AOS 8th ORCHID CULTURE DAY - STEP INTO THE WORLD OF SLIPPERS

Please join us and register for the AOS 8th ORCHID CULTURE DAY - STEP INTO THE WORLD OF SLIPPERS on Jan 25, 2026, 11:00 AM EST at:

https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/4449982394651231832

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.

JOIN US FOR AN OUTSTANDING ONLINE EVENT
Our Speakers:
11-11:45 Graham Ramsey - Growing Phragmipediums
11:45-12:00 Q and A
12:00-12:15 Break and Spin the Wheel
12:15-1:00 Alina Furtak - Brachypetalum Species Culture
1:00-1:15 Q and A
1:15-1:30 Break and Spin the Wheel
1:30-2:15 Nile Dusdieker- North American Cypripedium Habitat and Culture
2:15-2:30 Q and A
2:30-2:45 Break and Spin the Wheel
2:45-3:30 Esteban (Steve) Gonzalez- Brachypetalum Hybrids Culture
3:30-3:45 Q and A.
3:45 Wrap up

Graham Ramsey-   Growing Phragmipediums

Graham was bitten by the orchid bug about 20 years ago. His first orchid was a white Phalaenopsis. However, he did not become obsessed until his mother-in-law sent two boxes full of 'not white Phalaenopsis.' He then joined the Western North Carolina Orchid Society where he has since served as Board member, Vice President, President, and Annual Show Chair (for 11 years).   He currently serves on the AOS Membership and Marketing Committee and the Affiliated Societies Committee.  He is also skilled at home propagation.  He has registered 12 orchid hybrids and has received over 40 AOS awards, 7 of them on his own hybrids.

Alina Furtak- Brachypetalum Species Culture

Alina is an AOS accredited judge in the Toronto Judging Center and is also President of the Southern Ontario Orchid Society (SOOS).  She particularly enjoys putting together award-winning orchid show displays. An adventurer at heart, Alina loves exploring native orchid habitats in exotic destinations.  Her passion for orchids stems from early childhood where she was introduced to the world of flowers by her grandmother, who cultivated plants for the local flower market and subscribed to multiple botanical magazines.

Nile Dusdieker- North American Cypripedium Habitat and Culture 

Nile is a gastroenterologist by trade, and he incorporates his love for science into his orchid hobby.  He is an accredited judge with the Chicago Judging Center and lives in Iowa, where he grows varied exotic orchids by replicating their natural habitat conditions. Nile is known for his contributions and leadership not only in orchid cultivation and preservation but also in education, arts, and civics.  Nile serves on the AOS Development Committee and is a member of the Orchids Magazine Editorial Board.  He has authored many Orchids Magazine articles and presented varied AOS Webinars on orchid growing and preservation.  A passionate and successful orchid hobbyist, he and his wife, Lois, have received over 20 AOS awards.

Esteban (Steve) Gonzalez- Brachypetalum Hybrids Culture

Steve has been growing orchids for over 45 years since landing a neighborhood garden job repotting Cattleyas in Rio Piedras, Puerto Rico.  He is a past president and has been a member of the Orchid Society of Minnesota since 1991 and is currently Chair of the Chicago Judging Center.  At a 1977 semi-annual AOS meeting and show at the Caribe Hilton Hotel, he was gifted a plant of Paphiopedilum niveum – this ignited his passion for Brachypetalums.  Although this plant did not live long, as time passed and resources improved, passion for these plants deepened for both him and his spouse, Patricia Kono.