Category Archives: Meetings

Next meeting: Wednesday, September 1

Speaker: Jim Roberts

Topic: Summertime and the Growin’ is Easy

Jim Roberts, owner of Florida SunCoast Orchids, is a leader in the growing orchid industry of Florida, operating throughout the state of Florida as well as supporting national market demands.

He has been growing orchids for more than 25 years, in climates ranging from cold Minnesota to hot SW Florida (Jim moved to our region in 2001). He has traveled extensively in search of orchid treasures to Hawaii, South America, and Europe, seeking the plants that will grow and bloom best for his clients.

Jim has had careers in mortgage banking, retail management, teaching, and music. He now leads Florida SunCoast Orchids in its quest to become one of the prime growers and suppliers to the retail hobbyist market for quality orchid plant selections. The company “crew” is his wife Mary and their children, who regularly help out with the daily chores of watering, cleaning, and repotting.

Next Meeting: Wednesday, August 4th at 7 p.m.
Joint meeting Hosted byVeniceArea Orchid Society
Speaker: Marv Ragan
Topic: The Breeding and Judging of the Genus Encyclia

Marv Ragan has been growing orchids since 1965. He opened MAJ Orchids in 1969 and went into the AOS judging program. He became an AOS student judge that year and has been a certified judge since 1972. 

He retired from the U.S. Navy in 1976 as a Master Chief with 27 years of service, and went back to school under the GI Bill, receiving a degree in Biology. He worked with Dr. Sauleda and Dr. Correll and eventually became recognized as an orchid taxonomist. He has created more than 200 hybrids and is also involved in the propagation and thereby preservation of orchid species.

He is a recognized authority on Encyclias and spoke on this topic at the World Orchid Conference in Miami. Marv and his wife have traveled extensively, especially in the Americas, in search of orchids. He is very well known throughout Florida and beyond. His specialties are Caribbean orchids and Encyclias.

Next Meeting: MONDAY, July 12th at 7 p.m.
Hosted by Englewood Area Orchid Society
Speaker: Katie Caldwell
Topic: Growing Tolumnias

Katie Caldwell has been growing orchids for 25 years and specializes in Vandas, equitants and Broughtonia species and hybrids. She was an ecology major in college and always liked tropical botany. She was encouraged to grow orchids by a friend of her inlaws, Ruth Fox. Ruth was quite a honcho in the orchid world and even maintained a condo in Hawaii because of her interest. Katie joined an orchid circle that was part of the St. Petersburg Garden Club and her interest grew. She now has 1,000 feet of growing area.

Katie will be speaking on Equitants oncidiums, now in a separate genus Tolumnia. These were some of the first orchids she grew and they are near and dear to her heart. Katie writes “I received a CCM of 86 pts for one at the Englewood show. I also did some hybridizing last year and have flasks going.”

Katie is a past vice president of West Coast Orchid Society and the Venice Area Orchid

Society. In 2006, she received an FCC/AOS for her Renanthera Mauricette Brin.