In This Month’s Newsletter: Notes from the President page 1 May 2015 EIOS Easter Showcase page 2 April EIOS meeting page 3 EIOS is now on Facebook! President: Lois Dusdieker (319) 626-2236 E-mail: [email protected] Vice President: Jim Quaintance (319) 624-2758 E-mail: [email protected] Secretary: Mike Hampton (319) 377-0106 E-mail: [email protected] Treasurer: Cathy Wilcox (319) 354-5879 Email: [email protected] AOS Representative: Laynez Ackermann (319) 656-2063 Email: [email protected] Mid-America Representative: Nile Dusdieker (319) 626-2236 E-mail: [email protected] Newsletter Editor: Mike Hampton (319) 377-0106 E-mail: [email protected] Web Page Editor: Jim Quaintance (319) 624-2758 E-mail: [email protected] A small group of people with a big love of growing orchids. The Spike EASTERN IOWA ORCHID SOCIETY Meeting directions page 4 Yes it really does bloom Onc. Sphacelatum: Many of you have a piece of this plant and the common complaint is that it never blooms. It is a native to Belize and Mexico and grows in trees, on rocks in nearly full sun. It likes seasonal day-night changes . Bill Snyder tells me it blooms at Noelridge too Ann Morris’s Iwanagaara Appleblossom ‘tricolor’ President’s Message for May 2015 Congratulations for a job well done to our 4 teams that successfully completed orchid classification and judging at last month’s meeting. I hope everyone had fun and learned a few ‘tidbits.’ Usually, I clean and groom the orchids for shows and cut out labels. Filling out the classification tags was a new experience for me too! Every time I find a plant I want to purchase, Nile goes through all the judging points for a quality flower to be sure the plant is ‘worth it!’ If I really like the plant, I buy it anyway! Keep a close eye on the temperature swings this spring. Our Cypripediums outside emerged during the warm spell, but then the forecast was for a hard freeze. We covered them again with leaves. It is too early to put orchids outside with Iowa’s unpredictable weather. At our May meeting we will be electing officers for 2015-2016. The following have volunteered to serve and were announced at the last meeting. Further nominees from the floor will be taken prior to the vote. President: Bill Page, Vice-President: Jim Quaintance; Secretary and Newsletter Editor: Micheal Hampton; Treasurer: Cathy Wilcox; MidAmerica Orchid Congress representative; Nile Dusdieker; American Orchid Society representative, Laynez Ackerman Noelridge Gardens and Greenhouse has been a (Continued on page 4) Nile D Calendar of Events Orchid Society Meetings are the first Tuesday of the month during the school year. Meetings start with social at 6:30 and the meeting at 7:00 Kansas City Orchid Show, 2015. Our club has been invited! EIOS taking a small display ( 50 ft.) 5/2-3/15 EIOS MEETING – First Presbyterian Church – How to get your plants to bloom when you want! David Bird 5/5/15 Noelridge Greenhouse Mothers Day Showcase Display and sale 5/10/15 No June or July Meetings Speakers Day at Camp Dodge Johnston, IA . (see page 4 for details) 7/26/15 Page 2 THE SPIKE EIOS ORCHID DISPLAY at NOELRIDGE GREENHOUSE EASTER SHOWCASE Volunteers from EIOS setup a nice orchid display at the Easter Showcase on Saturday and Sunday of Easter Weekend. Over two thousand people attended the event which included other vendors and the tropical fish display plus the all time favorite for the kids - the Easter Bunny. We had many compliments and answered lots of orchid related questions. EIOS also had a sale table of blooming orchids donated by members of the society with special thanks to Doc Bannister and Iowa Orchids, Terry Partin of Orchid Trading Company, Don and Phyllis White of Anything Orchids, and Nile and Lois Dusdieker for supplying the plants. We nearly sold out and will have a few carryover for the Mother's Day Showcase at the same location. Hours are 11AM to 5PM on May 10th. These two events raise funds to support our fall orchid show. Special thanks to those who volunteered their time and plants. Jim Quaintance, Bill and Joan Page, Bill and Jean Snyder, Dick and Shari VanHyfte, Peggy Green, Dorothy and Micheal Hampton, Nile and Lois Dusdieker Page 3 THE SPIKE Orchid Classification and Quality Judging : April ‘Hands On’ Workshop Members attending the meeting were divided into 4 groups and learned how to classify orchids and related material into the appropriate Mid-America Class. These classes are used for ribbon judging at orchid shows and are designed to compare like kinds of flowers. The process is not as easy as it seems. Cattleya classes vary by color and size of flower; Paphiopedilums can be species, simple or complex hybrids and color is a bit subjective based on overall flower appearance; Phalaenopsis classes vary by size of flower and branching of inflorescence as well as primary color and overlaid color. Always look at the back side of the Phal flower for the base color. Orchid related craft and photo classes clearly delineate whether the exhibitor created the item themselves or it was collected, made by someone else. Ribbons were given to the teams with the most correct classifications but all did very well. Top score was 19 of 21 entries and bottom score still a respectable 15 correct. Even Nile was tripped up by one classification - and he made out the test! The second half of the program focused on flower quality using AOS judging standards. Flower form, color; and presentation were scored equally. Hopefully by the end of the exercise members will use their now more critical ‘eye’ when buying their next orchid! Back Page In Memory: EIOS lost a member and good friend in James Venneman. He truly had a ‘green thumb’ and supported not only our club but the Good Earth Garden Club and Noelridge Greenhouse. To Helen and the Venneman family, we offer our deepest sympathy and we know he is growing flowers in heaven! Speakers Day July 26 2015 Speakers Robert Fuchs of RF Orchids in Florida talking on Vandas and Sam Tsui of Orchid Inn talking on Paphiopedilums http://c-we.com/cios/ciosspk.htm Membership dues for 2015 are now DUE. They are $20 for one $30 for family. Bring to meeting or mail to: Cathy Wilcox 119 Taft Speedway Iowa City, IA 52245 (Continued from page 1) great advocate for our club. To show our appreciation, I propose we make them an honorary member of the EIOS. Several of our members are volunteers at Noelridge and work largely with their beautiful orchid collection. Several of those plants are certainly show-worthy and this status would allow those to be a part of EIOS exhibits ‘on the road!’ One last show: The Kansas City Club has attended our last 2 EIOS shows and we plan to exhibit at their show May 1-3 at Loose Park near Country Club Plaza in Kansas City, Mo. Watch the e-mail for information on participation and contributing plants. Our May 5th meeting will feature David Bird from Kansas City – Bird’s Botanicals – (Orchids in a Cave). He will be speaking on how to get your orchids to bloom when you want them to! As in the past, he will be bringing a variety of lovely orchids for sale. COME – LEARN – BUY! If you have not paid your dues for 2015, this will be your last edition of the SPIKE. Please renew at the meeting or by mail to Cathy Wilcox. The EIOS apparel order was placed 4/21 and hopefully we can distribute the items at the May meeting. This will be my last meeting as EIOS President. It has truly been a pleasure and honor to serve. We do not plan a June meeting. Infor- mation on Central Iowa Speakers Day is on the calendar. We will discuss options for an August repotting or picnic at our May meeting. Respectfully, Lois Dusdieker Hosts for Upcoming Meetings May Andy Coghill-Behrends If you would like to volunteer to help with refreshments, please e-mail Lois Dusdieker ([email protected]). Directions to First Presbyterian Church in Iowa City From East on I-80 take exit 249 on Herbert Hoover Hwy turn left and go about 5 minutes on Rochester and turn left on Mount Vernon Dr. As soon as you turn left the church parking lot is on your left. From West on I-80, take exit 246 turn right to Dodge St, turn left to Scott Blvd, turn right on First Ave, and stay on until you meet Rochester Ave, turn left , go few minutes, turn right on Mount Vernon Dr. As soon as you turn right the church parking lot is on your left. The meeting is in the Youth Room, as soon as you enter the building turn left & turn right.
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