that they take up so little space means that you can have a lot variety in a limited area.  Bigger definitely is not better.

Please remember that this is the main auction for our Society. All proceeds go towards monthly programs and expenses. Bid generously!

Jose Carlos Lopez: The Hidden Life of Catasetinae

From species to hybrids, Catasetinae Orchids have an allure that has captivated Orchid growers from all around the world and has rewarded them with floriferous blooms that come in an array of colors! The Catasetinae alliance includes the genus Mormodes, Clowesias, and Cycnoches, just to name a few. At first glance, this family of Orchids may seem hard to grow, but they’re relatively easy once you get the watering schedule down. In this presentation, we will go over important species, breeding lines, and cultivation requirements.

Mitchell Schneider: Kaleidoscope of Colors: Art Shade Compact Cattleya

This talk goes over primarily the breeding that was done with C. Horace 'maxima' When bread to a yellow can give a wide range of colors and shows the consistency in the main backbone of our hybridization program and new earth orchids and it shows that you can get consistent for implants that are no bigger than 12 inches tall that flowers of 5 1/2 to 6 inch flowers in a wide range of colors out of the same cross from lavender to yellow watermelon to fuchsia to burn orange to even creams the top discusses the history of some of the early lavender Cattleya and also shows a great set of colors in another great slideshow of photos discussing different crosses in the art shade Cattleya.

David Toyoshima: Big flowers on “small” plants (compact catts) 

David Toyoshima has been an avid orchid grower since he was a child. When he was seven, his mom bought him a small, seeding-sized cattleya plant. In middle school, he saved up enough money to buy a small, 6’ x 8’ greenhouse. With weekend trips to Stewart Orchids in San Gabriel, and with the help and mentorship of legendary orchid man, Ernest Hetherington, David started to amass the beginnings of a cattleya collection. One of his first heirloom orchid was Cattleya Bow Bells “Patterson’s” given to him by Ernest. In high school and college, David worked part-time at Stewart Orchids (San Gabriel) and on occasion, Stewart/ArmRoy Carpinteria. He was an AOS student judge and continues to be a member of the American Orchid Society after forty plus years. He is a two term (total of 6 years) as a Trustee for the AOS. He is the former chair of the AOS PR Committee. David is also an heirloom cattleya consultant to the Huntington Botanical Gardens.David is a veteran advertising creative director (35 years) and has worked in Los Angeles and Chicago on blue-chip clients like McDonald’s, Budweiser, and American Honda. He is currently an adjunct professor at CSULB teaching advertising and graphic design. David continues to enjoy his cattleya collection—most, if not all, heirloom and historically significant plants.

Carol Klonowski: Winter Care of Deciduous Dendrobiums 

Carol Klonowski has been growing orchids since the 1980’s when a friend in Berkeley, California, gave her a cattleya orchid and it bloomed out with three big, dark lavender flowers and an intoxicating fragrance. She built an entire greenhouse in her backyard to accommodate the precious plant, which only led her to buy more orchids. Then another friend gave her a gift membership to the Orchid Society of California, and it’s been a serious hobby ever since.

Carol has served as Director, Vice President, and President of the Orchid Society of California for most of the past two decades, serving as President while the society is rebuilding after Covid, and is currently a Fully Accredited Judge with the American Orchid Society in the California Sierra Nevada Judging Center.

Walter Orchard: Disas of the Western Cape, South Africa 

Walter Orchard hails originally from South Africa. He became interested in disas through his father, who grew them successfully in his retirement. He and his wife Christine now live in Yachats on the central Oregon coast where the local climate and water supply are ideal for disa growing. Walter’s disa collection is hosted by Jim Rassmann, in nearby Florence. When not repotting disas he can be found uprooting invasive weeds, cycling on the forest roads around Yachats, playing bridge or baking artisan bread.

Show and Tell Cultural Session

Any member who brings a plant for judging can talk about how they grow their plant or plants! Your are not required to speak but we would get the most benefit as growers hearing how others do things. Share with us how long you’ve had the plant, where did you get it, watering and fertilizing, and anything else to inspire us!

Kristen Uthus: Masdevallias and Draculas: Not as Scary as You Think

Dr. Kristen Uthus studied both plant and animal ecology and evolution at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) and the Ohio State University (OSU). She then taught biology and ecology at several colleges including VCU, OSU, University of Michigan, and Eastern Michigan University. The daughter of a plant fanatic, Kristen has been growing orchids for over 30 years, and in 2014 she fulfilled her dream of making orchids a full-time commitment by purchasing NWO.

Although she enjoys growing many varieties of orchids and other plants, miniatures remain her passion—the weirder the better. New World Orchids specializes in Japanese species including Neofinetia falcata, Dendrobium moniliforme, and Sederia japonica, but her miniature selection includes many other small species including Dendrobiums, Bulbophyllums, and Cattleyas. Although never entirely up to date, you can check out NWO’s offerings at www.newworldorchids.com.

Kristen lives in Manchester, MI, about an hour west of Detroit. She is supported in her orchid pursuits by her husband, Dr. Kevin Wehrly, and her two sons, Henry and Gus.

This subset of the Pleurothallid Alliance has long been beloved by orchid growers; however, I hear the refrain, “I can’t grow them” way too often. You would be surprised at the success the average grower can have under “normal” growing conditions. I talk about what makes these two genera so attractive, how to grow them in intermediate to warm conditions, and some great species to try if you are still hesitant.

Cultural Workshop on Mounting Your Own Orchids

The June 10th meeting will be our annual hands-on mounting session. It will be only an in-person meeting, no Zoom will be presented. We will start promptly at 7pm so that we can get through the meeting and raffle on time. Seasoned members will be the experts that will be helping members mount and/or remount their own orchids.

Scott McGregor: Growing Mediterranean-climate Terrestrial Orchids from Europe and Australia

Scott McGregor has been growing orchids since he was 12, when a neighbor gave him a plant. That plant had a short life, but the hook was set, and he found books and sources for orchid species while growing up in St. Louis. His collection has changed over time, living in different location around the world, but has always centered around the more unusual species. Scott grows all his plants outdoors, without a greenhouse, just "adding some water and shade" to what nature provides in Southern California. He especially enjoys finding new species that grow well in our climate (many are far more adaptable than most people would believe), and now grows over 500 different orchid species, along with cloud forest companion plants such as Heliamphora and epiphytic Utricularia. He rarely uses chemical insecticides or fungicides, preferring fresh air, beneficial insects and our native tree frogs. Scott retired from the corporate world a few years ago and stays active on corporate boards and working with non-profit groups that promote science education for kids. He resides with his family in San Juan Capistrano, California.

David Toyoshima: Big flowers on “small” plants (compact catts)

David Toyoshima has been an avid orchid grower since he was a child. When he was seven, his mom bought him a small, seeding-sized cattleya plant. In middle school, he saved up enough money to buy a small, 6’ x 8’ greenhouse. With weekend trips to Stewart Orchids in San Gabriel, and with the help and mentorship of legendary orchid man, Ernest Hetherington, David started to amass the beginnings of a cattleya collection. One of his first heirloom orchid was Cattleya Bow Bells “Patterson’s” given to him by Ernest.

In high school and college, David worked part-time at Stewart Orchids (San Gabriel) and on occasion, Stewart/ArmRoy Carpinteria. He was an AOS student judge and continues to be a member of the American Orchid Society after forty plus years.

He is a two term (total of 6 years) as a Trustee for the AOS. He is the former chair of the AOS PR Committee. David is also an heirloom cattleya consultant to the Huntington Botanical Gardens.

David is a veteran advertising creative director (35 years) and has worked in Los Angeles and Chicago on blue-chip clients like McDonald’s, Budweiser, and American Honda.

He is currently an adjunct professor at CSULB teaching advertising and graphic design.

David continues to enjoy his cattleya collection—most, if not all, heirloom and historically significant plants.

Jack Zhu: Asian Cymbidium Impact to Asian Culture

Jack Zhu is an orchid hobbyist from the Los Angeles area in California. He grows many varieties of orchids, focusing on Asian cymbidiums. Jack is also very interested in the culture and history of Asian cymbidiums. He is currently an Associate Judge in AOS Pacific South Judging Region and has more than twenty AOS awards for Asian cymbidiums.