November Meeting and Annual Members' Potluck with Steve Hootman

Thursday, November 8, 2018

Meeting at the Center for Urban Horticulture

Our November 8, 2018, chapter meeting at the CUH will feature our annual members' potluck dinner, with guest speaker Steve Hootman, Executive Director/Curator for the Rhododendron Species Foundation and Botanical Garden. Social time begins at 6.30 pm, dinner is at 7.00 pm. We will start setting up at 6.00 pm, and would love to have your help as well!

Once again it’s time for our annual potluck feast. Bring a dish to share and $5 to cover beverages and enjoy good food and good company and an excellent speaker!

Steve Hootman of the Rhododendron Species Botanical Garden will be the speaker at the banquet. Steve has been Executive Director/Curator for the Rhododendron Species Foundation and Botanical Garden since 1992. With over 700 species, the Rhododendron Species Foundation is perhaps the world’s largest public collection of wild species in one place. It also includes companion plants, including meconopsis, Japanese maples, and rare orchids.

Huang Shan, Anhui, China photo by Steve Hootman

Steve is an experienced plant explorer as well as an expert on rhododendrons, regularly undertaking plant hunter expeditions to discover, identify and acquire species rhododendrons. He will be speaking on “Rhododendron Hunting on the Edges” which focuses on some of the more remote and unexplored regions of Asia, away from Yunnan, Sichuan, etc. where most plant hunters travel.

Unknown species of Illicium (Star Anise) on Mt. Fan Si Pan, Vietnam photo by Steve Hootman

At our annual potluck, we will continue the tradition of the Brown Bag Auction started by Diane Fincham. Bring plants, books, garden art, pots, anything rock gardeners would like as a donation to our raffle! Each item will have its own brown bag to collect raffle tickets, so you only enter for those things you want. Raffle tickets are $1 or 6 tickets for $5. You can let either Judith Jones or Dale Greer know if you are bringing something. This year we are focusing on fewer raffle items, aiming for those with more appeal. Last year the auction went on rather longer than it should have. I had doubts if my contribution was up to the new standards, so I checked, but I need not have worried. It’s more about not having a large number of small things. Raffle items could include books, garden tools, vintage and/or contemporary garden art and any other appropriate items useful and appealing to NW NARGS members. I think plants always work.

Hope to see you there!