CANWOS

Welcome to the Cheshire and North Wales Orchid Society website !

We are a group of enthusiasts who meet to share our enjoyment of orchids.
Membership is open to anyone who is interested.
Beginners are very welcome!
Web site last update - 12^th September 2024

PRIVACY: This is a passive web site whose purpose is to share information with Society members and the public at large. We do not use cookies; we collect no data.

Update email for 13^th September 2024

OUR NEXT MEETING

The AGM

Gordale 2025

Dates of future meetings

OUR NEXT MEETING will be on Friday 20^th September 2024 at St Mary’s Church Hall, opening at 7pm.

At 7.30pm, I will Introduce Andrew Bannister from Orchid Alchemy to tell us about growing ‘Growing Tropical Orchids without Heat’. Andrew runs Orchid Alchemy, germinating orchid seed, growing on the seedlings, deflasking them and getting them established before offering them for sale.

He will have some with him on Friday. I have bought quite a few of his over the years and they tend to do well. They certainly did him well at Gardeners’ World Live in June when he won the prize for the best commercial stand as well as lots of awards for adult plants.

orchid

We can then do some of our usual activities, admiring the plant table and- importantly – talking about it, discussing the flowers and how to grow the plants. We will have a raffle – prizes welcome – and, if needed, a members’ plant sale (please let me know in advance if you wish to sell anything!) We might even chat amongst ourselves. Yes, Yes, I know we will!!

We do not yet have a volunteer to do the teas.

The AGM will be held as part of our October meeting. Our financial year ends on 31^st August and it has become impractical to sort out the accounts and have them Examined in time for our September Meeting. This compatible with our Constitution which specifies that the AGM be held within two months of the end of the financial year.

Gordale 2025

I am pleased to report that we have received an invitation to Gordale Orchid Event on 24/25 January 2025, together with an apology for not getting one last year. You will not be surprised that I accepted immediately!

Dates of future meetings

Our further meetings for the season will be held on 18^th October, 15^th November, 17^th January, 21^st February, 21^st March, 25^th April, 16^th May, 20^th June. Can I suggest that you put them in your diaries / calendars now. The are also on our web site at www.canwos.org.uk Usually they are the third Friday of the month but the April date is a week later than usual. Unfortunately that would have had us meeting on Good Friday.

Celia and I will be eating in The Ship Inn beforehand ie 5.45pm. If you would like to join us there, please let me know as soon as possible and no later than lunch time the previous day so I can book the table.

Best wishes

iain

Iain Wright

Public Contact, CANWOS

07831 121 697

PS Apologies to Ciaran from Chester Zoo whose email I accidentally deleted irretrievably. Please resend your email or just come to a meeting!

Programme for 2024/2025 season

2024
Friday 20^th September	Tropical orchids without heat Andrew Bannister Orchids for sale
Friday 18^th October	The AGM with other delights
Friday 15^th November	To be announced
2025
Friday 17^th January	To be announced
Friday 25/26^th January	Gordale Nursery Orchid Festival CANWOS will put on a display
Friday 21^st February	To be announced
Friday 21^st March	To be announced
Friday 25^th April	To be announced
Friday 16^th May	To be announced
Friday 20^st June	To be announced
Friday 19^th September	To be announced
Friday 17^th October	The AGM

Contact us

Click here.

Some useful links

British Orchid Council	Our national organisation for orchid growing. There are lots of links here to other orchid societies around the country.
Latest BOC Update Newsletter	Clicking this link will open the latest BOC Update Newsletter in a new window.
Plants of the World	The Kew database of species plants. Search by genus or species.
Jay Pfahl's Orchid Photographs	For photographs of orchid species,this is the place for you. Access the photos of over 24,186 orchids.
The International Orchid Register	Search the database of registered hybrids. Use full or partial names to identify parents and children of a grex.
Orchid History	Ron Rigby's site - with lots of information on the history of orchid growing is now back.

Where We Meet

We use the hall just behind St Mary's Church on Overleigh Road, just South of the River Dee.

The post code for the Church is CH4 7HL.

View Google Map

local map

The church is an imposing building and easily spotted, whether you approach from the city center by way of the old bridge ...
from the east

... or from the west by way of the new bridge or the Wrexham road / A55 junction.

The hall is directly behind the church and hardly visible from the road.
Go down the driveway between a telephone kiosk and the church itself and turn right.
The drive way

Meetings

We meet at St Mary's Church Hall, Handbridge, Chester CH4 7HL, usually on the third Friday of the month but not in December, July or August. The Hall is open from 7.00pm.

Members are encouraged to bring their plants in flower to each meeting. There is a wealth of information within the Society and it is our tradition that this is shared freely amongst members.

We send an email to all our members about ten days before our regular meetings, to remind them what is on and to pass on other information. We are happy to send these to non-members and potential visitors - please use the index tab (☰) to reach the 'Contact Us' section.

At most meetings there is a raffle. Members often donate orchid plants. Refreshments such as tea and coffee are available during the evening, usually immediately after the speaker.

We have a library that contains many books suitable for both beginners and experts. Members can borrow books for one month and can browse the reference books, which cannot be loaned out.

Plants & Auction

At meetings where plants are not for sale by the evening's speaker, members may offer their own orchid plants for sale. A 20% seller's premium is levied and donated to the Society.

Each year we hold an auction where members buy and sell plants. Typically, about eighty plants are sold each year, usually at very advantageous prices. A seller's and buyer's premium operates (10% for each) and the proceeds are donated to the Society. This is an excellent way to extend a collection and try new types of orchid.

Membership

The annual subscription is currently £12. We no longer offer double or family membership. Subscriptions are normally paid to the Membership Secretary at or just after the October meeting.

Charitable Status

CANWOS registered with the the Charity Commission in 1993 but surrendered its registration in 2011. It is now a "Charity exempt from the need to register". Tax paying members can still benefit the Society by making a Gift Aid declaration. Details can be obtained from the Treasurer at any of the meetings.

Membership & Affiliation

The Society is a member of the British Orchid Council (BOC) and sends two representatives to its meetings. CANWOS is affiliated to the Royal Horticultural Society and members can use some of the benefits available.

Constitution

A copy of our present Constitution is available for downloading by clicking on CANWOS Constitution. This was last revised at our 2012 AGM.