Aussie Dendrobiums and their Cultivation” 
Our friends down under have been breeding their native Dendrobiums and creating some fantastic flowers; the word is out!   Aussie Dens are easy to grow, tolerant of heat and cold, have fragrant flowers, and re-bloom from the old bulbs!!!  They grow well with Cattleyas and in frost-free areas. They are perfect plants for the shade house.   

Our friends down under have been breeding their native Dendrobiums and creating some fantastic flowers, the word is out! Aussie Dens are easy to grow, tolerant of heat and cold, have fragrant flowers, and re-bloom from the old bulbs!!! They grow well in a wide variety of conditions, they are perfect plants for summering in the shade house and then bring in doors once night are in the low 40’s or stay outside year-round in frost free areas. In conclusion we cover the ‘best growing practices’ for cultivating these remarkable plants.

The presenter will be Fred Clarke of Sunset Valley Orchids in Vista. Fred Clarke has been growing orchids for 42 years and has been hybridizing for 38 of those years. With over 34 years as a professional grower and manager in the horticultural industry, Fred applies these skills at his orchid nursery; Sunset Valley Orchids, located in San Diego, California. He is a passionate orchid grower whose curiosity in orchids is broad and varied. Although developing Cattleya hybrids has been his sustaining interest, he is also actively creating new Paphiopedilum and Aussie Dendrobium hybrids plus some others to be named if they work out! 

His pioneering work in Catasetum intergeneric hybrids led to the development of several notable hybrids, most recently the grex, Fredclarkeara After Dark, which produced “the blackest flower ever witnessed”. This grex has received over 100 awards worldwide with nine FCC’s and thirty AM’s from the AOS judges!

Fred is an Accredited Judge in the Pacific South Judging Region. His plants have received hundreds of quality awards from the American Orchid Society.