The World Orchid Conference (WOC) is held every three years when there isn’t a global pandemic. The first WOC was held in St. Louis in 1954, and the last three were held in Guayaquil, Ecuador in 2018, in Taiwan in 2024, and then in March 2026 in Dresden, Germany. Hosted by Deutsche Orchideen-Gesellschaft e.V., (D.O.G.), one key theme was global conservation of these incredible plants whether in nature, botanical gardens, herbariums, seed banks, or private collections. This theme is consistent with the founding mission of the D.O.G. — to promote the study of the Orchidaceae, a plant family comparable in numbers to the Asteraceae (Daisy Family) with at least 28,000 species. (https://orchidee.de/en/society/)
(https://www.orchidspecialistgroup.com/facts-figures)
 
The WOC is a consistent draw due to the broad and equal outreach not only to scientists but also to horticulturalists and orchid hobbyists. It is not a narrowly scientific event as over 1000 participants from 56 nations in 2026 will attest. Anyone who loves flowers, ecology, botany, mycology, gardening, genetics, or habitat preservation would have heard many compelling lectures at the WOC. Over 70 sessions were held in Dresden in addition to 42 poster sessions. Here is a summary of an event interesting to any gardener regardless of familiarity with orchids: https://www.orchidsinsitu.com/post/world-orchid-conference-2026-conservation-at-the-heart-of-the-conversation

In another hall, parallel to the Conference sessions was the International Orchid Show with 104 displays encompassing 81 classes of orchids. There were incomparable mixed floral displays not only of orchids but also other unusual plants such as succulents, cacti, and carnivorous plants from around the world. Botanical art exhibits included accomplished artists painting the portraits of winning blossoms and international commemorative stamps celebrating each nation’s native orchids. An extensive array of historical exhibits detailed not only the story of the World Orchid Conference itself but also the histories of the many  nurseries, explorers, and scientists who were part of the late eighteenth to nineteenth century fascination with orchids. And, as with any flower show, there were displays of the spectacular orchid specimens and creative arrangements that won the prestigious horticultural awards.
 
Finally, 103 vendors covered yet another enormous convention hall. From all over the world, the racks and tables selling far more than simply orchids would amaze any gardener. The following images speak for themselves including the grand welcome coordinated by Deutsche Orchideen-Gesellschaft e.V., featuring tubas and lederhosen. Enjoy. I certainly did. 
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The return of Smokey the Bear to his rightful place at the Grantham Fire Station marks the completion of a beautification project spearheaded by active Grantham Garden Club member Maryellen DeJong in 2024.  Today is Smokey the Bear’s official birthday so is the perfect time to write this good news story. 
 
The large, wooden communication sign outside the Grantham Fire Station was built in 2015 by Grantham resident Luc Gauvin as his Eagle Scout project.  (This post is an opportunity to recognize Luc Gauvin’s project and how much that little piece of land is still so cared for.)  Along with space to announce community events/alerts, it held a large metal replica of Smokey the Bear. A rock wall circled the sign and held soil for plantings.
 
At that time it was not part of the Grantham Garden Club’s civic garden project.  Attempts had been made by Amelia Lantz and Maryellen DeJong in 2023 to put in various plantings without much success.  Flowers had been planted in the rock wall that encircled the sign but the soil didn’t hold water and a soil test showed it needed lots of work. The GGC’s 25th anniversary was coming up and that gave Maryellen an idea – to rejuvenate the garden as a gift to the town as part of the club’s celebration activities.    
 
Maryellen formally enlisted Amelia, who agreed to be her silent partner, along with Jeanne Raymond to help with plant selections.  Jeanne also identified her husband, John, as the person who could rebuild the rock wall.  Maryellen then generated a proposal which she presented to the club’s steering committee and they readily agreed to support.  In February 2024, she sent the proposal to Fire Chief Justin Hastings*, who then invited her to present it at the next fire station meeting.  At that meeting, they were wholeheartedly in favor of the plans for the garden; however, they explained the structure was not stable and unsafe for club volunteers to work around.  They took on the responsibility to take down the existing sign and reinstall it so Maryellen would need to wait until the sign was stabilized.  When they took down the sign, Smokey was removed until a new, shinier version could be added.   
 
In the summer of 2025, the sign had been reinstalled (still lacking Smokey) and the garden design needed some adjusting since the rock wall had been removed.  Jane Deane Clark suggested creating two small gardens, one on the eastside and one on the westside of the sign.  Voila!  The pieces were falling into place.
 
Amelia and Jim Lantz donated the 40 bricks necessary to create the two beds, Maryellen ordered flowers through the club’s annual and perennial plant sales, and Maryellen and her husband Len carved out the gardens and laid out weed barrier and six bags of mulch under the sign.  Maryellen and Amelia, laid out the bricks, added soil to the plots and planted the annuals and perennials. Maryellen started multi-colored Echinacea (coneflowers) from seed that you now see in the gardens that are covered with bees and butterflies.
 
The project was officially completed when Smokey reappeared this summer.  To bring things back around to the Boy Scouts of America, a Boy Scout and Grantham resident completed his community service badge this spring by planting all of the vibrant red petunias in the two gardens.
 
And, now that the two gardens are well established, the Fire Station sign gardens are now a permanent GGC civic garden project, along with the others the club cares for at the library, post office, town hall and triangle garden.   
 
Smokey himself has a very interesting history.  During World War II, there were limited numbers of firefighters, so a campaign was begun to encourage people to help prevent forest wildfires.  Smokey was named after a heroic New York City firefighter named Joseph “Smokey Joe” Martin.  In 1952 children could write to Smokey to receive a Junior Ranger kit complete with a badge with Smokey’s face embossed on it.  Over 5,000 kids became junior rangers. His inflated image has been a regular in the Macy’s Day Parade.  He's all-over social media and has multiple web pages and an Instagram and YouTube presence.  Similar Smokey’s can be seen in front of fire stations all over the country.  I’m happy that our Smokey is back in Grantham. 
 
Happy 82nd birthday, Smokey!  And thank you, Maryellen, and everyone who pitched to beautify the fire station.  It’s a great way of saying ‘thank you’ to the town and to all the volunteers who make up the Grantham Fire Department. 

*Chief Hastings has retired.  Welcome Chief David Beckley.  

When I mapped out our trip to Montana, South Dakota, and Wyoming, I planned to see moose, mountains, waterfalls, bison, wolves, and Native Americans riding bareback. While I was delighted to see all those sights, I was surprised to see thousands of wild flowers--many I had never seen before. So very early on, I decided to write a story about them and took oodles of photos and included some of them to share with you.
 
Near the melting snow at Logan Pass in Glacier National Park, I was greeted with a blanket of Yellow Avalanche Lilies.  They are actually western versions of the Trout Lilies that we find in New Hampshire in the spring.  Unlike in the northeast, these lilies are eaten by grizzly bears who use their claws to dig up the bulbs. Native Americans would harvest the bulbs and boil them in stews.  Meriweather Lewis wrote about this species in his journal in the spring of 1806.  Think about the ancestors of these lilies living over 200 years ago.
 
The most unusual looking plant was prairie smoke.   The flowers had faded and long strands of feather hairs blew in the breeze with a seed on each.  These sun loving pollinators were a dreamy shade of pink.
 
Bear Grass was another favorite.  These hardy plants sprout vigorously after forest fires and help the land recover.  Grizzly bears eat the softer leaves in springtime and use the tough leaves in their winter dens during hibernation. 
 
The bright yellow Western Goatsbeard reminds me of oversized Dandelions.  They practice nyctinasy which means the flowers open at sunup and closed by noon to protect it from sun, bad weather, and hungry critters.  To propagate, the plant catapults ripe seeds great distances to conquer new territories.
 
Scarlet Globe Mallow is an early season food for pronghorns and prairie dogs.  This plant tolerates drought, sun, poor soil, wind, and extreme temperatures.  Their deep taproot makes them virtually indestructible once they’re established.
 
Lupines are my favorite wild flower and I enjoyed them here at home this spring until they were past their bloom.   Imagine my delight when I spotted thousands of them growing everywhere out west.  These ladies were a lot shorter and more compact than their eastern cousins but equally beautiful.  They are called Silky Lupine.  One of their claims to fame is that they play vital hosts for the larvae of some endangered butterflies like the Silvery Blue. 
 
Do we live in an amazing world or what!

Western Goats Beard in Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument in Montana

​Recently, while strolling through the botanical garden in the heart of the bustling city of Atlanta, I came across a sight that stopped me in my tracks.  What I saw was a 25-foot living sculpture of an Earth Goddess.  Now that’s something you don’t see everyday.
 
I did some research and learned that the Earth Goddess was originally created by Mosaicultures Internationales de Montreal.  Atlanta Botanical Garden leased her at first, but then fell in love with her and purchased her for a mere $1.5 million in 2010.  The goddess has been a permanent fixture in the garden ever since.
 
To create this Atlanta icon, artisans welded thin rods with sheet steel to create a framework for the plants.  The frame was then covered with a liner and filled with soil.  There is an irrigation system beneath the sculpture so the staff can control the amount of water the plants get.  Every spring, a team of 15 horticulturists spends six to eight weeks plugging the liner with approximately 17,000 annuals.  Gardeners pinch the plants down so they won’t grow too tall and spoil the effect.  The Earth Goddess is maintained daily by the horticulture team during her growing season from May through October. Nothing is too good for their favorite gal. 
 
The living sculpture looks different each year based on what plants they decide to use.  For her tenth anniversary, her hair was made up of orange and purple SunPatients, pink begonia, red vinca, and chartreuse duranta. 
 
I usually use only my own photographs in my posts, but since I won’t see her when this year’s flowers have matured, I’m including one below that I found on the Atlanta Botanical Garden website.  

​An annual rite of spring to celebrate Isabella Stewart Gardner’s April birthday is the elegant display of hanging nasturtiums at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum located near the Fens in Boston.  I have visited the museum many times over the years, but this was the first time it coincided with the nasturtium display.   
 
When I stopped taking pictures for a moment, I noticed a woman delicately working one of the vines. I introduced myself and told her about the Grantham Garden Club, that I'd be posting a blog about the nasturtiums, and asked if I could take pictures of her working.  Sydney is one of the seven horticulturists who works full time for the museum.  As she continued deadheading, Sydney graciously answered all my questions. When I asked her how long it takes to deadhead the plants she told me she is never really done.  Spoken like a true gardener.
 
The museum has greenhouses in Hingham, Massachusetts where the nasturtiums are grown from seed.  It takes nine months for the vines to reach their impressive 20 feet.  That’s nine months of close care by the horticulture staff. They grow the variety called 'gleam.'  Although they come in many colors, Isabella chose a particular shade of orange which has been the color used by the museum for over a century.  As the seedlings grow, any that don't have the particular shade of orange that Isabella so loved are culled.  
 
After a few weeks of warming spring weather, the decision is made to move them to the museum which is quite an undertaking.  Each of the 18 plants weighs about 50 pounds but has to be handled with care by an army of staff and volunteers.  I imagine their collective breaths are held as the vines reach each stage of transportation—from the greenhouse to the truck—to the museum—draped on the museum floors, carried to the third floor, lowered from the  windows.  Sigh ;-) 
 
The nasturtium are on display at the Gardner for three short weeks. This year’s will be removed on April 14.  The Dunbar Free Library offers discounted tickets.  (The library is my go to place when I’m planning museum trips so here’s a big thank you to the Friends of the Library.)  If you can’t visit this year, there’s a dedicated group of people who are going to make it all happen again next year, and the next, and...

When I recently visited Arizona for a few weeks, it was a nice respite from frigid Grantham with lots of hiking opportunities and lots of cactus.  My favorite cactus is the saguaro. I saw thousands of them and even hugged one.  What I love about saguaros is that each one is different and has its own personality. The best time to take their pictures is at sunset so I made sure to visit saguaros every evening.   Saguaro National Park has more than two million saguaros.  I took pictures of about a million of them ;-)
 
A great place to see them is on Tumamoc Hill, a butte which looms over the city of Tucson.  Hundreds of people walk the three mile round trip every day.  Everyone is super friendly and shares information about the saguaros.  That’s how I learned about 'Ramona,' whom I was told is the most loved cactus on the Hill.  So many people have given her a hug that she no longer has spines on her lower trunk.  It’s impossible to give Ramon a hug without smiling. 
 
A threat to saguaros is the invasive buffelgrass.  The volunteers of the Sonoran Desert Weedwackers meet three times a month to pull this highly flammable grass.  These dedicated volunteers have cleared thousands of acres of buffelgrass over the past 25 years. 
 
Here are some facts I learned about them from a park ranger on a sunset walk at Saguaro National Park:
 
Saguaros only grow in the Sonoran Desert and range from central Arizona to Sonora, Mexico.
 
To procreate, they grow large white flowers on the top of their heads and ends of their arms which are pollinated by bees, bats, and birds. The more arms they grow, the more flowers, the more opportunities to ensure their DNA  continues into the future.
 
The next stage is a red fruit.  People have eaten them for centuries. Tastes like chicken (only kidding:-)  
 
If a seed is lucky enough to land in a suitable spot, it takes five years before a cute little saguaro can be seen. 
 
They start producing flowers at around 35 years of age.
 
Arms start growing between ages 60 and 80.  Most have two to six arms.  The record holder is a saguaro named 'Shiva' that’s located in the Ironwood Forest and has a whopping 40 arms. 
 
They live to around 150 years and can reach 30 or 40 feet tall. According to the Guinness Book of World Records, an armless saguaro grew to 78 feet.
 
Their roots are shallow but are as wide as the cactus is tall so that a lot of root. 

I’m always happy when I get a text from Jim or Amelia Lantz inviting me to pop on over to their place on Mill Pond to see some wonderful new sights like munchkin-sized merganser ducklings following their Mom, or a family of three otters churning up the water, a fruiting Jack-in-the Pulpit, or a newly felled tree by a local eager beaver.   
 
When I arrive, I usually walk around with Jim to see the latest happenings, take a bunch of pictures, and then sit on their wide swing, where we bask in the beauty of the Mill Pond and discuss philosophy. It really is a break from the hustle and bustle of life.  Amelia, on the other hand, almost never takes a break.  Among her passions are pollinators in every shape and form as evidenced by the pollinator paradise she has created for them in their yard. When we’re quiet, we can hear them buzzing.  
 
Now I’m excited to share a new way of experiencing Mill Pond.  Jim and his son Daniel with the help of AI have composed a lovely song called “The Ballad of Mill Pond.”  Find a comfortable spot, close your eyes, and listen at  ​https://suno.com/song/90e75798-5a77-4e8f-ba61-55534b0f11aa