Category: Orchid Culture

Orchid Society of Santa Barbara Meeting – February 12, 2025, 7:30 pm

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“Coelogyne, My First Love”

Our February meeting will be a live presentation by AOS Judge and award photographer Arthur Pinkers on the genus Coelogyne.

Speaker

“Coelogyne, My First Love” by Arthur Pinkers

There is a long association between romance and flowers, especially orchids.  Our speaker Arthur Pinkers will share his experiences with these natives of southeast Asia and their gorgeous flowers.  The genus Coelogyne is very diverse, and Arthur will explore some of the warm and cool growing species, their culture and some of the hybrids that are commonly available.  These wonderful plants can provide very showy specimens on relatively small plants and should be a part of everyone’s collection.

Arthur Pinkers has been an orchid enthusiast since he was sixteen and now has more than forty years of growing experience. He grew up in the Seattle area and graduated from Washington University Bellingham where he studied Chemistry and Biology.  Arthur is an AOS judge and has served as an officer for many orchid societies and is one of the photographers for the Pacific South Judging Center. Though he has an interest in a wide variety of orchids, botanicals are a special draw to him for their diversity and charm. 

2025 Membership Dues

Annual membership fee is $40 for individuals, $50 per household.  Due in January, pay no later than March.  See Angela Watt during the meeting.

Location Reminder

We are now meeting at Maravilla on the 2nd Wednesday.  Directions:  From Calle Real, enter Maravilla and bear left.  On the right is a lawn with a flagpole.  The meeting rooms are to the left of the lawn/flagpole.  To park, continue to drive around a loop that will lead you to the parking lot.  Additional parking is available to the right as you drive in, any parking space without a number is available.  Meeting Rooms:  AOS Judging in the Galleria Room, Orchid Society in the Valencia Room. OSSB on the web:  Orchid Society of Santa Barbara

Santa Barbara 77th International Orchid Show “Exotic Gardens”

Earl Warren Showgrounds, 3400 Calle Real, Santa Barbara CA.  Open to the Public:  7-9 March, 9 am to 5 pm

You are invited to participate in Ribbon Judging:  6 March, starts at 9 am. Ribbon judges work in small teams awarding ribbons to orchids entered for judging at the show.  At the Santa Barbara International Orchid Show, the ribbon judging focus is on education and fun!  There are so many reasons you should participate, even if you are brand new to orchids!

No experience is necessary!  Your will work with a small group of hobbyists led by an American Orchid Society (AOS) Accredited Judge who will teach you all that you need to know to vote for the best orchids.  Beginners and novices are totally welcome and strongly encouraged to join! 

You will learn so much about orchids!  Your AOS judge will teach you all about the qualities of all the orchids your team evaluates and answer all your questions.  The judging team process is very interactive, and you are encouraged to participate fully.  However, if you are more comfortable observing quietly, that is fine too. 

You will see the orchids and displays in prime condition and without crowds.  The orchid show is not open to the public on judging day.  You will see the plants and displays at their freshest and very best.

Lunch is available for ribbon judges.  The Santa Barbara International Orchid Show is sponsoring these events for ribbon judges in order to support both experienced hobbyists and welcome novices to the world of orchids.  However, you must register in advance at: https://sborchidshow.com/register-to-judge/  If you register BEFORE WEDNESDAY, FEBRURY 19, you can purchase lunch there for $10.

You will meet new people.  Ribbon judges work together in small groups.  Take time to talk with your teammates and meet people from other areas and orchid societies.  It is easy to make new friends who share your orchid passion.

You will have fun!  What could possibly be better than a whole morning of orchids with kindred “orchidaholics” in beautiful Santa Barbara?   

Remember to register in advance at https://sborchidshow.com/register-to-judge/

Orchid Society of Santa Barbara Meeting – November 13, 2024, 7:30 pm

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Phalaenopsis:  From Soup to Nuts

American Orchid Society Webinar by David Edgley – recorded February 7, 2024

We will join Accredited Judge and Chair of the AOS Judging Committee, David Edgley, for a wonderful panorama of Phalaenopsis breeding and the culture needed to grow these delightful orchids.

Phalaenopsis hybrids, also known as moth orchids, are the most popular orchids available commercially today.  In nature the species range from Sri Lanka and southern India to New Guinea and northeast Australia, extending as far north as southern China, and are especially rich in the Philippines and Borneo.  Most are found in hot, steamy lowlands and a few have adapted to higher altitudes with cooler climates.  Habitats are usually moist and humid year-round under dense- to partial-shade near streams in rain forests.  Lacking storage organs, most do not survive in seasonal climates.  They grow as epiphytes or occasionally lithophytes.  Their large and colorful flowers have been extensively bred to produce the hybrids we see today.  Breeders select for superior size, color, form and lasting qualities.  The best performers are mass-produced via tissue culture in areas with optimal labor costs and growing facilities, then shipped around the world.  In cultivation, Phalaenopsis require warm conditions year-round and slightly higher light levels than species in nature to produce better flowering.  Potting medium should retain some moisture between waterings without becoming soggy. 

Orchid Society of Santa Barbara – September 11, 2024 Meeting, 7:30 pm (New meeting location)

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Our speaker on September 11th will be Sandra Tillisch Svoboda!

Sandra Tillisch Svoboda: “Those Amazing Masdevallias”

About the Speaker:
Growing up in Minnesota, Sandra’s only exposure to orchids was that prom corsage. She began her orchid life as a pot washer for her late husband Al and became fascinated with the history of her husband’s complex paph collection, which included many oldies like Paph. F. C. Puddle. Al’s knowledge, love, and enthusiasm for orchids were contagious. When they built a second greenhouse, Sandra decided it would be hers, and that was when orchids became an important part of her life. Sandra is editor-in-chief of the Orchid Digest. She has served as president of the American Orchid Society, World Orchid Conference Trust, Cymbidium Society of America, and the Orchid Digest. Locally, she was president of the Orchid Society of Santa Barbara and the local branch of the Cymbidium Society. Sandra served on the Santa Barbara International Orchid Show board and, for several years, was the show manager of this prestigious show, one of the largest in the nation. Sandra is a senior accredited judge in the American Orchid Society. Besides the plants themselves and the never-ending opportunity to learn about them, Sandra loves being involved in the orchid world because it offers an opportunity to travel, meet, and work with many amazing and fascinating people.

Program:  “Those Amazing Masdevallias”
Sandra will share the diversity of the flowers of the species of the amazing genus, Masdevallia. The talk will include general culture information for each species, AOS award information, and where species is found in its native habitat.

Important Announcement – NEW meeting location starting September 2024

Address
Maravilla Senior Living Community
5500 Calle Real
Santa Barbara, CA 93111

Parking
Main lot (to the left as you enter the property).  For additional parking, as you enter turn right, then the first left.  Any parking space without a number is available.

Meeting Rooms
AOS Judging:  Galleria Room
Orchid Society Meeting:  Valencia Room
The judging and meeting rooms are next to each other. The Club House is straight ahead as you enter the property, and there is a putting green to the left of the Club House. The closest entrance to the rooms is to the left as you face the putting green. I will see if there is a way to put up a sign. If you go through the main entrance, you must sign in and get a pass.

Santa Barbara Summer Orchid Weekend – July 19-21, 2024

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The best of summer blooming orchids!

Visit our local orchid nurseries located at 1250 (SBOE) and 1251 (Cal-Orchid) Orchid Drive in Santa Barbara!

Santa Barbara Orchid Estate Summer Open House

The colorful Cattleyas from southern Brazil should be putting on a quite a colorful display.  Some Encyclias and Renantheras may still be in bloom.
Friday July 19, 2024, 8am-4pm
Saturday July 20, 2024, 8am-4pm
Sunday July 21, 2024, 9am-3pm

Cal-Orchid Summer Hummer Sale

Everyone looks forward to a party, WITH ORCHIDS, and we kick off summer with a doozie. Cal-Orchid has been madly potting all spring in preparation for summer growth and the sale.

Our foreign vendors look forward to a Santa Barbara weekend.
TOKYO ORCHID NURSERY This is a very unique chance to explore a collection of world class paphs and cattleya species. Don’t miss out.
SUWADA ORCHIDS Munekazu Ejiri has been a friend of ours for decades. He is perhaps the best breeder of Cattleyas in the world today and the President of the very prestigious Japan Orchid Growers Association. His catalogue is an invaluable tool for shopping.
AFRI ORCHIDS Lourens will join us from South Africa. We are so proud of how he and his wife, Jolisa, have built a solid nursery and worldwide following. Don’t miss this opportunity to find something truly special, shipped all the way from South Africa. That is an accomplishment in its own right!!

2024 Fūkiran Exhibition and Judging

The Fūkiran SOA is pleased to announce the 14th annual Fūkiran Exhibition and Judging to be held on Saturday, July 20th at Cal-Orchid. There will be many plants entered for judging, including both flowering and non-flowering plants. Five top Fūkiran will be awarded trophies. There will also be the Negi Trophy. This year the award will be presented by Negi san himself!!  He will be attending the show for the first time, coming from Japan.
Along with judging there will be several lectures on Fūkiran. Vendors will have many wonderful Fūkiran for sale!
The event will run from 11am to 1:30pm, with judging at 1:30pm.
10:30-11am Entries for judging should be registered at the registration desk
11am Lecture 1
12pm Lecture 2
1-1:15pm Judging begins
1:15-1:30pm Judging results

Orchid Society of Santa Barbara – June 12, 2024 Meeting, 7:30 pm

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Our speaker on June 12th will be Jack Zhu!

Jack Zhu: “Form and Color of Asian Cymbidiums

Jack Zhu is an orchid hobbyist from the Los Angeles area of California. He grows many varieties of orchids, focusing on Asian cymbidiums. Jack is also very interested in the culture and history of Asian cymbidiums. Jack is currently an Associate Judge in AOS Pacific South Judging Region and has more than thirty AOS awards for Asian cymbidiums.

With more than one thousand years of cultivation history, the Asian cymbidium community has developed some unique appreciation criteria for Asian cymbidiums, including several major flower forms. These appreciation systems are very different from the AOS point score system. Understanding of these differences allows us to appreciate the beauty of Asian cymbidiums more.

During the talk, Jack will go over the flower forms and colors of various Asian cymbidiums. Within each category, he will present multiple examples, especially with plants from his own backyard. Jack will also do a short demo of how to select bare root Asian cymbidiums and how to pot them.

Conejo Orchid Society is having a sale

Orchid Society of Santa Barbara – November 8, 2023 Meeting, 7:30 pm

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Our speaker for Wednesday, November 8th will be Joe Ambriz!

Joe Ambriz:  Laelia anceps Color Forms and Culture

Most of us are very familiar with Laelia anceps, but not everyone can make them thrive.  Native to Mexico and Honduras, these orchids usually bloom here in Santa Barbara in autumn to early winter.  They love well-drained potting mix or growing mounted.

For this month’s meeting, Joe will teach us about the various color forms and his methods to get the best results growing Laelia anceps.   

A little background on Joe, who has been growing orchids and tillandsia for over 15 years. He was given his first Cymbidium orchid in 2002 by our own Phil Watt, but it met an untimely demise (yes, in his words, he killed it!).  This was unexpected given his experience with successfully growing vegetables, landscape and house plants that led him to ask questions like “How?! Why?!”  He knew he must try again.  Joe’s professional background is performing as a percussionist and teaching marching percussion in Santa Barbara.  In 2007 he started working for 7-Day Nursery as a nursery specialist and then as assistant manager, specializing in plant design, landscape, and home consultations with particular focus on temperature tolerant orchids, tillandsia and caudiciforms.  By 2016, having outgrown his own and his grandparents’ backyards, Joe moved his huge tillandsia collection to a greenhouse in Carpinteria founding “Ambriz Kingdom of Plants”.  Today, he grows orchids, tillandsia, and other interesting plants.  His orchids and displays have won awards and trophies at the Santa Barbara International Orchid Show.  His displays are truly awesome and not to be missed.

There will be a plant table provided by our speaker.

Orchid Society of Santa Barbara – October 11, 2023 Meeting, 7:30 pm

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Our speaker for October 11th will be Donna Ballard!

Donna Ballard:  The Difference Between Seedlings and Meristem Orchid Cultivation,
Plus a De-Flasking Demo

Donna will explain the methods used to produce orchids by sowing seeds vs. tissue culture and then demonstrate how to de-flask seedlings for growing on in community pots.

Donna is a native Californian, is studying to become an American Orchid Society judge, and hopes to earn her accreditation soon. After over 30 years of loving, caring for and studying plants, she went on to work as a professional interior house plant maintenance technician until 4 years ago. She has since retired and works as a part time volunteer at the Huntington Botanical Gardens Thornton Estate Orchid Conservatory in San Marino.

She currently has approximately 460 sq feet of greenhouse, shade house and interior growing areas where she has over 1300 Cattleyas, Paphiopedilums, Cymbidiums, Dendrobiums, Sarcochilus, miniature Vanda and novelty Phalaenopsis orchids as well as several other genera.

Orchid Society of Santa Barbara – September 13, 2023 Meeting, 7:30 pm

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Frank Methmann:  Cattleya Culture and Repotting Demo

If your cattleya orchids have ever looked like this, then you MUST attend the meeting.  Frank will present his tips and techniques for how he grows healthy cattleya orchids. 

Cattleya species are native to the American tropics and along with their hybrids are very popular due to their spectacular flowers.  Considered to be easy to grow, cattleyas tolerate less-than-ideal conditions rewarding growers with beautiful flowers.

Frank has lived in Santa Barbara County most of his life. His interest in plants started at Carpinteria High School when he had a vegetable garden, then a bonsai collection and collected a few orchids. Around 1997 he decided that he wanted to get more involved in orchids, so he sought out the local orchid group in Santa Barbara and joined the Orchid Society of Santa Barbara. His collection quickly grew from winning plants at meetings and purchases. Some members gave him some orchids as a gesture to welcome a new member.  He continued to obtain more orchids and learned more about them. He learned how to breed them, which has now gotten out of control! In 2002 he became the Vice-President of the Orchid Society of Santa Barbara and served one year. A few years later he became the Vice-President of the Santa Barbara Cymbidium Society and went on to serve two terms as President. He has served in other volunteer roles in both societies, including about 10 years as the Orchid Society of Santa Barbara’s Fall Orchid Show manager.

Opportunity Plant Table from Cal-Orchid

This month there will be a plant table from Cal-Orchid.

Orchid Society of Santa Barbara – July 12, 2023 Meeting, 7:30 pm

Posted on by moflo

Our speaker on Wednesday, July 12th will be Lourens Grobler who will present

My favourite African orchids and how to grow them

Lourens has been growing orchids since he was 10 years old. He now co-owns Afri Orchids, nursery specializing in species from around the world. The collection includes approximately 4000 species and a few hybrids. He is co-author of Field Guide to the Orchids of Northern South Africa and Swaziland, published in 2008. He has been an accredited South African Orchid Council Judge since 1998. He recently chaired the Judging Committee of the 21st World Orchid Conference held in Johannesburg.

We will be meeting on Wednesday, 12 July at 7:30 pm in the same location as our monthly meetings, Trinity Lutheran Church.

There will be a plant opportunity table provided by Lourens.

The local Summer Orchid Sales events will be held July 14-16 at SBOE and Cal-Orchid.  Lourens will be one of the guest vendors at Cal-Orchid with Laelia anceps and African orchid species for sale.