 Ottawa is Canada's
Capital. Spring is time for the tulip festival but first comes
the orchid show during the last weekend in April. This is the
last regional spring show for Québec and Ontario. This
year, registration was offered on-line. Past-President, Henry
Steger received 430 registrations electronically and another
400 during setup. For a first effort, we learned a lot and look
forward to a better process in 2007. |
|
Set-up is a busy time. We typically have 7
visiting societies arriving from as far away as Québec
City and Toronto. Les Orchidophiles de Québec (Québec
City) bring some beautiful specimens. |
|
Eastern Canada Orchid Society (Montréal)
is a small but vibrant group which always stages a colorful exhibit.
|
|
Vendors also prepare exhibits as we see here
with Joe Di Ciommo (Di Ciommo's) who is a popular Phalaenopsis
vendor. |
|
Members are encouraged to set up their own
exhibits. Student judge, Joyce Medcalf, is a first class grower
of pleurothallids. You should have seen the ribbons after the
judging! |
|
Of course the host society has to do an especially
good job creating the show centerpiece. Jane Thompson and Uli
Schmidt produced an open style exhibit using props loaned by
a local nursery, Ritchies. Ottawa exhibit included some of my
hybrids, Epc. Fringe Festival and Epi. Candy Dandy. |
|
Ottawa exhibit - Colors were grouped.
|
|
Ottawa exhibit - general view |
|
The Ottawa show is known for its extensive
display of floral art including Ikebana which is created for
the pleasure of viewing, not for competition. Here we see a creation
in the making. |
|
Uli Schmidt submitted a lovely design for
the competitive class. |
|
There many other art forms on display. Here
we see a Cypripedium worked in metal. |
|
This impressive metal Cattleya won a trophy.
|
|
We had an artist creating works and others
on display including this large work on gallery canvas. |
|
One artist had worked a quilt of stylized
orchids. |
|
The Ottawa Guild of Lacemakers created some
delicate blooms in thread! |
|
I prepared an educational exhibit of stamps
celebrating orchid conferences. |
|
I also had an exhibit on Cypripedium reginae
as a Flagship species for North America with some information
about an experimental planting underway. |
|
Ottawa member, Marcel Carrière, won
a trophy for his small display of well grown plants. |
|
Margaret Haydon, DVM, proudly showed off her
trophies and spectacular Paph. Screaming Eagle 'Margaret's Delight'
AM/AOS which also won Best of Cypripedium Alliance. |
|
Paph. Screaming Eagle 'Margaret's Delight'
AM/AOS which won Best of Cypripedium Alliance. |
|
Some of the colorful show specimens included
Cattleya trianae |
|
Arpophyllum spicatum |
|
 Cattleya skinneri 'Marsh Hollow'
AM/AOS
|
|
This unregistered Angulocaste (Tanner x Lyc.
Auburn) grown my Mario & Connie Ferrusi was awarded an 84
point AM/AOS. |
 Talk about
color and fragrance. This Rhyncholaelia digbyana is a winner.
|
|
Mario Ferrusi (Marsh Hollow Orchids) is line
breeding Lycaste skinneri to improve segment form. |
|
Howard Ginsberg of Bedford Orchids had some
colorful Phals on show. |
|
We now see some very large specimen plants
on display. |