Taranaki Orchid Society

29/07/2026

Yes, it is true - don’t mow your lawns.

Hundreds of wild orchids unexpectedly bloomed among the historic ruins of Fountains Abbey in North Yorkshire after changes were made to the site's mowing regime in 2024 to accommodate the filming of Danny Boyle’s film 28 Years Later.
National Trust archaeologists note that the phenomenon—dubbed "zombie orchids"—likely occurred because seeds brought in via historical topsoil movements in the mid-19th century lay dormant underground for more than 170 years before altering mowing routines allowed them to finally germinate and emerge.

15/05/2026

Last Sunday’s meeting was a wonderful success, with an awesome turnout enjoying our brand-new venue and a truly spectacular display of blooms.

Alongside some cultural notes, we held a fantastic group discussion offering advice and rescue strategies for plants needing a bit of extra help.

A massive thank you to Judy for her brilliant talk on shade house construction—her tips gave us all plenty of food for thought! We are looking forward to visit and have a look at yours.

Congratulations to our Popular Vote Winners:
• 1st Place: Murray Fawcett
• 2nd Place: Joy Hopson (winning the runner-up spot twice!)

Thank you to everyone who brought along their plants and some treats to make Mother’s Day a little extra special. See you all next month again!

16/04/2026

One day left to post your plants on Facebook. Just created a new post to post all your pictures at once. Members of the group will get notified about new posts.

15/04/2026

In case someone needs a holiday…

Our Orchids of Rhodes tours have concluded for this year, and were a resounding success, with almost 60 species recorded, and a kaleidoscope of hybrids and colour forms.

Nobody knows the island's orchids as well as us, and it's no wonder our Orchids of Rhodes tours for 2027 and 2028 are both fully booked. We've laid on a second Orchids of Rhodes tour for 2028, dates 24-31 March - and it's already a guaranteed departure.

As with ALL of our orchid tours, and ever since our very first orchid tour, this generates a donation to support the great conservation work of Botanical Society of Britain & Ireland.

https://www.mariposanature.com/tours/botanical/orchids-of-rhodes-25

13/04/2026

The Hawke's Bay Orchid Society warmly invites all Taranaki Society Members to this Premier National Event June 12–14, 2026 in Napier.

This is a rare opportunity to get an "insider’s view of the judging process " with the experts but also meet and connect with orchid enthusiasts from all over the country.

Event Highlights
Inside the Judging Room: Featuring guest speakers John Mort and Jason Strong.

50th Anniversary Celebration: Join the official OCNZ 50th Anniversary cake cutting.

Symposium Dinner: A formal evening at the historic Mission Estate Winery.

Please get in touch if you need the official invitation and registration forms.
Closing Date: Registrations and payments must be submitted by May 4th.

This is an event not to be missed. Everyone is welcome!

11/04/2026

Taranaki Orchid Society members only, please:
Since our meeting is postponed let’s showcase the plants that would have been displayed today.
Please put your plants up on our page too so everyone gets a chance of winning popular vote for today.
The most liked plant will be our popular vote for today.

Popular vote closes Friday, March 17. This should give everyone enough time to put pictures up. Please don’t forget to put names of the plant either on the picture or in the comments.

Let’s have some fun on a very wet Sunday.

11/04/2026

On Sunday, when Cyclone Vaianu is expected to make landfall, all of the North Island is under either a heavy rain watch, strong wind warning or heavy rain warning.

In light of the unpredictable weather conditions and the current warnings for the Taranaki region, I have decided to postpone tomorrow’s meeting.

While it appears our area may not bear the full brunt of the storm, the forecast remains unsettled enough to make travel and attendance an unnecessary risk.

My priority is everyone’s safety, and I expect everyone to hunker down and stay off the roads should conditions deteriorate.

A new date for the meeting will be advised as soon as it has been arranged.

Apologies for any inconvenience.

Please stay safe!