The Belmont Club of Women held its monthly meeting on Wednesday, April 1, 2026. Our guest speaker was Patrick Carey and his presentation was “Intro to Orchids”. This extraordinary young man is 18 years old and has been raising orchids since the age of 12. He impressed and delighted the club members with his extensive knowledge of orchids; including their history, species native to Virginia, their care, how to propagate them, various hybrids (there are over 150,000 man-made hybrids), reasons behind their various coloring and much more useful information. He currently has over 180 orchid plants and one is almost 100 years old. If taken care of, they can live that long. He passed around a corsage that he made and explained that orchids were considered the “royalty” of corsages. Many questions were asked and Patrick easily provided our members with tips and troubleshooting ideas for their orchid issues.

The Belmont Club of Women is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization open to members from Louisa, Spotsylvania and Orange Counties. Meetings are held the first Wednesday of each month, 10:00 a.m. at the Belmont Community Center, 7124 Belmont Road, Mineral, VA. Meetings consist of a speaker, social time for the group and the business meeting. Various fund-raising events held throughout the year support the club’s scholarship programs, donations to local non-profit organizations and other activities. New members are always welcome to attend. Come to a meeting as a guest to learn more about the organization. Contact President Maureen Howard, mozephone817@gmail.com or 410-428-0968 for more information.

Pictured from left to right: Maureen Howard, President and Patrick Carey.

CONTRIBUTED PHOTO