Orchid Guild October Meeting

Please join us on Sunday, October 12th, at the Albuquerque Garden Center at 1:30 PM when our special guest speaker will be Carol Klonowski.

Carol will speak on the history of unifoliate Cattleya

The History of Unifoliate Cattleyas covers the discovery of Cattleya labiata, and how its mysterious origins sparked Victorian Orchid Fever and the European discoveries of orchids in the 19th century.  The program covers all the related, large-flowered Cattleya species and major hybrids that belong to the single-leaved (unifoliate) plants in the genus, and how to grow these beautiful, classic orchids

Please email orchidsinabq@gmail.com for the Zoom link

Carol Klonowski has been growing orchids since the 1980s, when a friend in Berkeley, California, gave her a cattleya, 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 and passion ever since. She can recall going to monthly meetings where orchid legends such as the late Frank Fordyce would be available to answer the many questions an eager hobbyist could ask.

Carol has served as Director, Vice President, and President of the Orchid Society of California for most of the past two decades and is currently a Trustee on the Board and an Accredited Judge with the American Orchid Society, California Sierra Nevada Judging Center. 

Show and Tell, Raffle, and orchid sales

Bring a friend. All are welcome

Petal Pushers Garden Club Meeting Minutes, August 26, 2025

submitted by Pam Walker

Meeting Location: ABQ Garden Center, Grace Barnes room

Activity:

We made some cute flowerpot car fresheners to install in our car air conditioner vents. Ginny and Kathleen brought all the necessary parts, and we hot glued them together. Pam P. brought some essential oils to drop on them for a fresh scent as we drive around these hot days.

Business meeting:

We voted on accepting the new budget presented at the July meeting.

The club by-laws need to be reviewed and updated. So, please review them (in your 2024 yearbook) and send your ideas for changes to our president. We will discuss them at the September meeting.

We had an update on the 2025 Halloween Glow & Stroll activities. This year the event will have famous movies as the theme. Petal Pushers’ theme is the movie “Wicked” so we can think about having a witch and a princess and any other ideas you have. We are looking for an arch support that we can decorate in our section of the gardens, so if you know of one, please let us know. Also, we still have some pencils from last Halloween to give away to children again this year.

We will have a new format for our holiday luncheon – a cookie exchange! We’ll all bring a few dozen cookies and take home a few dozen. We’ll all bring some dishes to share for a light lunch. More on this later.

Susan officially resigned as president of Petal Pushers as she is moving out of state, and Viola resigned as treasurer due to many family matters, so we will be getting new officers soon.

Upcoming Events/Volunteer Opportunities:

• September 3, 5, 8, and 11 – flower shows at the NM State Fair flower building

• September 8 – Petal Pushers’ workday in the courtyard, 9:30. Bring your clippers!

• September 26 and 27 – Harvest Fair, volunteer for a fun and interesting event.

• October 13 – District One meeting at Garden Center. The new District 1 Director will be hosting the meeting. These are always fun and there’s an optional lunch.

• October 24 – carving jack-o-lanterns for the Halloween Glow & Stroll

Next meeting: September 23, 2025 @ 9:30 at an off-site location.

The speaker will be Bill Shen talking about dahlias, wine, and the new open space.

Orchid Guild September Meeting

Please join us on Sunday, September 14th at the Albuquerque Garden Center 1:30PM when our special guest speaker will be Bridget Uzar from Carter and Holmes orchids in Newberry, SC.  Bridget will present

 Orchid Mythbusters- The Truth Behind the Tales via zoom. Please email orchidsinabq@gmail..com for the link.

 For as many years as hobbyists have been collecting orchids, there have been myths regarding them. We will explore many common (and uncommon) misconceptions about growing and propagating orchids.  In the digital age, we rely too much on simply what we read online which can lead to poor growing choices. 

My name is Bridget Uzar and I have been working for C&H since 2002.  I have been in charge of the breeding collection and other greenhouses for most of that time and it has also been my responsibility to handle the majority of the hybridizing since 2009.  You will find me on our social media, compiling our regular email offerings as well as giving talks during our open houses and to tour groups. I visit societies for talks both local and on the road plus travel to orchid shows/symposiums.