Culture Classes
Our Culture Classes are held the 2nd Tuesday of every month.** Culture Classes are held in the Cedar Room at Van Dusen Botanical Gardens. Each Culture Class focuses on a single horticulture topic designed to hone your growing skills.
**There are no Culture Classes in December/January or July/August for our winter and summer breaks, respectively.
Attendance is for members only; however, we invite guests to join us for one free class by registering at secretary@vancouverorchidscociety.ca. If you would like to attend more, we invite you to become a member with us!
Classes start at 7:00 pm, and doors open at 6:30pm at the Cedar Room. Use the set up time to chat, bring questions, and trade plants. Please e-mail secretary@vancouverorchidsociety.ca for details on how to join.
2026 Presenters
| January 2026 | No classes in January** |
| February 10, 2026 | Speaker: Wesley Jellknight Topic: Mounted, Tropical Orchids in a Dark, YVR Apartment |
| March 10, 2026 | Speaker: Stanley & Ingrid Topic: Your Best Orchid Show: How to Prepare & Set Up Your Best Display |
| April 14, 2026 | Speaker: Conor Preston Topic: Deflasking – Taking Baby Orchids from Flask to ‘Let’s Get Growing’ |
| May 12, 2026 | Speaker: Wayne Riggs Topic: Growing Dendrobium cuthbersonii |
| June 9, 2026 | Speaker: Daniel Kwok Topic: My Lycaste Growing Methods! |
| July 2025 | Summer Break, no classes |
| August 2026 | Summer Break, no classes |
| Tues, September 8, 2026 | Speaker: Sam Lloyd-Burton Topic: Understanding Coelogynes |
| Tues, October 13, 2026 | Speaker: Michael Mah Topic: Indoor Growing Strategies -> Michael will guide us on his growing techniques for growing spectactular orchids indoors. He will also discuss his experiences growing orchids at Bloedel Conservatory. |
| Tues, November 10, 2026 | Speaker: Lori Barrington Topic: Genus: Masdevallia |
| December 2026 | Winter Break, no classes** |
Previous Culture Classes:
| January 2025 | No classes in January |
| February 11, 2025 | Speaker: Collis Wilson & Maureen Burke Topic: “Capturing the Best of Your Orchids: A Journey on Photography”
|
| March 11, 2025 | Speaker: Israel Olmos Topic: “Beautiful Bulbophyllums & Yes, Mine Are Now Famous!” |
| April 8, 2025 | Speaker: Robyn Gaebel Topic: “Divide & Conquer: How to Divide a Mammoth Cymbidium (& Other Orchids)” |
| May 13, 2025 | Speaker:Conor Preston Topic: “Deflasking: Taking Orchids Babies from ‘Flask’ to ‘Let’s Get Growing'” |
| June 10, 2025 |
Speaker: Stanley
Topic: Fukuran: Aspects of Wind Orchid Culture, also known as Vanda falcata and Neofinitia falcata”
Postponed for now: Margaret Prat on “Orchid Viruses”
|
| July 2025 | Summer Break, no classes |
| August 2025 | Summer Break, no classes |
November 2024: Ingrid Pike will present “Your Best Orchid Show: How to Prepare & Set Up Your Best Display”
October 2024: Daniel Kwok will present “My Exploration in Mounting Orchids” Part 2/2 of a VOS mounting series
September 2024: Conor Preston will present “Mounting your Orchids” Part 1/2 of a VOS orchid mounting series
June 2024: Daniel Testar will present “Growing Orchids in a Grow Tent”
May 2024: Lori Barrington will present “Sharing How I Grow Paphiopedilums”
April 2024: Conor Preston will present “Deflasking Your New Orchid Babies: Growing Them On Mounted & Potted”
March 2024: Wayne Riggs will present “Importing Orchids into Canada: Trials & Tribulations”
February 2024: Adam Ludlow will present “Beginner’s Culture Class: A Friend Gave You an Orchid – Now What?”
May 2023: Adam Ludlow will present “Pot Culture and Media: Impacting Your Orchid Success”
June 2023: Neil Yates will present “Orchids Surviving Shipping”
September 2023: Conor Preston will present “Orchid Mounting”
October 2023: Chris Vanderkooi will present “Transitioning Orchids Outdoors and Back Indoors, Hardiness Zone 8b”
November 2023: Eugene Banzinger will present “What to Do with Bare-root Orchids and Some Potting”