Society News - What You Need to Know About our Thursday, September 17, 2026, Meeting - THIS WEEK!
IT'S SHOWTIME
From Our Display Chair - Kim Floyd
Hey there fellow orchid lovers. The Ridge Orchid Society Show is upon us. TBOS needs your orchids for the TBOS display. Set up for the show is Sept. 18 starting at 9:30.
You may bring your plants to the meeting Sep. 17 and I will classify and transport to the show.
If you are going to bring your plants directly to the show, they MUST be there by 10:00 to be considered for going into the display and to give us time to classify them and get them entered.
Your plant must be properly identified. No NOIDs or GOKs are allowed.
A couple of things you need to do:
1. Make sure your plant is pest free.
2. The pot should be clean but doesn’t need to be fancy – it will be covered with moss.
3. Stake the spike for the best flower presentation. I can help with this.
We need LOTS of plants to choose from for the display. If your plant isn’t chosen for the display, it will be classified and entered as an individual entry. It will still be eligible for ribbons, trophies, and next level AOS awards. If you do not wish to have your plants judged by the AOS, you must add that to your entry ID.
If you have ANY questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out.
From TBOS President
Fran Roberts
September Agenda
1. Welcome - Fran Roberts
2. Approval of September Minutes - Fran Roberts
3. Treasurers Report - Julio Hector
4. AOS Corner – Laura Newton
5. Board seat move – Fran Roberts
6. Membership - Heather Ferrell
7. Ridge Show – Kim Floyd
8. Education = Bret Ullery
9. FWCOS Bus Trip – Ruth Ullery
10.Guest Speaker – Cheryl Crilly
a) Tolumnia – Naoki Kawamurra
*******BREAK ***********
11. Members Bloom Table – membership
12. Raffle Table – Corinne Arnold
13.Adjournment – Fran Roberts
Please REMEMBER that we have potluck at our meetings. Please bring a dish or donate $ to the cash box.
GUEST SPEAKER Naoki Kawamurra
Topic - Tolumnias
Naoki is a long-time orchid grower. He started growing in the Pacific Northwest. Naoki grows a large variety of orchids. One of his most interesting are the Coryanthes = the aliens of the orchid world. Naoki has earned the reputation of a very involved grower. His plants are expertly grown, green and lush. Naoki doesn't do pink. lol. Naoki returned to the student judging program at the beginning of the year and he recently was elevated to Associate Judge. Congratulations Naoki. He will not be bringing any plants to sell.
DRAWING TABLE
Our raffle plants will be supplied by our speaker. Thank you, Naoki.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
Ruth Ullery
FWCOS has invited TBOS to participate in a bus trip in October. Ruth and Bret will fill us in on the details.
TBOS Leadership Team 2026-2027
President - Frances Roberts
!st VP/Programs - Cheryl Crilly
2nd VP/Displays - Kim Floyd
Treasurer - Julio Hector
Secretary - Brenda Gregory
Immediate Past President -Sonia Galen
Board of Directors - 3 year term
Heather Ferrill (2024-2027)
Bret Ullery (2025-2028)
Director (2026-2029)
Accent Orchids
Accent Orchids will hold their annual Halloween Open House in October. Bret and Ruth to update.
Show & Tell REMINDER
From Our Bloom Table Chair - Nancy Losgar masdev99@aol.com
Bring in your blooming orchids
for show and tell. You are welcome
to share the way you grow yours
or let our Bloom Table Chair highlight
your plant for the those in attendance.
From Our Membership Chair - Heather Ferrill peace4heather@gmail.com
If you are an annual dues paying member and have not renewed your membership dues for the 2026-2027 term, it's time to do that! If you have paid for a lifetime membership - we thank you!
Clink on the following links and enter your payment information.
Online orders include credit card processing fees.
Single Annual Membership $30.90
Joint Annual Membership $41.20
If you are renewing online, please update any new membership information with our Committee Chair.
Checks are still accepted if you prefer to pay at the meeting or mail to the Treasurer with your application. Please Print Membership Information Legibly.
Invitation to Exhibit
Your Orchids
in OCTOBER in TAMPA
After the Ridge Orchid Society Show...
Get your blooms ready to enter the
This one is nearby and is a bench show. There are no displays.
AOS NEWS
The American Orchid Society is 105 Years Old
Now that we are getting into orchid show season,
it is a good idea to learn about the awards
that you can earn by exhibiting your best bloomers.
You can find details for each award here: AOS Awards - American Orchid Society
Check out the Special Annual Awards. The come with a CASH award.
Flower quality awards
The AOS grants three levels of awards for flower quality based on a 100 point scale.
Highly Commended Certificate (HCC/AOS) - 75 to 79 points
Award of Merit (AM/AOS) - 80 to 89 points
First Class Certificate (FCC/AOS) - 90 to 100 points
Other awards for plants
Judges Commendation (JC) - possessing distinctive characteristics but cannot be scored customarily
Award of Distinction (AD) - for a worthy new direction in breeding
Award of Quality (AQ) - one in a group of at least twelve that are an improvement over former type
Certificate of Botanical Recognition (CBR) - a rare and unusual species with educational value (must pass taxonomic verification)
Certificate of Horticultural Merit (CHM) - possessing characteristics that contribute to the horticulture of orchids
Awards for exhibitors
Certificate of Cultural Merit (CCM) - robust well flowered specimen in care of exhibitor for at least 12 months prior, score of 80 to 89 points
Certificate of Cultural Excellence (CCE) - robust well flowered specimen in care of exhibitor for at least 12 months prior, score of 90 to 100 points
Special Annual awards
These awards come with a CASH AWARD to the winner.
They are selected from all AOS awards granted in the previous year.
Benjamin C. Berliner Award
Butterworth Prize
Milton Carpenter Intergeneric Onciidinae Award
Robert B. Dugger Odontoglossum Award
Roy T. Fukumura Vandaceous Award
Herbert Hager Phalaenopsis Award
Ernest Hetherington Cymbidium Award
Fred Hillerman Award
Merritt W. Huntington Award
Ann and Phil Jesup Botanical Trophy
Benjamin Kodama Award
Carlyle A. Luer Pleurothallid Award
Masatoshi Miyamoto Cattleya Alliance Award
James and Marie Riopelle Miltonia Award
Bill Thoms Award
W.W. Wilson Cypripedioideae Award
Nax Botanical Trophy
The Walter Off Award for Best Exhibit
Deb Bodei Fukiran Award
Fred Clarke Catasetinae Award
Mario and Conni Ferrusi Award
Fuchs Family Award
Tom Mirenda Maxillariinae Award
Paul and Mary Storm Award
Martin Motes Orchid Breeder's Award
Webinars are online video presentations. You can register for an upcoming webinar or watch the recorded webinars anytime, at your convenience. Multiple webinars are added every month, so check back often.
Webinar ADDED for September 22, 2026 - Tuesday at 8:30 PM
Alexander Kocyan will be talking about the Fascinating Flora of the Greek Island of Kythira.
The description for this webinar was not available at the time of publication in ORCHIDS. Check the AOS website Webinar page to Registration.
Take advantage of ALL of the
benefits of AOS Membership.
Become a member today.
Printable Membership Form Link
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Available in print and digital editions.
Since its inception in 1932, Orchids magazine has captivated readers with its stunning orchid photography and diverse content, making it a cherished publication among orchid lovers worldwide.
LOCAL American Orchid Society Judging - TAMPA, Wednesday Evening, September 23
Open to the public. With or without an entry, you are invited to sit in and observe a team of AOS Judges as they use the tools available to review each entry.
There are several hyperlinks in this newsletter.
When you click on them, you will get more information.
Remember to Visit Our
Facebook Group often
to see what other Members and Page Visitors are Growing and Blooming
To Keep Up with TBOS Review the following pages on the TBOS website monthly
Title of Tabs
Home Page has the announcement date of our next meeting
Orchid Press Hot News - Our Digital Monthly Newsletter
Frequently Asked Orchid Questions - AOS, Webinar and Judging Center Information
Meeting Minutes - All TBOS Meeting Minutes (log in required)
Links - Preferred Ad Partner Information and other helpful orchid related links
Committee Reports - Chairs please submit your activity report to tampabayorchidsociety@verizon.net by the first Friday of the month to be included in the newsletter
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