San Diego County Orchid Society

Transcription

1 Purpose: To promote interest in orchids and their cultivation, to educate by exchanging information and experiences related to successful orchid culture, and to support the conservation of orchids in the wild. Volume 131 December San Diego County Orchid Society HOLIDAY PARTY December 1, 6:00 PM Casa Del Prado Room 104 The December Novice and General Meetings are canceled so that we can celebrate the holidays during our special, annual Orchid Society event. Join us on December 1 at 6:00 for a pot luck and orchid plant exchange. All members are welcome to bring one guest. Potluck: Since this is a pot luck, we ask that each member bring a dish. Make sure to bring serving utensils and appropriate condiments for your dish, too. Containers for sharing food should have your name on them. Please pre-cut cakes, pies, lasagnas, casseroles, etc., and bring serving utensils. Please let us know what you are bringing to the potluck contact Steve Mallory at or oborchids@gmail.com Orchid Plant Exchange: The gift plant exchange is a wonderful way to enjoy the festivities. Bring an orchid plant with your name (and the plant s name) attached to it and clearly showing. No pots, stakes, books, or other orchid supplies will be allowed for trade; just bring orchids (potted, in baskets, or mounted no bareroot plants, please). Here is how the plant exchange works: one person is selected by the President to start the ball rolling, and they go to the table and choose the orchid gift they like best. The person whose name is on the plant they chose is called up, and then that person picks a plant. The name of the person whose plant they selected is called to choose a plant, and so on, and so on. The nicest plants are always picked first, so if you want to optimize your choices, bring something special! The nicer the plant, the better your choices will be from the remaining gifts. If you don t go home with something nice from this event, it s your own fault! Your present has to be nice enough that someone will want to pick it. And when they do, it s your turn to select a plant! Also, all SDCOS members will receive a free orchid plant to show our appreciation for your membership. People with dual memberships must both be present to get their two free plants. Gift plants will be handed out with raffle tickets. The plants are from the following folks: Cal Orchids, Andy's, Fred Clarke, And Loren Batchman. Volunteers are needed to help set up and take down tables (setup begins at 4:30), so please call David Brown (619) if you have time to lend a hand!!

2 December 2009 San Diego County Orchid Society Board of Directors President: David Brown First VP: Steve Mallory Second VP: Bruce Berg Treasurer: Lynn Ford Secretary: Dave Hoffmaster Directors: Bob Clark Christopher Croom Kevin Rynearson Receive your SDCOS Newsletter by ! Contact Bob Clark at You are invited to subscribe to California Garden Past President: Genie Hammond The perfect gift for a friend, relative or neighbor. 1 year subscription: $12 2 year subscription: $20 Meetings San Diego Orchid Society meetings are held the first Tuesday of each month at the Casa Del Prado in Balboa Park. Novice Class: 6:30 PM, Room 104 General Meeting: 7:30 PM, Room 101 Newsletter Entries If you have monthly meetings, classifieds, submissions of interest, photos, or announcements related to orchids, please contact Christopher Croom at (619) or batescroom@cox.net. Advertisers Please contact Lynn Ford at (619) or lynnford10@earthlink.net. Information for the January newsletter must be submitted by December 15. Membership in the SAN DIEGO Floral Association: $15 (619) Casa de las Orquideas Open House Loren and Nancy Batchman Casa de las Orquideas is once again having an Open House. We have lots of new cymbidium seedlings and meristems waiting to make their debut! Come visit us December 5 and 6 between 9 AM and 4 PM. Special guest growers, including Andy's Orchids and The Rowland Collection, will also be here. Watch our website at for further details, and contact us at casa@orquideas.com or (858) Our address is 170 S. Nardo Ave., Solana Beach, CA Parking is limited - please consider carpooling. Page 2

3 d or ch id s.c om Orchid Dates to Remember December 1 SDCOS Holiday Party See details on page 1 December 2 Palomar Orchid Society Meeting Culture class at 6:30; meeting at 7:30 First Wednesday of the month The Carlsbad Woman s Club 3320 Monroe Street, Carlsbad Melana Walding (760) December 3, 7:00 PM SDCOS Board Meeting Normally, the Thursday following the General Meeting (usually the first Thursday of the month; second Friday of the month in rare cases) Balboa Park, Rm. 104 December 5 SDCOS Species Group Meeting First Saturday of the month Paul or Ann Tuskes (858) December 16 Cymbidium Society Meeting Regular meeting, third Wednesday of month Culture class at 6:30, Meeting at 7:00 PM The Carlsbad Woman's Club 3320 Monroe Street, Carlsbad (858) December 18 San Diego Zoo's Orchid Odyssey Third Friday of the month 10 AM-2 PM (orchid greenhouse is open) Janette Gerrity (619) ext November Orchids in Paradise Orchid Society of Santa Barbara Fall Show and Sale Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History January 16-17, 2010 San Diego Orchid Society Minishow Balboa Park February 6, 2010 Annual Orchid Auction Preview at 11 AM, auction at 12 noon Woman s Club of Carlsbad March 12-14, 2010 The 65th Santa Barbara International Orchid Show Nature in Harmony December 2009 March 25 28, 2010 The 64th San Diego County Orchid Society Show and Sale A Rainbow of Orchids If you have any announcements that you would like included in the Dates to Remember section of the newsletter, please batescroom@cox.net. San Diego County Orchid Society Show in the Park January 16-17, 2010 Room 101 of the Casa del Prado Balboa Park sdorchids.com Page 3

4 December 2009 Granite Hills Orchids 2009 list of Dendrobium speciosum is now available. Check on my website Click on INVENTORY on the navigation bar to view the listing and the pictures. If you would rather, me at and I can forward you a copy without the pictures. These plants will go quickly as they are divisions of prime Australian plants. Put in your order quickly by or by phone at (619) Orchid growers, summer is here and it is time to re-pot your Orchids! Use KIWI ORCHID BARK imported from New Zealand This is the best bark available. It is very hard, resists breakdown and is long-lasting. Your orchids deserve the best! Perfect for Cattleyas, Cymbidums, Paphiopedilum, Phalaenopsis, etc. $20.00 per 50 ltr. bag in three sizes: small, medium and large. Are you using De-ionized or Reverse Osmosis water? Try my custom fertilizer blend designed for pure water; your plants will grow and bloom better. Available at: Sunset Valley Orchids 1255 Navel Place Vista, CA (760) fred.clarke@worldnet.att.net San Diego County Orchid Society Membership We invite you to join the San Diego County Orchid Society! Receive this newsletter and many other benefits, including a holiday party and a free orchid at the end of the year! To join, please send your check for $20 for an individual membership or $25 for a dual membership, payable to SDCOS, to: San Diego County Orchid Society P.O. Box San Diego, CA For further details, contact membership@sdorchids.com Page 4

5 d or ch id s.c om Help Hotline The SDCOS offers this service to members who seek cultural information about their orchids. Here are some friendly hobbyists with a great deal of experience about certain types of orchids, and they have kindly volunteered to answer your questions. Cattleyas, Oncidium/Odonts, Vandaceous Greenhouse grown, West SD County Helmut Rohrl (858) Species, all types Indoor and outdoor Ann & Paul Tuskes (858) December 2009 Cal Pacific Orchid Farm 1000 s of blooming orchids in our 36,000 square foot greenhouse Brassia Encyclia Cattleya Miltonia Colmanara Mokara Phalaenopsis Cymbidium Oncidium Vanda Dendrobium Paphiopedilum Degarmora Species Mounted Plants And More The Southland s Largest Showroom Open to the Public Paphiopedilums Ann Tuskes (858) Phalaenopsis, Cattleyas, Dendrobiums Bob Swanson (619) Vandas, Ascocendas Edith and Leno Galvan (619) We Also Offer: Custom Arrangements Room & Board Program FedEx Shipping Nationwide Hours: 8 a.m. 4 p.m. M-F 9 a.m. 4 p.m. Sat (760) Orpheus Ave Leucadia, CA Encyclias, Epidendrums, Laelias Christopher Croom (619) Pleurothallids Christopher Croom (619) Cymbidiums Loren Batchman casa@orquideas.com Northeast County, all types Dave Reid (7 60) San Diego Central Outdoor, all types Jim Wright (619) Fred Tomaschke (619) San Diego East County, all types Bud Close (619) South County, all types Genie Hammond (619) ~ANDY S ORCHIDS~ The Species Specialist Beautifully mounted epiphytes and potted terrestrials. Many rare and exotic orchids. Blooming size, established species are what we do best! Our MAIL ORDER CATALOG features many new and unusual species from around the world with descriptions and cultural requirements, plus Andy s orchid growing tips. For your copy, call write, fax or us and we will send our latest issue. Your satisfaction is Guaranteed. We take pride in our reputation for selling a wellestablished plant and will replace it if you are not satisfied upon receipt. We are open by Appointment Only, so call in advance and make yours! Andy Phillips 734 Oceanview Ave., Encinitas, CA Phone Fax speciesnut@andysorchids.com Page 5

6 December 2009 ORCHID THOUGHTS AND WONDERINGS Dateline-November 18, 2009 From you crazy show chairman-tom Biggart Wow, I got an from Chris Croom about where was this article and I realized that somehow almost a month slipped by without me writing this. As the famous quote goes, Life is what happens when we make other plans. This certainly explains my life for sure! Seems like the show was an incredible success for some strange reason. There was not one little fire for me to put out what s with that?! Nancy and Patti said they will cause a few at the next one. It s great having such cool friends! I ll just proceed directly with my thanks to the special folks who made all of this such a great event for me and, I think, for all of you that attended. First thanks go to Loren and Nancy Batchman who tirelessly manned (personed) their cash register which records all the sales by vendor, computes the sales tax, and heats pizza. I really appreciate their dedication to our society. They will also be here for our WINTER SHOW IN THE PARK in January!! Elizabeth Glover also spent the entire weekend here running the Plant Hotel by herself. With her brother, Wilbur, gone it is a little more of a job. She always finds friends to visit and help. The customers really like having a place to leave their plants. She does such a great job and we are all appreciative. The following folks worked in the sales area writing the receipts and handling the entering of the plants by vendors. This is another crucial job as it must be done correctly to keep all the vendors happy and wanting to come back again! Kudos to Tom and Barbara Smith, Lynn Ford, Betty Kelepecz, and Edith Galvan! Thanks to Sue Fouquette, Bob Hodges, and others for bringing in plants to sell for the society. Every little bit helps! Additional thanks to Loren Batchman for putting in a tabletop display. Please contact me if you are interested in putting one in for the next show. It always helps to make the show more interesting to the visitors. Approximately 150 plants were entered for judging in the show. Those who brought in plants include, in no particular order (I m a Dancing with the Stars junkie) : Helen Pfitzer, Jim Wright, Lynn Ford, Linda Humiston, Phyllis Prestia, Betty Kelepecz, Warren Stehl, Edith and Leno Galvan, Linda Fiske, Lena Shiroma, The Hoffmasters, Ray Brandt, Ken Campbell, Craig Johnson, Renate Schmidt, Corky Zumstein, Steve Lowe, Jerry Spencer, Charley Fouquette, Kay Klausing, Pam Peters, Nico Goossens, Anita Spencer, Tom Biggart, Elaine and Marv Dellinger, Sue Fouquette, Joy Cisco, and Bruce and Carol Berg. Here are the awards.. Sec. 1 Standard Cymbidium Cym. Chen s Ruby..Edith and Leno Galvan Sec. 2 Miniature Cymbidium Cym. Tethys x Cym. Gordon Gibbs..Craig Johnson Sec. 3 Pendulous Cymbidium no entries Sec. 4 Cattleya Alliance Standard Hybrids Cattleya Porcia Cannizaro..Jim Wright Sec. 5 Cattleya Alliance Compact Hybrids Lc. Phranakhan Khan x Cat. Netrasiri Beauty Lake View..Ken Campbell Sec. 6 Cattleya Alliance Miniature Hybrids Cattletonia Little Lover..Renate Schmidt Sec. 7 Paphiopedilum and Phragmepedium Paph. Gold Dollar..Charley Fouquette Sec. 8 Phalaenopsis Hybrids Phalaenopsis equistris hybrid..the Hoffmasters Sec. 9 Oncidium Alliance Hybrids Oncidium Sweet Sugar..Jim Wright Page 6

7 San Diego Cou nty Orchid Society Sec. 10 Hybrids of other Genera Zygopetelum New Era Burgundy..Betty Kelepecz Sec. 11 Specimen Plants Cattleya Laurie Lynn Prestia Westenberger..Phyllis Sec. 12 Species Gurianthe (Cattleya) Schmidt bowringiana Renate FORREST ROBINSON CULTURAL AWARD went to Phyllis Prestia for her pristinely grown Cattleya Laurie Lynn Westenberger Cattletonia Orglade s Little Lover, grown by Renate Schmidt, swept section 6, earning a 1st place and Best of Section at the Fall Balboa Park Show. This is a bi-generic hybrid. BEST OF SHOW TROPHY went to Jim Wright for his huge, multiflowered plant of Oncidium Sweet Sugar. I m too tired to type in all the names of all of you who volunteered but you are gratefully and enthusiastically thanked by me for giving your time and energies to make the show such a grand event and see all of you again in January. This Cymbidium Chen s Ruby earned a 1st place/best of Section 1. You can tell that C. tracyanum or a closely related species was used at some point in the breeding of this flower. This is Sue Fouquette s Lc. Camille Brandon, one of the many delightful blooming orchids that was displayed at the Fall Balboa Park show. You don t often see Laeliocattleyas with coppery orange/red sepals and petals like this and relatively flat (completely open) flowers. Did you ever want to know what an Lc. Phra Nakhan Khiri x C. Netrasiri Beauty Lake View looked like? I thought so. Ken Cambpell brought in this sherbety art shade style beauty. Page 7

8 December 2009 Monthy Report on AOS Judging at Quail Gardens By: Helmut Rohrl Pictures by Jo Bailey Judging at the Encinitas site (Quail Gardens, Administration (Ecke) Building) begins at 7:00 pm on the first Monday of each month. The facility opens at 6:30 pm. Anyone interested in orchids is encouraged and welcome at the sessions. Visitors may join the judging teams at their tables, but cannot participate in the judging process. Anyone who wants to exhibit plants for judging but is unable to bring the plants to Quail Gardens, please contact one the local judges or have others bring the plants to the facility. At the October 2, 2009 Encinitas session seven cultivars were shown. L. Burzell brought in Cattleya jenmanii with two flowers on one inflorescence. The natural spread of the flower was 15.6 cm. Sepals and petal are strikingly purple. The lip is purple and the throat is yellow. AM/ AOS. Cattleyalabiata fma. alba with seven flowers on two inflorescences. The natural spread of the flower is 13.2 cm. All segments are white. The lip is white and the throat is yellow. Cattleya walkeriana with two flowers on one inflorescence. The natural spread of the flower is 8.8 cm. Sepals and petals are medium purple. The lip is dark purple and the throat is yellow. Betty Kelepecz presented Bulbophyllum A-doribil Upwind (basisetum x echinolabium) with two flowers and 4 buds on five inflorescences. The natural spread of the flower is 18.5 cm vertical. Dorsal sepals and petals are yellow, veined dark brown, with lateral sepals dark maroon, veined darker. The lip is very dark maroon. AM/AOS. Gin T. Gan showed Restrepia chocoensis with two flowers and two buds on four inflorescences. The natural spread of the flower is 4.1 cm vertical. Sepals and petals are light brown. The lip is yellow, spotted brown. Restrepia pelyx with seven flowers on seven inflorescences. The natural spread of the flower is 5.5 cm vertical. Sepals and petals are light brown. The lip is yellow, spotted brown. R. L. Rothschild brought in Miltonia Bluntii (spectabilis x clowesii), a large, beautifully grown specimen with twelve flowers and fourteen buds on twelve inflorescences. The natural spread of the flower is 8.5 cm. Sepals and petals are dark maroon. The lip is glowing, dark purple. Page 8

9 Concerning Plants for Judging Sessions By: Helmut Rohrl The Pacific South Judging Center conducts each month three judging sessions in the Los Angeles and San Diego area. They are Encinitas (Quail Gardens) on the 1st Monday at 7 PM. San Marino (Huntington Botanical Gardens) on the 2nd Saturday at 10 AM. Long Beach (Whaley Park) on the 4th Saturday at 7 PM. Visitors with or without plants are welcome any time. If a member of the SDCOS wishes to have flowering plants judged at one of these sessions but is unable to take the plants to the judging facility, please contact one of the following AOS judges: Batchman, Loren (Solana Beach) Rohrl, Helmut (La Jolla) Tuskes, Ann and Paul (Clairemont), ORCHID SUPPLIES! WOOD & WIRE BASKETS FIR BARK FERTILIZER TREE FERN PRODUCTS CORK BARK NZ SPHAGNUM MOSS HUMIDITY TRAYS CLEAR PLASTIC POTS POTTING MIXES FERTILIZER INJECTORS AND SO MUCH MORE!! WE ARE THE WEST COAST S LARGEST DISTRIBUTOR OF ORCHID SUPPLIES WHOLESALE INQUIRIES WELCOME! Or contact us at CALWEST TROPICAL SUPPLY Sterling Ave., Riverside, CA For a free catalog call us at or WORLD-FAMOUS San Diego Zoo SENIOR PASS (over 60 years of age): Yearly rate $45 single and $60 dual Renewal rates: $30 single and $45 dual DUAL MEMBERSHIP (under 59 years of age): Yearly rate $94. Renewal Rate - $79. CALAVO GARDENS Orchid Supplies Specializing in the needs of the orchid grower -wood vanda baskets 4, 6, 8, 10 and 12 - also great for bulbophyllums and stanhopeas 4044 Calavo Drive, La Mesa bmach16814@aol.com ~ For two adults in the same household. ~ A year of FREE UNLIMITED ADMISSION to both the San Diego Zoo and Wild Animal Park. ~ 6 discount guest coupons good toward admission. ~ A One Year Subsc.ription to ZOONOOZ. ~ Free Zoo Skyfari ~ 4 two-for-one coupons for Zoo Bus Tour. SINGLE MEMBERSHIP Yearly rate $75. Renewal rate $63. For One Adult. All of the benefits described above under dual membership. Prices & benefits subject to change. For more information, call Or call toll free MEMBER Visit our website: Your membership supports our plant and animal collections and includes a monthly visit to our Orchid Odyssey on the third Friday of each month from 10am until 2pm. Page 9

10 December 2009 San Diego County Orchid Society November Board Meeting Minutes November 5, 2009 Attendees: Dave Brown, Loran Batchman, Bruce Berg, Bob Clark, Lynn Ford, Genie Hammond, Dave Hoffmaster, Ron Kaufmann, Steve Mallory and Kevin Rynearson. President Dave Brown called the meeting to order at 7:05 PM. The minutes from the October meeting were approved by prior to this Board meeting and were published to the November Newsletter. Treasurer s report: The financial report was tabled until the December Board meeting. Committee and Officer Reports The white tablecloths we have at Balboa Park that we use for mini shows are worn and in need of replacement. Genie volunteered to price new tablecloths and will report back to the Board at the next meeting. She will also price black cloth for a possible backdrop for the awards table at the mini shows. Dave Brown will provide a set of keys for our lockers in Balboa Park to Tom Biggart, chairman for shows in Balboa Park, to facilitate setup for the shows. The show committee met with Julie the Scottish Rite Center on 10/27 to discuss a number of issues relative. Among the issues discussed were a) increased access to their marquee, b) rental of the Square & Compass room and c) alternatives to Ranch Catering as a catering service. Loren Batchman made a presentation to the Board about the requirement for AOS judging at the spring show. Dave Hoffmaster was designated as the show chairperson for contact by the AOS. The Board approved a motion to fund $110 for AOS judging at the spring show. Old Business Dave Brown is working with Ann Tuskes to obtain the photographs necessary to update web site gallery. The Society potluck dinner is scheduled for Tuesday December 1st. There is still time for members to call or Steve Mallory and sign up to bring something. We need members to let him know if they are coming so we will have plenty of food and orchids for gifts. Pam Peters will coordinate the plant exchange so please contact her if you have questions. Dave Brown has developed a format for a PSA (Public Service Announcement) commercial. He plans to obtain bids on the proposal and report back to Board next month. Pay Pal has been established for a method of payment on our web site. Our web site, however, needs further refinement to provide a membership page to provide members with an alternative payment method. It addition, it will permit people to join the society or donate to areas of their choice. Ron Kaufmann will work with Owen to establish the necessary buttons. New Business The next SDCOS meeting will be the potluck dinner so there will be no speakers at the December meeting. We received a solicitation to provide a webpaper for the Society. After some discussion, we agreed not to use the service, as it is European based and aimed at a worldwide market. The meeting was adjourned at 8:30. Page 10

11 From the Membership Desk Let s all welcome our newest member from the November 2009 meeting, Nancy Groves. We also want to welcome back Phil Johnson. Roster correction: Paul Estala. Membership Report By now you should have received your Membership Roster and By-Laws in the mail. I would like to apologize to Joseph and Rose Alesi for inadvertently leaving them off the Life Members list. If you have any corrections to your name, address, phone number and/or address please get them to me at your earliest convenience. If you are not sure of your renewal date please see me at the general meeting or me. I will have a listing of membership due dates at the general meetings and can let you know when you are due or can you with your renewal date. In the future if you choose not to have your address or phone number printed in the roster please let me know. As of August 1 dues and badges went up to cover increasing costs. Individual Membership: $20.00 Dual/Family Membership: $25.00 Member Badge: $6.00 Thank You for your continued support. Bob Clark, Membership Chair (858) membership@sdorchids.com WALTER ANDERSEN NURSERY Since 1928 A San Diego Tradition of Excellence 3642 Enterprise, San Diego (Near Pacific Hwy. & Barnett) SELECT FROM MANY FLOWERING ORCHIDS ON DISPLAY! ALL THE SUPPLIES YOU NEED FOR GROWING ARE HANDY! Free Garden Classes 9:00 am every Saturday Danielson Court, Poway and SANTA BARBARA ORCHID ESTATE Every day a different orchid check out "Orchid-Of-The-Day" at Specializing in outdoor-growing orchids for coastal California, incl. Australian Dendrobiums, Cymbidium species and hybrids, and species. Open daily: Mon-Sat, 8 to 4:30, Sun Orchid Drive, Santa Barbara, CA (800) sboe@sborchid.com SB Orchid Show (3/12-14), SB Fair (7/9-11) NOVICE MEETING By: Bruce Berg, 2nd Vice President Thanks to Dave Hoffmaster for helping me demonstrate how to repot cymbidiums. There are a couple of points to remember when you think the plant needs to be repotted. First is determining when the plant needs to be repotted. Symptoms would include: potting mixture smelling like mold or compost, or when the plant is splitting the sides of the old pot. Plants can be repotted pretty much anytime except when they are in bloom. The best time to repot is after the plant has finished blooming and you can see the new plant growth. When removing dead plant roots and soft back bulbs, be careful to not break off any new growth shoots or bloom spikes. Leave at least 3 bulbs on each split section. Old back bulbs without leaves are OK to leave as long as they feel firm. Clean off the old dead leaves and leaf sheaths covering old back bulbs so you can inspect for insect pests. The old bulbs can supply additional energy to the new plant sections. Use a mixture that will drain well. Pack the mix firmly around the roots in the new pot and you re done! Be sure to replace the labels and make new ones for the new divisions. There will not be a Novice meeting at the December 1 Society meeting. Instead, there will be a potluck dinner and orchid gift for each member. Page 11

12 San Diego County Orchid Society P.O. Box San Diego, CA NON-PROFIT ORG US POSTAGE PAID PERMIT #2359 SAN DIEGO, CA Letter From the Editor Dear SDCOS, I hope all your plants are overwintering well so far, and that we have a mild winter with as few cold snaps as possible. There s a number of things you can do when the mercury drops to ensure the health of your plants, and the first thing you should be doing is not watering after about noon during the winter. You also should have reduced your watering in general as our day and night time temperatures have become cooler (unless your orchids are in a perfectly climate controlled and therefore magical greenhouse); there are many plants that require little or no water during these winter months that seem to get what they need from the increased humidity and morning dew alone. Many deciduous Dendrobiums operate this way (anything from the Nobile section and most from the Callista section, for example) as do Habenarias, Bonatea, many Eulophias, and some Schomburgkias. There seem to be enough orchids in cultivation that need very little water in winter that if you were strategic, you might even be able to build a whole collection around them. This would make the mayor love you more, too, considering how many days we ve gone Contact Information: without rain recently and how the water conservation measures have consequently become even more Christopher Croom strict. (619) Don t forget about the annual SDCOS Holiday Pot Luck, which will take the place of both the Novice and General Meetings in December. You can find details of the pot luck party on the front page, and remember that you can get a batescroom@cox.net free orchid and participate in a plant exchange if you bring a plant of your own. Also, don t forget to call or Steve when you ve decided what you want to bring to the pot luck. Happy Growing, Christopher