Newsletter  January 3, 2008

Happy New Year 

Change in Show Schedule!

     One of the first things that makes us happy this January is that we made the decision back in August to not participate in the Philadelphia Flower Show this year.   Let me explain.  The Flower Show has been a staple of our schedule for the past ten years.  It has afforded us many good opportunities and exposure in the world of horticulture.  However, it has always been an enormously difficult and stressful experience because of the work involved, the unpredictable  weather and the conflict with other important events in the same time of year.   We will miss seeing our friends and customers at the show, but it is the right decision for this season.    Not having to anticipate all the the Flower Show required of us makes us look forward to the next couple of months in a way that we  have not been able to in past winters. 

NCOS Paphiopedilum Forum

John will be participating in the Annual Paphiopedilum Forum presented by the National Capital Orchid Society in Washington, DC.   The event will be held on Saturday, February 16, 2008 and will include some very fine speakers.  It will be a rare opportunity to hear Leonid Averyanov from the Russian Academy of Science.   He will be speaking on the Natural Variation of Paphiopedilum Species in Vietnam.  For the serious Paph. growers among you, this is not to be missed.  Details can be found on our website by clicking on the Homepage button above.  The opportunity to see the orchids on display at this event are well worth the price of registration.   We can accept preorders to be delivered on that day if you plan to be there.

Temporary Inventory Shift

Another change at Parkside this winter is the temporary closing of Greenhouse #2 -- our Cattleya house.  The cost of propane for heating has risen by $1.00 a gallon.  We generally use between 25,000 and 30,000 gallons in a heating season, so you can do the math and see what a problem this is for us, and for all people in the nursery business.  In anticipation of  this we allowed our Cattleya inventory to diminish somewhat during the Fall season.   We sold many blooming plant so this was not difficult to do.  We have managed to relocate our Cattleya inventory into Greenhouses #1 and #3 and the plants seem happy.   We will most likely open Greenhouse #2 in the spring and bring in a new crop of plants to cultivate over the Summer and Fall 2008 season.  I saw many great mericlone plants during my October visit to Hawaii and I have lists waiting and look forward to placing the orders once the Spring weather arrives.

World Orchid Congress in Miami

John and I will be attending the World Orchid Congress in Miami, Florida at the end of January.   This event will be exciting and a good opportunity to meet with friends and colleagues from all over the world.  There seem to still be good deals on flights from our area (Newark or Philadelphia) so if you need a break from the winter's cold, consider a trip to Miami between January 23 and27th.  You can 'Google' World Orchid Congress Miami and you will be linked to all the information you need.

Visiting the nursery

It is that time of year when we have lots of people visiting the nursery just to walk among the plants and enjoy the warm, humid air.  It is a great time to escape the cold of winter and we promise you a fun experience.    There are always many interesting, colorful and unusual plants in bloom at this time of year.  Check out our schedule of classes and special events and make plans today.   We would be happy to see you here.

All the best.     Tom @ Parkside 

 
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