The Orchid Review: June 09 pg 65

RHS Medals presented

The 2008 RHS Annual Awards ceremony took place at the RHS Greener Gardening Show in London on 31st March. Three concerned orchids

The Lawrence Medal for the best exhibit shown to the Society during the year was awarded to McBean's Orchids, Lewes, for their display (right) at Chelsea 2008. Jim Durrant (above left) received the medal from the president of the RHS, Giles Coode-Adams (above right) and the Chairman of the RHS Orchid Committee, Johan Jermans (below-left). This prestigious medal was first awarded in 1906 to celebrate Sir Trevor Lawrence's 21 years as President of the Society. It rewards the absolute summit of achievement by

an exhibitor in horticulture. Jim Durrant, Liz Johnson and the McBean's team are to be congratulated on receiving this great honour. The last orchid exhibit to win the medal was the Eric Young Foundation, Jersey in 1991.

The George Moore Medal for the best cultivar of a grex of Phaphiopedilum or Phragmipedum or an intergeneric between them was presented to Chris Purver, Curator of the Eric Young Orchid Foundation for Phragmipedium Grouville 'Trinity' (Orch. Rev. 116: 171, 172).

The Westonbirt Medal, which this year was given for the most finely grown specimen shown to the Commitee, was awarded to Allan Burdis for his Cypripedium formosanum 'Highcliffe Castle' (Orch. Rev. 116: 176, 177. Also see Awards p117 in this issue).

Cypridepium Formosanum 'Highcliff Castle'

Disa barbata thriving

'Our annual Disa Barbata survey last October showed the population is a much better state than we anticipated when we started in 2002,' says Tessa Oliver, Biota Liason Officer at the South African National Biodiversity Institute. 'The local community (on whose land the largest part of the population occurs) seem keen to get into some kind of stewardship agreement to ensure the conservation of the species agreement to ensure the conversion of the species. If this does happen it would be a milestone and we are holding our thumbs up!'

Outstanding Reference Book

Editor of the Orchid Review, Isobyl la Croix, has received several accolades for her most recent book. The New Encyclopedia of Orchids: 1500 species in Cultivation is listed as one of 11 outstanding reference works for 2009 recommended for small and medium sized libraries, by the Reference and Users Associated (RUSA) of the American Library Association. A review by Gab van Winkel in the Nov/Dec issue described the book, published by Timer Press, as Isobyl's magnum opus.

As this went to press, we heard that the New Encyclopedia of Orchids was also one of the nominations for the 2009 Council on Botanical and Horticultural Libraries award.