Orchid Events - 2026 Monthly Meetings
We normally meet on the first Tuesday of each month. The main meeting begins at 6:30 with a plant sale followed by a review of the show table plants and presentation by an orchid expert. The meeting closes with a plant raffle where members can expand their collections. Members bring their orchids for display on the monthly show table. If you have some divisions or extra plants you would like to share, feel free to put them on raffle table. It's fun and informative for beginner and experienced growers. Join us, visitors and guests are always welcome!When: First Tuesday of Each Month at 6:30 pm
Where: Memorial Lutheran Church, Enter Hall from Back Parking Lot
3375 US 1 South, St. Augustine
January 6 - Tiny Treasures, Big Blooms
Luis Manuel Ortiz Jordán, Orchid Hobbyist
Luis will talk about how to grow cool growing miniature orchids in Florida.
Every warm climate orchid grower has dreamed of growing plants that are considered impossible to grow because they do not have the right conditions. Luis will present some of this techniques, tips, and tricks to help orchid growers cultivate highland climate orchids in their home.
While his collection includes other larger growing genera, his greatest passion lies with cool-growing miniature orchids. Despite the challenges of cultivating them in hot, humid South Florida, Luis embraces the process and enjoys sharing his knowledge, teaching others how to help their own miniatures thrive. Beyond his orchid endeavors, Luis is a research scientist at UF-Scripps Biomedical Research in Jupiter. In April 2021, he published a paper on Eurystyles luisortizii, a species he discovered in Puerto Rico. He also serves as a student judge for the American Orchid Society, a role that reflects just how deeply orchids define his world.
February 3 - Tips and Tricks for Growing Orchids
Eric Milstrey and Linda Stewart, SAOS members
Eric's program will focus on ways to grow your orchids using locally available materials (moss, fern and palm fiber) and how to make and use hand-made baskets.
He'll also demonstrate some safe modifications to
low cost plastic and clay pots and show how to make fence cages for epidendrum and vandaceous orchids. Linda will show how she customized a Wardian Case for her cool growing miniatures.
Eric has been growing orchids for decades and has a deep personal knowledge of orchids growing in their natural habitats from having lived for years in the Caribbean, Central and South America while serving in the Army. Linda has grown orchids for many years in a variety of environments, including an atrium, greenhouse, under eaves and a pergola and now in her home under lights.
March 3 - Pendulous Spring Blooming Dendrobiums
Jim Roberts, Florida SunCoast Orchids
Jim will talk about the pendulous spring blooming dendrobiums, like Den. anosmum, aphyllum and others, sometimes called soft cane dendrobiums. These warm growing orchids erupt into a multitude of blooms in the spring and thrive on heavy watering and feeding during the summer months. Jim will talk about the different varieties and give care guidance for their summer growth season and winter resting season.
With more than 30 years of experience growing orchids in climates from Minnesota to Florida, Jim has built a reputation as one of the top hybridizers in the country. Since founding Florida SunCoast Orchids in 2004, he has registered over 200 hybrids across nearly 60 genera, with a strong focus on the Cattleya alliance. His work has earned national recognition, including the prestigious AOS Hybridizer of the Year award. Jim is a passionate educator and a favorite among orchid society audiences for his knowledge, humor, and practical growing advice.
April 7 - Bifoliate Cattleya Hybrids
Ben Oliveros, Orchid Eros
In 2025, Ben talked to us about the different bifoliate cattleya species, those beautiful cattleyas that bloom in the spring through fall with clusters of flowers. This year, he is returning to talk about the some of the different bifoliate hybrids, many of which are the result of his toothpick. His primary goal is to advance the breeding of species and hybrids in the Cattleya alliance.
Ben Oliveros is the owner of Orchid Eros, a mail order orchid nursery located on the slopes of Kilauea Volcano on the Big Island of Hawaii. He specializes in quality, not quantity, growing and breeding award quality Cattleya species and hybrids. Ben is an AOS judge who has judged in many regions as well as internationally at the World Orchid Conference and the Tokyo Dome orchid show. Even if you’re not looking for AOS awards, you can learn a lot from this expert grower about how to grow your orchids to be the best that they can be.
May 5 - Cultivation of Vanda Orchids
Serena Roman, Lady Vanda Orchids
Serena, also known as Lady Vanda, will talk about growing vandas. Serena provides common sense cultivation tips and makes learning fun. She will focus on watering, fertilizing, light, and temperature to promote healthy roots, leaves, and blooms. In addition to general care, she'll talk about basic hybridization and the growth cycle of these beautiful orchids. Come with questions about your own plants, and be ready to talk orchids with Lady Vanda!
Serena has captivated orchid enthusiasts with her passion and expertise in orchid cultivation. With a background rooted in her grandmother’s inspiration and a lifelong dedication to orchids, Serena has transformed her hobby into a thriving business at Lady Vanda Orchids. Specializing in a diverse array of orchid genera, including Vandas, Paphiopedilums, Phragmipediums, Dendrobiums and Cattleyas, Serena’s nursery has become a beacon for orchid lovers.
June 2 - Brassavola nodosa: Fragrance and Form
Jason Mackey, Barefoot Orchids
Jason will talk about how Brassavola nodosa shaped modern hybrids with its dominance of fragrance and form. Brassavola nodosa, otherwise known as 'The Lady of the Night' is known for its exceptional fragrance, which is emitted primarily after dark to attract night-pollinating moths. It also tends to produce star shaped hybrids similar in form to its own, although it often picks up the color of the other parent and has amazing spots.
Jason's fascination with orchids traces back to his childhood days spent alongside his great-grandmother, tending to her extensive collection. What began as a youthful curiosity blossomed into a serious passion in his twenties. Since 2020, Jason has been an integral part of the Orchid Society of the Palm Beaches, where his knowledge and enthusiasm have found a home among fellow enthusiasts. Inspired by his familial ties and Floridian heritage, Jason decided to establish Barefoot Orchids. Jason Mackey's journey from childhood admiration to professional grower is a testament to the enduring allure of orchids.
July 7 - Orchids of Tropical America
Ron Kaufmann, Orchid Conservation Alliance
tentative Ron will talk about the Orchids of Tropical America, explaining why orchids are among the most diverse families of plants, tell some stories about orchid explorers and describe the many ways in which orchids attract animals, including humans. This presentation is based on the book “Orchids of Tropical America,” which he co-authored with Joe Meisel (Ceiba Foundation for Tropical Conservation) and Franco Pupulin (University of Costa Rica and Lankester Botanic Garden).
Ron has been growing orchids for more than 25 years and has travelled extensively to view orchids in the wild in Asia and South America, particularly Brazil, Ecuador and Colombia. He has a long-standing interest in conservation, is the chair of the American Orchid Society Conservation Committee and a founding director of the Orchid Conservation Alliance. He is a marine biologist by training, and his scientific work includes studies of Antarctic and deep-sea ecosystems as well as marine communities in coastal Southern California.
August 4 - Mounting Orchids and Orchid Auction
George Hausermann, EFG Orchids
George "The Toolman" Hausermann will demonstrate how to attach orchids onto unusual mounts. Sue will have a nice variety of different orchid divisions, and George will show his creativity with different ways of growing orchids on eye catching mounts. We'll then be auctioning off the mounted beauties so bring your checkbook!
EFG Orchids was founded in 1939 outside of Chicago furnishing the wholesale market with cut orchid blooms and gardenias. George is a fourth generation orchid grower, who relocated to DeLand in 1999 to create an innovative new greenhouse with a wide variety of exotic plant species. George's son Quinton officially entered into the company as its grower in 2017. They are currently in the process of designing a pyramid conservatory greenhouse to immerse guests into an educational jungle adventure, to experience plants growing in conditions similar to their natural environments.
September 1 - Bulbophyllum Species
Julien Baruch, Krull-Smith Orchids
Julien will talk to us about bulbophyllums, those unusual orchids with a hinged lip. He will discuss different species of these popular oddities, including an overview of the latest breeding traits of the different species. The Krull Smith collection includes
Bill Thoms plants in addition to their own, so get ready to bring some home!
Julien Baruch has been growing orchids his whole life, but his orchid knowledge really accelerated in 2014 when he joined the Sarasota Orchid Society. Julien went on to intern at the Fairchild Tropical Botanic Gardens for The Million Orchid Project before moving to Apopka, Florida, to work at Krull-Smith, where he has been learning from Frank Smith and working on the nursery’s hybridizing program with him. Today, Julien also manages Krull-Smith’s sales, website, and social media. Julien is an associate judge for the American Orchid Society and is an avid orchid lover of all types - species and hybrids alike.
October 6 - Orchid Survival Guide
José Expósito , Soroa Orchids
José will talk about orchid survival guidelines, with tips on how to adapt our culture practices to the needs of plants that come from various regions of the world. He will help us learn to listen to our plants the same way that we listen to our pets, so that we can mimic how our orchids grow in their natural environment.
Born in Cuba, José's love and passion for plants and orchids has blossomed to over 30 years of growing, developing, and becoming one of the world's leaders in the orchid industry. He is the owner of Soroa Orchids and his hybridizing of orchids has won Soroa numerous awards from the American Orchid Society. He lectures around the world on orchid culture and is a Senior Judge with The American Orchid Society. He is also the orchid curator for The Bonnet House where he lectures and educates visitors and volunteers about the orchids and how to grow them as well as maintaining the valuable and historical collection.
November 3 - Growing Orchids in Florida
Mark Walters, Orchid Trail
The Orchid Colonel, Mark Walters, will talk to us about the art of growing orchids in Florida, focusing on the beauty orchids bring to your home.
Mark relocated to Florida from Kentucky in 2016 with his 250 orchids. He met Leo Buss, who owned Walters Orchids and ultimately starting helping him in the greenhouse. He met Sharon when she came in to buy an orchid and they ultimately married and bought the nursery, renaming it the Orchid Trail. The nursery has over 6,000 orchids in two orchid houses and specializes in classic Cattleya hybrids.
December 1 - Christmas Orchid Auction
We’re looking forward to our Christmas party and auction where we get to kick back, have fun and spread holiday cheer with our orchid buddies... and come home with orchids. Hope to see you there!
Our Christmas orchid auction is on our normal first Tuesday meeting night. Drive around to the back, closest to the hall entrance. We'll be there setting up around 5:30. We’ll start our social hour at 6:30 pm. This will give us a chance to exchange holiday cheer before we hit the vittles. Bring your beverage of choice. The club will provide the low octane water, iced tea and coffee, but if you enjoy a cuppa with your meal, feel free! One thing you can always count on is all the good food. Wonder what Lady Di will conjure up for the main courses this year! Bring a dish to round out the meal. Salads, potato and pasta side dishes, vegetable side dishes and desserts have been big favorites in years gone by.
We’ll have calendars and seedling orchid plants. We’ll finish up the evening with an orchid auction where you can bid on a nice variety of different types of orchids.