Next Meeting: Thursday, October 18, 2018 @ 7PM

Topic
Catasetums: Growing and Loving

Speaker
Fred Clarke from Sunset Valley Orchids

Catasetum, Cycnoches and Mormodes are three related genera from the Tribe Cymbidieae. Individually, each has been considered an orchid oddity, or “botanical”, of interest mainly to the seriously addicted enthusiast.

These plants have a brief deciduous period in winter, when the plants need a definite dry rest period bordering on neglect. These robust orchids are native to lowland tropical forests in Central and South America and are usually grown in warm or intermediate conditions.

Fred Clarke has been growing orchids for 30 years and has been hybridizing for 22 of those years. With over 24 years as a professional grower and manager in the horticultural industry, Fred applies these skills at his orchid nursery; Sunset Valley Orchids, located in San Diego, California. He is a passionate orchid grower whose curiosity in orchids is broad and varied.

Although developing Cattleya hybrids has been his sustaining interest, he is also actively creating new Bulbophylum and Paphiopedilum hybrids plus some others to be named if they work out! His pioneering work in Catasetum intergeneric hybrids led to the development of several notable hybrids, most recently the grex, Fredclarkeara After Dark, which produced “the blackest flower ever witnessed”. This grex has received five FCC’s and three AM’s on the first flowers shown for judging!

Fred is an Accredited Judge in the Pacific South Judging Region. His plants have received hundreds of quality awards from the American Orchid Society.

Please check out The Sunset Valley orchids website.

The December Holiday Dinner and Orchid Auction will be held on December 6th at La Famiglia in Teaneck.
Reservations will be requested.

Membership Dues are up and can still be paid at this coming meeting!

Individual $25.00 per year
Family $30.00 per year