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Hello Everyone
`Tis the season of many and beautiful spring shows with a chance to add to your collection one more beautiful specimen that you have always wanted to grow.
After you have completed the spring show season, mark one more special event on your calendar…the COC Annual General Meeting that will be held the long weekend of August in Toronto in conjunction with Summer Orchidfest, the orchid extravaganza of SOOS. Information and full details will be sent to you shortly and we are hoping that everyone will come and enjoy the meeting on the Saturday afternoon at the Toronto Botanical Gardens, a barbecue in the evening and then a Sunday of orchids, speakers and plants sales, along with a delicious luncheon.
At the Annual Meeting this year, you will be voting on a slate of new officers for the coming year as well as looking at future directions for the COC to pursue. If your COC representative is not able to attend, your proxy vote is requested. In addition, you are asked to send along your society's ideas for discussion at the general meeting. If you can, please forward them to me at mblewett@cogeoc.ca before the AGM for inclusion in the agenda for the meeting you will receive along with the information for Summer Fest.
Enjoy the spring and start making plans for the annual meeting August 5 and 6 in Toronto.
Margaret E. Blewett
President COC
In November a new AOS judging Centre was inaugerated at the Jardin Botanique in Montreal. The judges attached to the center are Andre Levesque, Howard Ginsberg, Judy Adams, Marie-Pascale Rivest and Michel Tremblay. The centre is looking for a number of student judges which, after several years study and research, will become fully accredited AOS judges.
June 08-12 2006: The fifth annual Native Orchid Conference, Ashland, Oregon. See Article.
March 19-24 2007: III Orchid International Orchid Conservation Congress, San Jose, Costa Rica. Held along with II International Conference on Neotropical Orchidology and the Costa Rican National Orchid Show. The IOCC 3 is soliciting financial support societies might wish to consider this option.
For more information on both conferences see the COC website.
We are sending this e-mail to announce an Orchid Volunteering Expedition in Spain, in the Marina Region (South-East Spain ) during May 2006. You can find the full information in http://www.identiacentre.net/ or in http://www.identiacentre.net/orchid/index.htm
We will be monitoring orchid populations in several places, counting and measuring them, taking photographs, and looking for pollinators. Furthermore, in some places we will mark specimens to be "rescued" and transplanted in the summer, specimens that are endangered by imminent massive urban developments in their habitats.
We will visit several typically Mediterranean mountains and valleys in the countryside, from the coastline towards the inland. We will observe many different plant landscapes. Mountain ranges (known as sierras), many of which are over 1200 meters, deep valleys and coastlines with breathtaking cliffs make up the dramatic scenery of the Marina Region where this exciting expedition will take place.
There seems to be a lot of confusion concerning the insurance coverage.
At the moment the insurance year runs September 1, 2005 to August 31, 2006. The next year will be extended to 16 months September 1, 2006 to December 31, 2007. This will mean that the membership fees and the insurance fees can be paid at the same time.
PLEASE NOTE: Your society must advise that they wish to be covered by this insurance no later than June 2006. Once the premium has been negotiated and the year begins we are required to pay a fee of $50.00 and $0.65 per member for any society joining during the insurance year. The cost of the coverage is very low in comparison to costs of any other insurance carrier.
The coverage is very good, giving $2,000,000 General Liability and $1,000,000 for Errors and Omissions liability (Directors & Officers/ Wrongful Acts); the deductible is $500.00.
Please at the time of application for insurance state if you need a certificate of insurance naming venues where meeting and shows are held, the name and address of such venue is required.
Please forward your request for insurance coverage to:
Payment for Insurance should be sent to:
Saturday Aug 5 and Sunday Aug 6
The COC Annual Meeting is being held in conjunction with the Southern Ontario Orchid Society Annual Summerfest.
The COC meeting will take place on Sat Aug 5 at the Toronto Botanical Gardens, corner Lawrence and Leslie Streets. On Sun Aug 6 the delegates are invited to participate in the SOOS Summerfest. SOOS invite members of all Orchid Societies to participate. This takes place at the Toronto Botanical Gardens.
Summerfest Hi-lights:
This years participants are Ecuagenera and A&P Orchids
Plants sales occur throughout the afternoon. And to sweeten the pot you are invited to attend a BBQ party put on by the Kennedys Sat night. Weather almost guaranteed great.
Further details will be provided later. Mark your calendar now!
The slate for the 2006 Election of Officers of the COC contains the following names:
These persons have agreed to stand for the stated positions.
All directors are appointed or re-appointed by the President.
We thank them all and hope that our affiliated societies will be so kind and send their affirmative votes to the current President:
10 March 2006
Respectfully submitted:
The fifth
annual Native Orchid Conference will be held at Southern
Oregon University in Ashland, Oregon, June 8 _12, 2006. The
conference will begin with registration and an opening lecture
followed by a reception and poster presentations on Thursday
evening June 8th. 
This year's program will include talks by orchid experts from across the country. Some of the speakers scheduled to present include Dr. Peter Barnhardt (St. Louis University), Dr. Ken Cameron (New York Botanical Gardens), Tom Mieranda (Smithsonian Institution), Dr. Jyotsna Sharma (University of Florida) and Dr. Charles Sheviak (New York State Museum) along with authors Ron Coleman and Bill Mathis. Alternating with presentation days will be of field trip excursions led by area botanists. These trips are planned to Illinois Valley and the Russian River.
Native orchid species that should be blooming in June include Fairy slipper (Calypso bulbosa), Phantom orchid (Cephalanthera austiniae), California lady's-slipper (Cypripedium californicum), Cypripedium fasciculatum, Mountain lady's-slipper (Cypripedium montanum), Corallorhiza maculata, C. mertensiana, C. striata, Stream orchid (Epipactis gigantea), Listera caurina, L. convallarioides, Piperia elegans, P. unalascensis, and Platanthera hyperborea.
Contacts for further information are Conference Co-chairs Ron
Coleman (ronorchid@cox.net) and Dr. Carol Ferguson
(ferguson@sou.edu) or President David McAdoo
(ncorchid@Yahoo.com).
(Photo by Ron Coleman) Mountain lady's-slipper (Cypripedium
montanum)
We now have two judging centres, (perhaps even a third one next year) in Canada, that are administered through the American Orchid Society with headquarters in Delray Beach, Florida.
I will state here that the Canadian Orchid Congress is in no way connected with the AOS. All we have in common is our love of orchids.
These judging centres service the needs of Canadian orchidists who want to have their orchids judged for quality and other criteria. We used to be able to carry our orchids across the international border to get AOS judging done but that is no longer possible for amateurs. There are a number of orchid growers who have shown an interest in becoming AOS judges in order to facilitate AOS judging on our side of the border.
For a person who wishes to become an AOS judge, all the different requirements can be found, listed in the AOS Handbook on Judging, 11th ed. Here, I shall briefly outline only the requirements on persons' time in their endeavours towards becoming fully accredited AOS Judges.
Pre-Student or Clerk Status:
In order to let the other judges from your centre get to know you, it is recommended that you attend every monthly judging for one year. These twelve visits will allow the personnel at your centre to evaluate your sincerity and abilities.
Student Judge:
Once your application to become a student judge has been approved, you are again encouraged to attend the twelve monthly judgings, go to as many AOS sanctioned orchid shows as is possible and attend the two annual business meetings and twelve hours training seminars. These are usually held in conjunction with the regular judgings. You will also receive some homework which should be handed in promptly Depending on your progress, you may go through your student judge period in as short a time as three years or as long as five years.
Probationary Judge:
Once the judges at your centre have voted affirmatively to recommend your advancement, this recommendation will then be passed on to the Judging Committee and after it has been approved there, you will be a probationary judge; you again should attend all twelve monthly judgings, go to many AOS sanctioned shows and attend seminars and business meetings, as before. Again, three years is the minimum time and five years the maximum number of years as probationary judge. After this time the judges will again vote, as for Probationary judge status, on your advancement to
Fully Accredited AOS Judge:
Your time will not be your own, even then. Because of the ever-changing nature of modern orchid hybrids and the great numbers and diversity of our orchids, each judge is considered to be in training all the time. The total minimum times a fully accredited AOS judge must attend judgings is eight times per year, of which four times must be at the home centre, the others may be during AOS sanctioned shows or at some different judging centres. The two annual business meetings and the twelve hours of seminars must be attended by every judge. Please note that although only your attendance at the AOS sanctioned shows counts toward the required numbers, you don't have to stay away from other shows. The more exposure to orchids you can get, the more you will learn.
Yes it will take at least 7-1/2 years (and can be up to 11-1/2) to become an accredited AOS judge. And then the real work begins.
Ingrid Schmidt-Ostrander, Accredited AOS Judge
A critical stage during the maturation of an orchid hobbyist is the point at which we come to realize that orchid culture is rarely by the book. Written materials can suggest appropriate methods to raise orchids well but until we learn how to harmonize our expectations with what a particular orchid can perform, and under which circumstances, what happens is largely a matter of chance. Successful orchid culture begins with GETTING TO KNOW AN ORCHID. As each orchid genus, species, hybrid grex and clone behaves somewhat differently to close relatives, the challenge is formidable, and therein lies the reason why so many of us grow orchids, for the challenge!
How do we go about GETTING TO KNOW an orchid?
1 - Read, discuss, research
2 - Observe daily how the plant grows and responds to our care
3 - Keep a diary of plant behaviour, blooming time, flower quality, number of leaves and growths, when it grows and when it does not
How can we sense that an orchid is GETTING TO LIKE the culture provided?
1 - Roots grow, into the potting medium or onto a mount, or even out of the pot/basket.
2 - Shoots grow sturdily. With sympodial seedlings (eg. Cattleya), new growths are always more substantial than previous. With monopodial seedlings, (Phalaenopsis), new leaves are longer and wider than previous. Mature plants maintain a high standard of new growth which does not diminish over time.
3 - The plant flowers according to its type and in season. Flower quality reflects plant vigour.
4 - The orchid is less susceptible to pests and diseases.
OUR CHALLENGE is to get to know every one of our orchids.
1 - Get to know every orchid in the collection.
2 - Learn how to tell when an orchid is thriving.
3 - Provide cultural conditions which let each plant to perform to the best of its ability.
4 - Satisfy the varying cultural requirements of all orchids in the collection.
OUR REWARD is that they will thrive and our investment will be more secure.
It becomes obvious that a greater chance of success may be had with a more focused selection of orchids having similar cultural requirements. We are wise when we select only those orchids likely to thrive under our growing conditions or adapt our growing environment to meet the needs of that group. Specialist collections all arise from that realization.
Marilyn Light
Summerfest Hi-lights:
9-11:30am AOS judging a chance to see the judging system at
work.
11:30 -1:00pm BBQ - SOOS provides hamburgers, hotdogs and drinks
while attendees bring a dish to share.
1:00- 4:00 2 special speakers who will be bringing plants for
sale. Preorders accepted.
This years participants are Ecuagenera and A&P Orchids
Plants sales occur throughout the afternoon.
The purpose of COC news is to inform members of the meetings, policies of the COC, to profile members, and to provide technical information regarding happenings, trends and techniques in orchid culivation across the country and around the world.
We welcome your suggestions and contributions. Deadline for each issue is one month before the issue dates previously announced.
Recipients of this newsletter are strongly urged to pass a copy on to other members of their society
Officers of the Canadian Orchid Congress
President Margaret Blewett
905-687-9205
Past President Ingrid Ostrander
250-652-0753
Vice-President Lorne Heshka
204-663-6850
Vice-President Faithe Prodanuk
306-652-8656
Treasurer Janette Richardson
306-543-0560
Secretary Terry Kennedy
905-727-3319
Education Mark Elliott
604-943-6979
Conservation Marilyn Light
819-776-2655
COC Web Site -
http://www.CanadianOrchidCongress.ca/
Please send in your show information - date, location,
contact, etc.