Susan, the twisted palm you asked about is not a palm at all but rather a screw pine. It is one of the coolest trees ever but Tampa is too cold a climate to grow it. I have lost two of them to frost. Fred Rump even has problems with his in Naples.
Two ribbons were up for grabs at the Tampa Orchid Club meeting today. One is called "Member's Choice" where all attendees vote for their favorite orchid on the bloom table and the other is called "Judge's Choice" where the AOS judges who are members vote for the best in show. My Grammatophylum scriptum won both awards. I am such a proud father! They took an official picture which I will post when I get it. They also took a picture of me fighting to get it back into the truck. What a day.
Jim
