Latest News

News and pictures from our latest meetings and events

March 2026 monthly meeting

Our guest speaker this month was Simon White, who is now retired after a career of 43 years working for a single company - Peter Beales Roses (now part of Bells Horticultural). After introducing some of the horticultural sundries that he had brought for sale, Simon...

February 2026 meeting

NEWS We ask members to rally round to support our Annual Show on 7 March, in particular: Help with catering, to provide cakes etc. - Grazyna has a list. Volunteers to help run the kitchen, tombola etc. This is a pressing need, as a number of members who would...

January 2026 monthly meeting

NEWS This month we had our Plant Clinic, where our experienced growers Bill Gardiner and Andy Gissing (and anyone else able to contribute) gave advice to mermbers about problem plants they brought to the meeting. Tony Weavers won the Novices table with one of his...

November 2025 monthly meeting

NEWS This was our annual social evening - we took part in a 'Round the World' Picture Quiz, won by Sue and John, then shared a buffet meal.  Ken Frost won the 'Novices' table with his Dendrobium hybrid, and Paul Eaton won the 'Winners' table with his Masdevallia...

October 2025 monthly meeting

NEWS Andy Gissing brought in cakes in celebration of Angela’s 85th birthday. David Mittel won the Novices table with his Miltonia Queen Anne. Bill Gardiner won the Winners table with his Bulbophyllum Elizabeth Ann Buckleberry. Runner-up was Paul Eaton with his...

September 2025 monthly meeting

NEWS Entries for the BOC photo competition this year will be accepted from individuals, not Societies as in the past.  The closing date for entries is 31-Dec-25 (although they would like to receive them earlier if possible) - Carol wil send out details. The November...

June 2025 monthly meeting

NEWS We started with the Society’s Annual General Meeting, in which the Society’s officers gave their reports on a successful year and were re-elected en bloc for another year.  ‘Presentation of Trophies’ had to be deferred due to missing trophies and recipients....

May 2025 monthly meeting and Suffolk Show

NEWS As usual, our May meeting took place while the Suffolk Show was on, and we were all delighted to hear that our stand at the Show had won a Large Gold and the Notcutt's Salver "For the Best Flower Show Trade Exhibit of under 37 square metres ground area",...

April 2025 monthly meeting

NEWS Our meeting on 30-April coincided with the 70th birthday of Bill Gardiner, our Chair, so we sang 'Happy Birthday' to him and were treated to delicious cake with our tea and coffee. We were delighted to welcome six newcomers to the meeting - as with any Society,...

Suffolk Orchid Society Annual Show 29-Mar-25

Our Annual Show this year was very successful, with attendance 15% up on last year. Our members put up a lovely display: Our friends from the...

November Table Winner

Bill Haldane presented this unusual Dendrochilum arachnites. It is commonly called the Spider Dendrochilum because its flowers are more spidery than other types. Plants can be grown from cool to warm temperatures in medium light. They like to be potted in fine bark...

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September Table Winner

There were no plants in the Novice section this meeting but Paul Eaton celebrated his promotion to "expert" status by being one half of a draw with Bill Haldane. Paul exhibited a pretty yellow Masdevallia hybrid. Paul does well with this genera and has often brought...

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June Table Winner

This well grown plant of Neofinetia falcata, belonging to Bill Haldane, won the June experts table display. (There was no novice exhibit this month.) Bill grows it hanging as high as possible in the coolest part of the warm house. Like vandas, it likes free draining...

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Woodbridge Flower Show

On 1st July Steve, myself and my husband attended the Woodbridge Horticultural Society’s Flower Show. Although we had a smaller table than last year we had a variety of different orchid types. We had several queries about plants on the table and hopefully encouraged a...

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Suffolk Show Success

Once again we won a large gold medal. Well done everyone especially Steve for putting on a glorious display at this year’s Suffolk Show. Bill G. again bought some spectacular specimen plants but we could not do without the plants provided by other members who found...

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March and April Table Winners

This handsome Masdevallia ignea won the experts display in April and belongs to Bill Gardiner. He has had it for some time and it is has grown in to this spectacular specimen! Bill keeps all his masdevallia in the cool and shade putting them in the cool house in...

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Show report

The 25th March, the day of our show, dawned bright, sunny but cold. A grand cohort of members arrived and having set up the display table and sales stands there was ample time to eat the bacon roll offered by the kitchen “staff” before the members of the public...

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Kew Gardens Visit

On a cold, damp and grey morning on 5th February we met boarded a cosy coach outside our usual meeting place to head off to Kew Gardens. The journey coincided with major road works on the A12 and increasing traffic meant we arrived later than expected but Bala was...

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January Table Winners

The expert table was won by a buttercup yellow Potinaria Hwa Yuan Gold grown by Bill Gardiner.This is a division of another plant. Bill grows it as a cattleya but has found it benefits from more light-he grows it under a grow lamp and more heat–it is positioned in a...

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British Orchid Council Congress in Norwich

On the weekend of 5th and 6th November 2016 we put on a magnificent display of our members orchids. The two Bills, Angela and Aubrey went up on the Friday afternoon to assemble it. It looked great! It looked even better the following day when several plants were...

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September Table Winners

This month's novice table winners were the Tweeds who presented a beautiful, spotted Vanda hybrid which they bought from Laurence a couple of years ago. They tried growing it in a glass vase without success before resorting to planting it in a bark in a pot. They keep...

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Garden Party

Grazyna and Jonathan made us very welcome at their house on the afternoon of 23rd July. Fortunately the sun continued shining from the previous week's record temperatures! All those who were there were able to shelter under the parasol, gazebo or one of the many trees...

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