“2026 Paphiopedilum and Phragmipedium Award Highlights and Introduction to Slipper Judging” 

Tim Culbertson:  I’ll be sharing some of the best, worst, most interesting, and most controversial awards to paphs and phrags from 2026. This year, there have been more than 200 on paphs, and some of them are just spectacular, and others are not. We will visit some of them during the presentation, and hopefully enjoy a lively discussion about how I feel, and how you all feel, about these awards. For many years, Karen Muir or I did this at Paph Guild meetings in Morro Bay, and I'm excited to bring it back. It's always fun to look at these awards! I'm hoping that when I am done reviewing them, you'll agree that there are indeed some stunning (and controversial) awards!

One of my passions has always been plants. I began growing orchids as an offshoot from working at

Longwood Gardens in Philadelphia just after college. From the very beginning, it was all about Paphs,

particularly awarded and select clones of historic importance, of which my collection numbers nearly

3000. I currently manage the paphs at Sunset Valley Orchids, and do hybridizing in a wide range of

genera. I am an accredited judge with the American Orchid Society, and have served in various

capacities with various orchid societies in California and on the East Coast. I love meeting other people

who like orchids too, and doing so often finds me traveling to shows, vendors, and peoples’ greenhouses to see the latest and greatest in new hybrids and to get the best orchid gossip. I like to be involved in plants as much as possible: in addition to Longwood, I’ve worked at the Smithsonian Institution tending to their orchids, and for years for the United States National Arboretum, collecting rare plants and documenting cultivated species and hybrids for their herbarium. In short, I really like plants.

“The Besseae Effect: Its Influence on the Genus Phragmipedium”

Eric Sauer:  The genus Phragmipedium remained largely overlooked for nearly a century until the discovery of Phragmipedium besseae in 1982. Its brilliant red-orange flowers revolutionized breeding, sparked renewed interest in the genus, and led to countless award-winning hybrids. Explore the history of Phragmipedium hybridization and the lasting impact of this remarkable species on orchid growers worldwide.

Eric has been growing orchids for over 35 years under the greenhouse name of River Valley Orchids and specializes in South American Species with a focus on Brassia, Maxillaria and Phragmipedium.  He has spoken internationally and across the United States.  Eric has had culture chapters published by Guido Braem in his book on Paphiopedilum and in his book on Phragmipedium.  He also has a feature article on Maxillaria in Orchid Digest and several of his Maxillaria photos published in Eric Christenson's book on Maxillaria.  Eric has received over 125 awards from the American Orchid Society and has four orchids named after him including two species from Ecuador.  He is the past president and current vice-president of the Miami Valley Orchid Society, past-president and first vice-president of the Mid America Orchid Congress and chair of the Ohio Valley Orchid Fest.  He has been recently appointed to the American Orchid Society Species Identification Task Force (SITF) to help confirm the identification of awarded species.   Eric also serves as one of the award photographers for the Cincinnati Judging Center.  Eric's real job is as a registered landscape architect serving as the planning manager for Five Rivers MetroParks in Dayton, Ohio.

“Slippery Tales”

Mary Gerritson:  This lecture is a compilation of Mary’s various adventures to see Orchids in the Wild. As she was preparing the lecture, it became evident that nearly every time a slipper orchid was involved, there was some additional twist and occasionally mishap! Featuring photos and travels to see slipper orchids in Thailand, Sulawesi, Borneo, southern and western China, North America, Mexico and South America. This is one of Mary’s most requested lectures, and the audiences are left roaring with laughter and clutching their sides over her descriptions of the misadventures.

Mary has been interested in plants for most of her adult life, and has been growing orchids on and off for the last 40 years, despite several cross country moves as part of her “other life” as a biomedical scientist. Her passion for orchids was rekindled when she moved to the San Francisco Bay area in 1997 and attended an orchid show. Returning home with a few plants, she decided to join a local orchid society to learn more about taking care of them, and from these beginnings, her current passion grew exponentially! Now Mary truly has put her roots down, and has orchids in two greenhouses, five lath houses, her front porch, sun room, and anywhere else she can put them. Her collection of about two thousand plants, mostly species, is rich in masdevallias and other miniature orchids of many different genera. Mary has traveled extensively to see orchids in situ, including many countries in Central and South America, Southeast Asia, as well as Australia, Papua New Guinea, South Africa, Madagascar, Europe & Mediterranean islands, the USA and Canada. She has co-authored six botanical books with co-author and photographer Ron Parsons “Masdevallias, Gems of the Orchid World”, “Calochortus, Mariposa Lilies and their Relatives”, “A Compendium of Miniature Orchid Species” (a two book set), “A Bay Area Guide to Orchids and their Culture” “The American Orchid Society Guide to Orchids and their Culture”, and the recently released “The Compendium of Miniature Orchid Species, 2nd edition” (a four book set). Mary has served as president and vice president for both the Peninsula and San Francisco Orchid Societies, and is currently president and chief executive officer of the Orchid Conservation Alliance and a director of the Orchid Digest.

“Slipper Orchid Culture: The secret to gold medal-winning plants”

Zoltan Udvarhelyi:  I graduated as a horticultural engineer at the Gardening University in 2007.  I bought my first orchids in 2008.  I am the member of the Hungarian Orchid Society since 2012.  I was the Vice President of the Hungarian Orchid Society from 2014 - 2022.  At the same time I was the organizer of the Orchid exhibitions!  I have a 35m2 greenhouse just for orchids. My favorites are Paphiopedilum and Phragmipedium, but I successfully cultivate Dendrobium's and Bulbophyllum's as well. Since 2014 I attended for different Hungarian and International Orchid exhibitions. My biggest success was to win 9 gold, 3 silver and 2 bronze medals on the 2026 World Orchid Conference in Dresden, where I was invited personally by the President of the German Orchid Society.