Zygopetalums are easy to grow and flower, are vigorous, and have low cultural demands many will bloom year-round given plenty of water and warmth. Although many Zygos look similar, different breeding lines from around the world have pushed the look of Zygos in radical and wild directions. Many genera contribute to these new hybrids. Tim will identify some of the important parents in the backgrounds of new and modern colors and appearances found in this genus. By the end of this presentation, you will have a new appreciation of what goes into breeding trends for these types of plants, as well as an appreciation of their beautiful flowers and ease-of-growth.
Tim's bio, in his own words: Although I teach middle school kids for a living, one of my passions has always been plants. I began growing orchids as an offshoot from working at Longwood Gardens in Philadelphia just after college. From the very beginning it was all about Paphs, particularly awarded and select clones of historic importance, of which my collection numbers nearly 3000. While I love finding old, rare stepping stones in Paph breeding, I also do a little hybridizing of my own, and growing up my own babies is a blast. I have been a judge with the American Orchid Society for nearly 20 years, and have served in various capacities with various orchid societies in California and on the East Coast. I love meeting other people who like orchids too, and doing so often finds me traveling to shows, vendors, and peoples’ greenhouses to see the latest and greatest in new hybrids and to get the best orchid gossip. I like to be involved in plants as much as possible: in addition to Longwood, I’ve worked at the Smithsonian Institution tending to their orchids, and for years for the United States National Arboretum, collecting rare plants and documenting cultivated species and hybrids for their herbarium. In short, I really like plants.
OPPORTUNITY TABLE: Tim will be providing the Table from his collection, including a few of the newest, modern, cutting-edge Zygopetalum alliance hybrids, from a number of renowned hybridizers featured in the presentation.
