Peninsula Orchid Society

Peninsula Orchid Society Speakers Schedule: August 24, 2007

Give it A Rest!

Marni Turkel

Our speaker this month is Marni Turkel of Santa Rosa. Marni Turkel is a native of the San Francisco Bay Area and has been growing orchids since 1980. She has been a active member of the San Francisco Orchid Society since 1982. A hobbyist grower, she has been growing in two greenhouses at her home in Santa Rosa, California. This past summer, her interest in dry rest plants led to the construction of a third, cold greenhouse intended for plants that benefit from a cool, dry winter. Her main interest is in cool-growing miniature species but plenty of larger plants have crept into the collection as well. Though the collection has never been counted, most guesses put it at several thousand plants representing a wide range of genera.

Marni has been a contributor to Orchids Magazine with her series called 'Well Worth the Space' and has coauthored several articles with Eric Christenson. Her articles have been translated into Dutch, German and Portuguese for international publication. Photographs of her plants have been featured in articles for the past several years in both Orchids Magazine, Orchid Digest, Richardiana, The Orchid Review and The Australian Orchid Review. As a working potter for almost 40 years, Marni owns and manages Stoney Point Ceramic Design which is a small pottery that produces vases, orchid planters, flower arranging containers, ceramic barrel rims and urns. She is a popular speaker and has given a number of different talks in the past to the Peninsula Orchid Society. Our opportunity plants will be supplied by Marni Turkel.

"Give it a Rest" is the title of her talk. Many plants receive a dry rest period in their native habitat and this talk explores some of the factors involved. Learn a bit about weather patterns and the 'make it or break it' effect a dry rest period can have on growth and flowering of particular species. You'll see some plants that many people find hard to bloom and find out how to get a great blooming by giving them what they need. Come prepared to learn some important information about orchid culture!