Next Meeting: Thursday, March 10^th, 7:30pm - 10:00pm
Contra Costa Water District Building Board Room
 1331 Concord Ave. Concord, CA

Growing Sobralias presented by Bruce Rogers

                    "I was in my early 20s and living in Berkeley, California. My Russian grandmother, to keep me off the streets (and being aware of my love of plants), arranged for me to work with her friends, the Amens. I began helping in their garden, which included a greenhouse (beautiful vintage at that time, Lord and Burnham, with a brick base) and a yard overflowing with plants and trees. I had been reading and started showing off by naming a few of her plants, at which point Mrs. Amen led me to a potted plant and asked if I knew what it was. The plant had stiff-leaved bamboo like foliage with amazing dense spikes of lovely smaller white flowers. I was totally baffled. I had never experienced a plant like that. I made a silly guess of a type of flowering bamboo. She turned to me, and in a tone of voice I knew she reserved for children, informed me I was not even close. She told me it was a Sobralia multiflora and it was pollinated by hummingbirds. Although my first Sobralia encounter left me scarred, it was a meaningful experience. Later in life, I was captivated by a little hand-drawn illustration in the lovely little Golden Guide nature book series, which showed a Sobralia plant dwarfing a man and illustrating the Cattleya-like flower. I have been chasing Sobralias ever since. I find them to be stunning and exciting plants with beautiful growth and unforgettable flowers. The foliage and growth of Sobralias has to be among the most handsome of all orchids, and their wide range of climate adaptability makes them ideal as greenhouse, garden and patio plants."

Plant Table will be provided by Bruce Rogers