The Orchid Gallery’s Geraldine Powell, an expert in growing cool loving orchids and developer of the Cool Pot™ for masdevallias, miltoniopsis and various pleurothallids, is available.

Powell, co-owner of The Orchid Gallery in Chattanooga, TN, has been growing orchids for more than 30 years and her plants have won numerous AOS awards.

Her talk, often humorous and accompanied by a Power Point slide show, covers the ABCs of growing orchids that like to be cool and damp. The program focuses on dealing with the problems associated with growing Masdevallias and Miltoniopsis in warm climates.

 

Recent speaking engagements have included the Atlanta Orchid Society, the Orchid Society of Middle Tennessee and the Memphis, TN Orchid Society, as well as the Virginia Orchid Society in Richmond, VA, National Capitol in Washington, DC,  the Maryland Orchid Society and the Smoky Mountain Orchid Society.
Powell is also a master potter and developer of  The Orchid Gallery’s Cool Pots™ and Never-Rot ceramic mounts.

 

Cool Pots have a clay cone in the center and the drain holes are elevated slightly above the bottom of the pot, so the pot holds a small amount of water at the bottom after watering. They are fairly porous and absorb that water quickly. The water then evaporates from the outside of the pot and down through the center cone.  This acts as an evaporative cooler and keeps the media around the roots 8 to 10 degrees cooler than it normally would be.

Powell is available for orchid society meetings for a speaker’s fee of $100 to $150, plus travel expenses and the right to sell orchids and Cool Pots™ at a society’s meeting. The presentation runs 45 minutes to an hour, followed by a question and answer period.

Her latest talk topic is "How to Upgrade Your Orchid Collection," designed for those who want to get past the beginner stage of their orchid hobby.

 

The fee for an "Orchids 101" talk at a garden club in the Chattanooga area is only $25.

 

Call Geraldine at 423-886-2950 or email us at theorchidgallery@aol.com.