Oncidium Sharry Baby Orchid
Doug Overstreet, experienced orchidist and Orchid Specialist of the Thornton Conservatory at the Huntington Botanical Garden, will speak at the Malibu Orchid Society monthly meeting at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, June 18 at the Hart Lounge at the Community Methodist Church at 801 Via de la Paz.
Overstreet’s presentation on “My 10 Favorite Oncidiums, some of which are Still Oncidiums,” will discuss a selection of beautiful species of plants in the Oncidiinae alliance that are easy to locate and grow in southern California.
Many of the plants that used to be considered part of the genus Oncidium, have been moved into other genera in the past few years. A brief explanation of these changes will be presented along with specific cultural considerations for each species.
Overstreet has grown orchids since he was 10 years old. He comes to his interest in plants and animals naturally because his family ancestors have been American farmers since 1684.
The first orchid he purchased in 1972 was Cattleya Trimos, a primary hybrid between C. trianaei and C. mossiae. He moved to California in 1975 where he continued his love affair with orchids. Nine years later, his personal collection of orchids had grown, and he became an active participant in the local orchid community.
Overstreet began to work with orchids as a private consultant in 2000. Gradually, it became his full-time occupation. He has managed private collections for leading hobbyists in Southern California for the last 15 years. He is also an Accredited American Orchid Society Judge in the Pacific South Region.
An accomplished writer and educator, has extensive knowledge on a large number of orchid genera and has written articles for many different publications including Orchid Digest and served on their Editorial Committee as Assistant Editor.
He has spoken at various orchid societies and other groups nationwide. At present, he is employed by the Huntington Botanical Gardens and is the Orchid Specialist in charge of the Thornton Conservatory and the Ernest Hetherington Memorial Cattleya Collection.
This month’s plant table will come from the Carmela Nursery in Hawaii.
Oncidiem Dancing Lady orchid