Newsletter  January 17, 2010

     The New Year is off and running and it is hard to believe that January is more than half over already!  We are very busy so I expect that is why the time seems to be flying by.

     On Tuesday, January 12th I taped two segments for the Martha Stewart TV show.   They will air on Monday January 18th.   If you don't see it, the segments will be available on our webpage for viewing 4-5 days after the actual air date.  John and I had a fun day in New York City working with the staff of the show.  We brought a van load of orchids along for the appearance and the set designer was quite happy to have these to decorate with throughout the studio.  It looked great!   Martha is very cool, calm, collected and 100% professional on the set.  I think she has to be because there are about 30 people doing an incredible number of tasks in the hours leading up to the taping.  They are all intense and a little frantic until the show is over.  She is the focus of all this attention and I am sure she has developed this very concentrated and calm persona to be able to do her job so well in the midst of mild hysteria.  They produce 5 shows in 3 days and three of them are broadcast live.  Talk about pressure!!!   It was great fun, I hope you will watch it.

     John and I have a lot of travel in the immediate future.   I am leaving for Hawaii on Sunday, January 24 and will be there until February 2nd.  It is my typical winter trip, shopping for new and interesting things and visiting with our suppliers and friends to see what plants we will be able to offer in the months ahead.  Shortly after I return, John will depart for the Tokyo Dome Show in Japan.  On the way, he will spend two days in Hawaii for the purpose of looking at Paphiopedilums.  He manages and markets our Paph collection so it best for him to scour the thousands of seedlings in Hawaii himself to make selections for our inventory.   After this, he will fly on to Tokyo to enjoy the Dome show.  This is likely the most famous and exciting orchid show in the world and we have never experienced it.  Now is the time!    I wish I could go along but it is almost impossible for both of us to be away from the nursery at this time of year. I am sure we will be posting stories and pictures from our trips in the next couple of months.  Stay tuned.

     If you visit the nursery this month, you will see that we have closed two greenhouses this winter.  This was quite a challenge to manage our inventory, keep the selection diverse, interesting and complete.   However, the volatile price of propane for heating is forcing our hand.  We speak to the supply companies and there always some illusive reason that prices had to rise again.  Everyone is aware of this situation as it is the same at the gas pump!   Our greenhouses may be a little packed full at this moment, but we have a great selection of plants and are doing our best to keep it exciting and current here at Parkside. 

     In the next couple of months there are a good number of orchid displays and shows around the country.   In our part of the world you can attend beautiful displays at the New York Botanic Garden, Longwood Gardens, the Phipps Conservatory and the Smithsonian Institute.   The major horticultural institutions around the country have figured out that orchid displays, in the winter season, sell lots of tickets, so it has become a regular feature at many places.  Be sure to take advantage of this and enjoy the beauty.

     We had a fun group of about 25 people on January 16th for our "How to Grow Phalaenopsis" class.  There are more classes coming up in the next couple of months, so be sure to look for Coming Events here on our website.

     You may have seen our announcement that we will not host the Annual Summer Orchid Fest any longer at Parkside.  We had 12 great years and are ready to change the complexion of our summer season.    I am very happy to announce that Silva Orchids of Neptune, NJ has picked up the ball and will run with it.   They are currently planning to host the SHORE ORCHID FESTIVAL on July 23 to 25, 2010.  Stay tuned and we will provide more information as the dates get closer.

All the best, from Tom @ Parkside 

 
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