SMOKY MOUNTAIN ORCHID SOCIETY
Meeting Location:
Pellissippi State Technical Community College, Hardin Valley Campus
Building: AL Lamar Alexander Arts & Sciences Building
Room: 150
Address: 10915 Hardin Valley Road, Knoxville, TN 37932
Visitor parking is located between the J.L. Goins Administration and Bill Haslam Center for Math and Science buildings.
2024 Officers:
President - Ken Lister
Vice President - Tatiana Nikonov
Secretary - Cassie Hall
Treasurer - Angela Snow
Assistant Treasurer - Mary Ann Lang
Board Members - Bob Hydzik, Dawn Thomas
Next Meeting:
​September 15, 2024 at 2:00PM - The Basics of Orchid Parenthood
Steve’s best-selling book, Orchids for Dummies, serves as a guide for “newbies” to this wildly popular group of plants. The book and lecture serve as friendly guides introducing orchid fanciers to today’s most popular and intriguing orchid varieties and shows step-by–step information on how to select healthy plants at a nursery or commercial grower, cultivate them successfully at home, promote blooms, and create beautiful orchid displays. This is a very intensive practical-information-based talk. This talk is aimed at beginners and intermediate growers, although veterans will likely also reap valuable cultural tips.
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Steven A. Frowine first started growing orchids under lights when he was in high school. Since then, his love and sometimes obsession for orchids has continued to grow. He has tended orchids professionally as a horticulturist when he worked in Hawaii at the National Tropical Botanical Garden and at Missouri Botanical Garden, where he was Chairman of Indoor Horticulture and managed one of the largest orchid collections in the United States — more than 10,000 plants. Steve’s greatest pleasure from orchids, though, has been growing them in his own home under lights and in windowsills, which he has done now for more than 50 years. Steve has a B.S. and M.S. in horticulture from Ohio State University and Cornell, respectively. He has had a long and rich career working as a professional horticulturist for premier botanical gardens in the United States and as an executive at top horticultural businesses including W. Atlee Burpee Company and White Flower. Steve is sought out as a lecturer and has delivered hundreds of lectures throughout the country. His presentations are noted for his knowledge of the subject and his sense of humor. He has appeared on various national TV shows and writes extensively, authoring many articles for horticultural trade and consumer magazines. He has written several books including Orchids for Dummies (1st and 2nd Editions, Gardening Basics For Dummies (1st and 2nd Editions), Miniature Orchids, Fragrant Orchids, Moth Orchids, The Complete Guide to Phalaenopsis and Complete Guide to Orchids (Miracle- Gro) and his newest book, Houseplants for and Succulents For Dummies will be released in February 2024.
Upcoming Meetings:
​October 20, 2024 at 2:00PM - Tentative: AOS or Orchid Digest Topic
November - No Meeting, Happy Thanksgiving!
December 15, 2024 at 2:00PM - SMOS Christmas Party
Previous Meetings:
January 21, 2024 - Cancelled due to weather.
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February 18, 2024 at 2PM - How to Construct an Orchid Kokedama by Plantcurators of Knoxville
Ian & Terumi Watson, proprietors of Plantcurators of Knoxville will give a presentation on how to construct an orchid kokedama. Kokedama is a Japanese art of bringing nature into the home, which comes from Terumi’s heritage. Both Ian &Terumi are UT graduates and trained horticulturists for the last 25+ years. Plants are a huge part of their life and they are passionate about continually learning and helping other people develop a love for plants. So please come and enjoy the demonstration and support Knoxville’s local plant business.
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https://www.facebook.com/2plantcurators
https://www.instagram.com/p/CuAIYp5OX50/?igsh=ODgxczRta294NGt2
There will be a business meeting, show and tell of your blooming plants and a plant raffle. Come join in the fun!
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March 17, 2024 at 2:00PM - Dr. Diag-nosy - Bill Thom
This centers on plant problems and how to fix them. Members can bring in plants with problems and they will be diagnosed and remedies given. I can also bring a few examples of common problems and have advice on how to fix them. Most remedies are eco-friendly. The speaker and his wife are Internationally recognized superior growers with over 100 National Cultural Awards in 30 orchid genera.
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April 21, 2024 at 2:00PM - A Tour of the Huntington Orchid Collection
This month’s presentation will be an AOS member’s-only pre-recorded webinar, “A Tour of the Huntington Orchid Collection” (Brandon Tam, 2021). As the Associate Curator of the Orchid Collection at the Huntington, Brandon curates one of the largest and most diverse orchid species collections in the world, including over 1,500 unique species and 3,600 different varieties across 280 orchid genera. Visitors are welcome!
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May 19, 2024 at 2:00PM - We will have a Potluck and Auction
Contact Tatiana for more information
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June 16, 2024 at 2:00PM - Mark Reinke of Marble Branch Farms Orchids will be presenting the “Baker’s Dozen”.
Mark’s program takes an in-depth look at 13 different Cattleya species, from miniature to full size, with special emphasis on the wild habitats in which they grow. We will get a “birds eye view” of each of their natural environments and then zoom in to see the plants actually growing in situ. These sometimes-surprising locales will lead to better insights into how to grow each species in our own collections and how they influence the care and the look of the hybrids that descend from them. https://www.marblebranchfarms.com/
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July 21, 2024 at 2:00PM - Ken Lister discussing the genus Vanda
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August 18, 2024 at 2:00PM - SMOS Fall Show Prep - Rich Gettings & Ken Lister
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September 7-8, 2024 - SMOS Orchid Show
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Click here for 2022 Meeting topics!
Additional References:
The American Orchid Society provides a number of useful cultural reference sheets on their site for various genera:
Looking for general care for growing orchids indoors? See this link:
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Have questions about watering? Try this link:
The St. Augustine Orchid Society also has a number of useful information on varying topics: