Peninsula Orchid Society

Peninsula Orchid Society Speakers Schedule: September 26, 2008

Odontoglossums and other Cooler Growing Orchids

Tom Perlite

Our speaker for September will be Tom Perlite, owner of Golden Gate Orchids. He has been growing orchids for over 30 years and is recognized both nationally and internationally for his excellent culture, outstanding hybrids and in depth knowledge. He received a degree in Botany from UC Berkeley, and then joined the Rod McLellan Company where he worked for a number of years. He started Golden Gate Orchids, a wholesale orchid nursery with greenhouses in San Francisco and Berkeley, in 1991. Golden Gate specializes in cooler growing orchids, including Odontoglossum, Masdevallias, Miltonias, and Dendrobiums.

The topic of Tom's presentation will be the culture of Odontoglossums and other cooler growing orchids. He will provide advice for greenhouse growing and part of his presentation will feature a question and answer session. A great opportunity to ask an expert your toughest questions about those species or hybrids you are challenged to grow well.

With the ideal growing climate in San Francisco, Tom has been growing Odontoglossums since the mid 70s and is an accomplished hybridizer of Odontoglossums and related intergenerics. Tom is an accredited AOS judge and has received numerous awards including Grand Champion at the Osaka International Orchid Show, the George Moore Medal from the RHS, the Butterworth Prize and five FCCs from the AOS.

For one collector, an orchid proved to be a danger sign. Tom Perlite, owner of Golden Gate Orchids in San Francisco, paid a house call on a dendrobium that was inexplicably drooping. After checking for drafts and excess heat, he realized the plant was suffering from exposure to gas. The leak got fixed; both the plant and the owner survived.

"Orchids used to be fairly exotic, fairly expensive plants to collect," said Tom Perlite. "They certainly couldnt be found at the Home Depot." (not so today!). Tending orchids can be a tricky business - even those bought at Home Depot, "There's always something for everyone to learn."

Tom will be supplying the Opportunity Table as well as bringing plants to sell.