November 2025 Meeting

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Hello OSWP Members and Friends,

 

Below is the information regarding our upcoming meeting on Sunday, November 16th, at Spartan Event Center: 134 E. Elizabeth Street, 15207. (Off Second Avenue in Hazelwood)

 

Parking in the lot at the door, street parking, or in the overflow lot across the street.

 

12:30 Spartan Center opens

 

12:45

Kim Feddersen will have orchids for sale. Members may not sell their orchids at this meeting. Come and shop!

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PLEASE NOTE: Our agreement with the Spartan Center requires us to cover the tables. Please wait until the tables get covered before putting anything on them.

 

1:00 Mini-Class in upstairs classroom
Topic: Winter Care for Your Orchids
Speaker: Gary VanGelder​

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1:45 Refreshments

 

2:00 OSWP Business Meeting, Show and Tell, Raffle

Lots of information about the OSWP to be discussed, see our members beautiful orchids in bloom and learn about them and buy a ticket and win something from our raffle table.

 

2:45 Break

 

3:00 Speakers 

Kim Feddersen* of Fair Orchids, NJ, on Growing Vandas in the Northeast

 

4:00 Meeting Over and Clean-up

 

4:30 Spartan Center closes

 

We hope to see you there to hear great growing information and learn more about orchid plants and orchid people.  

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Happy Growing and Think Orchids,

Gary and Demetria

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November Speaker: Kim Feddersen

I am a third generation orchidholic; I am a member of the American Orchid Society, and several local societies. My grandfather spent 8 years in Malaysia, where he indulged his botanical interests. My dad had a retail orchid nursery (Orkidé Kultur) in Denmark; I started working in his nursery after school when I was 15 and continued till I left for the US 9 years later. My dad’s first love was Paphiopedilums (Cypripediums to him), and that bug turned out to be infectious. Those were the days of wild collected plants, but my dad did some hybridizing also, including in Vandas, which kindled my second orchid passion.

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I have grown Orchids as a hobby grower for about 25 years, starting in windows, moving to lights in the basement, and finally into a shared greenhouse, where my collection numbered some 1500+ plants, mostly Paphiopedilum and Vandaceous, but also ranging into Cattleyas, Aussie Dendrobiums, pendulous Cymbidiums and Lycastes. I have done a little breeding in Paphs, miniature Vandaceous and more recently Cymbidium and Cattleyas.

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A December 2017 a freeze at the old Tewkesbury Orchids wiped out my entire intermediate/warm collection. Due to space constraints, I had moved my cool growing plants to a different location, so my Cymbidiums, Laelia anceps & Aussie Dendrobiums were not affected. I now have a full 2500 sqft greenhouse at my disposal at Flemington Orchids, so my collection has somehow grown accordingly – with heavy emphasis on Cattleyas (especially L. anceps and B. nodosa hybrids). In addition to the orchids, I am also dabbling in Hoyas, Clivia miniata, and assorted succulents.

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I started exhibiting at the NJ shows in 2013. Following the end of my corporate career, I have expanded my orchid activities significantly. I participate in regional shows in NJ, PA, NY, CT, MA, MD and NH under the Fair Orchids identity, and I have so far collected 19 AOS awards (mix of flower quality and cultural).

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In 2022 Carolyn and I moved from Maplewood to North Plainfield, NJ. We are now working on the design and planting of a property that is more than twice as large as our old one. Considering that we left a perpetually flowering yard, and there are only 3 Peonies in our new garden, we have some work cut out for us. I continue to do speaking engagements for garden clubs, master gardeners and orchid societies on a variety of subjects related to orchids.