> I am afraid that I only cought the end of a thread here, but there
> already exists an eastern CP group of people who are not connected to
> the CP list.
> For the past 7 years we have been meeting on a fairly regular basis
> at
> different sites along the East Coast. The last meeting was at Phil
> Sheridans house in VA. 40 people were present including one person
> from Venezuela and one from England.
Yeah, I attended that meeting and enjoyed it much.
I believe that the proposal intended a DC area CP group
that is a little more parochial than the East Coast CP group.
The writer spoke of the enthusiasts in the DC metropolitan
area, and that doesn't really include folks as far away as
Phil Sheridan south of Fredericksburg, VA. We're talking
about DC and surrounding suburbs.
I wouldn't mind attending a few socials/meetings once in
a while if the group ever came together.
And, in defense (?) of the constantly-bludgeoned U.S.
Botanic Garden, I will re-state that there are internal political
motives in the organization that determine what is
put on display in the Conservatory, and when. The last
I saw there were over a half-dozen decent Nepenthes in
a rather modern Wardian case complete with timed
lights and automatic misting. The outdoor bog has some
very representative specimens of Dionaea and several
Sarraceniae. In fact, one list subscriber posted several
times the impressive Dionaea he had seen there. It would
be nice if the entire Nepenthes collection from the
production facility were put on display, but the same is
true for the orchids, aroids, ferns, and other plants.
Heck, why not open the production facility to the public
and forget about the Conservatory. Fact is, you can't
do that and still maintain your collection intact.
If you want to see more CP's then lobby the U.S. Botanic
Garden. They come under the directorate of the Architect
of the Capitol.
Perry