March News

Our speaker for our March 13th meeting is Mac Goekler and the topic is “The Art and Science of Benign Neglect”.  The family Orchidaceae is a diverse and widespread group of flowering plants with colorful and fragrant blooms, commonly known as the ‘orchid family’.  Mac Goekler has been growing orchids since 1975 and will explain how over the last 38 years he has learned to make peace with this sometimes temperamental clan.  Mac is new to the Washington D.C. area, relocating here from Ohio and joining HHOS last year.  He is the former president of the Greater Akron Orchid Society and is an award-winning grower with a slew of orchid shows under his belt.  He started those many years ago, growing his orchids on a windowsill.  Later Mac began greenhouse growing with great results.  So, he truly has a bit of advice for all of us. 

This will be a wonderful meeting and we look forward to seeing you there.  Remember, you need not be a member of HHOS to come to one of our meetings; visitors are always welcome.  But, we must warn you, our membership dues are only $15.00 so come prepared to join once you meet our engaging group members and hear our excellent speakers!

We encourage society members to bring in their blooming plants to each meeting for a Show & Tell discussion about each plant. This provides a beautiful display of orchids as well as an opportunity to learn.

Meetings for 2013 are held every SECOND WEDNESDAY except July and August. Please join us at the Mason District Governmental Center, 6507 Columbia Pike, Annandale, VA 22003 from 7 to 9 pm.

Febrary News

Meetings for 2013 are held every SECOND WEDNESDAY except July and August. Please join us at the Mason District Governmental Center from 7 to 9 pm.

Our February 13th meeting will be led by Gordon Slaymaker. Gordon is retired from The United States Army Band ‘Pershing’s Own’ where he served as trombonist and Band Sergeant Major. He has been growing orchids, primarily slippers, for over 30 years and resides in Falls Church, VA. A fixture in the Washington D.C. area orchid community, he has served as Chair and Co-chair of the Paphiopedilum Forum, President of the National Capital Orchid Society of Washington, D.C., and Chair and Training coordinator of the National Capital Judging Region of the American Orchid Society.

Gordon will speak about the general care of Paphiopedilums, talk about how to bring your plants into bloom and, if time permits, show slides of award winning plants. As an added bonus, he will bring potting materials and show you what works best as a medium for growing these beautiful plants. So bring a slipper orchid that you want repotted or a new one that you want potted up to this meeting and enjoy the camaraderie of your fellow orchidphiles.

This meeting falls just in time for the NCOS 33rd Annual Paphiopedilum Forum coming up that Saturday, February 16th. If you are interested in attending the NCOS Paphiopedilum forum please visit their website www.ncos.us for details and note payment to attend must be received by Monday, February 11, 2013 and space is limited to the first 150 registrants.

We encourage HHOS members to bring in their blooming plants to each meeting for a show & tell discussion about each plant. This provides a beautiful display of orchids as well as an opportunity to learn. Visitors are always welcome. You need not be a member to participate in one of our meetings.

December News

Our Annual Holiday Gift Exchange and Potluck will be held Thursday, December 6th at the Mason District Governmental Center at 7pm. Please bring a dish or drinks to share. The gift exchange is the most fun when you bring orchid-themed items with a value of $10-$15. There are always a few favorites that everyone tries to steal which provide a lot of laughs. Plants, books, calendars, orchid pots, notecards, or supplies! You can't go wrong with an orchid plant though! Al's Greenhouse, Orchid Enterprise or Orchids for You are sure to have some great plants or check with Quarter Acre Orchids for an outstanding selection of supplies.

Non-members are welcome to come, it's a great way to meet our members and socialize.  If you do plan to come, please bring a gift so you can participate in the gift exchange, it's truly fun and never dull!

If you are on Facebook, please join our group!! www.facebook.com/groups/hhosva/

November News

Our meeting this month on Thursday November 1st at 7 pm, will be a presentation from Orchid Digest "MASDEVALLIAS AND DRACULAS: THE SPECIES, HYBRIDS, AND CULTURE" by Sandra Svoboda, 2011. It should be a nice companion to our meeting last June when we planted terrariums with masdevallias. Those of you who have masdevallias may want to bring your plants or photos of them to share with our members. Also, if any of you have books on this subject those would be nice to see as well so we could preview adding them to our collections.

We always want to see your healthy blooming plants for our show table. Don't forget them. You do not have to be a member to attend, visitors are always welcome! Come see what our meetings are like. You'll learn something at every meeting—we have novices as well as master growers who love to share their knowledge.

October News

This month we will not have a regular meeting as there was a meeting room scheduling conflict. Instead we chose to have a field trip to view orchids at the US Botanic Gardens on Saturday the 20th. It should be a nice trip and perhaps those attending will want to have a picnic or get something to eat or drink afterward nearby.

Members will be contacted to determine if you have any plants to exhibit at the NCOS Annual Show and sale October 6th. We will also be looking for filler plants, plants stands and volunteers. Deborah McKeeman and Julie Stacey will be making calls and setting up the exhibit. We will need help with take down on Monday afternoon.

September News

Wow! The summer just flew by. Our September meeting at the Mason District Governmental Center at 7pm will be held on Thursday, September 20th due to scheduling conflicts. The topic will be announced shortly.

In addition to our monthly meeting topic we will be discussing the upcoming NCOS Orchid Show and sale on Columbus Day weekend, so think about plants that you may want to show, if you'd like to volunteer and if you have any props or plant stands you can lend. Fluffy ferns and other greenery to help fill in the exhibit are nice too.

We always want to see your healthy blooming plants for our show table. Don't forget them. You do not have to be a member to attend, visitors are always welcome! Come see what our meetings are like. You'll learn something at every meeting—we have novices as well as master growers who love to share their knowledge.

JUNE NEWS

July & August are right around the corner. There will be no meetings while everyone is busy with all things summer! June is our last meeting until September.

Our June 7th meeting at the Mason District Governmental Center at 7pm will be a hands-on workshop building terrariums. HHOS will be supplying materials for members or you may bring your own.

Have a plant or two you think would perk up in a higher humidity environment? Maybe you have a few companion plants that will be a good match? African Violets, gesneriads, ferns and mosses all make good companion plants. Glass containers will be provided or you can bring your own.

Keep in mind the size of the plant at maturity to help guide you for the container. I find the best place to get glass at a reasonable cost is a thrift store, so while you are out on errands, pop into one and see if you can find an interesting shape. Terrariums make great gifts and I'm sure you'll want to build some for your friends and family.

We always want to see your healthy blooming plants for our show table. Don't forget them. You do not have to be a member to attend, visitors are always welcome! Come see what our meetings are like. You'll learn something at every meeting—we have novices as well as master growers who love to share their knowledge.

MAY NEWS

Our May 3rd meeting at the Mason District Governmental Center at 7pm will feature Wild Orchids of the Mid Atlantic-Come learn about orchids you can spot in our region. There are many more than you might think! We will be joining the NCOS on Saturday May 5th for an Orchid walk to spot orchids at the G R Thompson State Wildlife Management Area in Marshall, VA. If you would like to go on the Orchid Walk, please contact for information and directions to the event.

Be sure and visit our Facebook Group and join in the discussion. The link is on the right side of the page in our website and if you haven't been able to find us, just click the link here. It's a great way for you to post images of your plants, get questions answered, let others know about upcoming events, or coordinate carpooling to various events. Don't be shy, join us!! We have had some interesting discussions, plus there are great photos of our meetings and shows.

We always want to see your healthy blooming plants for our show table. Don't forget them. You do not have to be a member to attend, visitors are always welcome! Come see what our meetings are like. You'll learn something at every meeting—we have novices as well as master growers who love to share their knowledge.