Welcome to the Palomar Orchid Society Website!

The Palomar Orchid Society, incorporated in December of 1965 was formed when a few people banded together to talk about orchids. We then grew and bloomed into the roughly 200-member group of orchid enthusiasts that we have today. We represent everything orchid in North San Diego County! Come and join us!!

The Palomar Orchid Society is a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting the understanding and cultivation of both hybrid and species orchids. We welcome members of all levels to join us for orchid fun and learning! Our mission is to promote interest in the appreciation of orchids and to provide an opportunity for their display and the exchange and dissemination of information relating to their culture.

Next Monthly Meeting

Next general meeting: August 7, 2024

The Palomar Orchid Society generally meets at 6:30 pm the FIRST WEDNESDAY of every month in the Gowland Meeting Room of the Carlsbad City Library. The George and Patricia Gowland Meeting Room is located in the Carlsbad City Library on Dove Lane, just off El Camino Real in southern Carlsbad. The address is 1775 Dove Lane, Carlsbad, CA 92011.

August 2024 - Gil Ho, MD "Orchids in Flight: Stanhopeas Around the World"

Submitted by Alex N. on Mon, 07/22/2024 - 9:33am

Gil Ho, MDGil Ho, MD

It is an honor to welcome back Dr. Gil Ho, our former POS President, who has previously spoken to the society before about Stanhopea species and hybrids. This month, he will be presenting a fun, updated presentation on Stanhopeas based on a new theme. Wait to find out what it is.   Read more »

Date: 
Wed, 08/07/2024 - 4:00pm - 7:00pm

July 2024 - Pot Luck Dinner and Orchid Plant Exchange

Submitted by Alex N. on Tue, 06/25/2024 - 2:14pm

Happy 4th of July to all!  For the July 3rd meeting we will be having a Pot Luck Dinner and Orchid Plant Exchange instead of a regular speaker.

Please note that at least for the remainder of this year our meetings will be held from 4 pm to 7 pm in the Gowland meeting room (same room) due to a change in the library’s policy.   Read more »

Date: 
Wed, 07/03/2024 - 4:00pm - 7:00pm

June 2024 - Tim Culbertson "Laelia purpurata, Varieties and Hybrids"

Submitted by Alex N. on Thu, 05/23/2024 - 9:24am

Tim CulbertsonTim Culbertson

We are delighted to welcome back Tim Culbertson who will speak on Laelia purpurata, the Queen of the Cattleyas. Tim will be showcasing the history and incredible diversity of forms of this species and discuss some of the more interesting hybrids.

    Read more »

Date: 
Wed, 06/05/2024 - 6:30pm - 9:30pm

May 2024 - Jose Carlos Lopez "The Hidden Life of Catasetinae"

Submitted by Alex N. on Sat, 04/27/2024 - 9:21am

Jose Carlos LopezJose Carlos Lopez

We are delighted to welcome back Jose Carlos Lopez from Sunset Valley Orchids, one of our favorite speakers. Carlos will present to us his new talk on ‘The Hidden Life of Catasetinae’, a genus of orchids that many of us find a bit challenging to master. From species to hybrids, Catasetinae Orchids have an allure that has captivated orchid growers from all around the world and has rewarded them with floriferous blooms that come in an array of colors! The Catasetinae alliance includes the genus Mormodes, Clowesias, and Cycnoches, just to name a few. At first glance, this family of orchids may seem hard to grow, but they’re relatively easy once you get the watering schedule down. In this presentation, Carlos will go over important species, breeding lines, and cultivation requirements that should enable our members to grow them better. This is a talk not to be missed.

    Read more »

Date: 
Wed, 05/01/2024 - 6:30pm - 9:30pm

April 2024 - Ron Midgett "Kaleidoscope: Breeding with Cattleya Horace ‘Maxima’ AM/AOS"

Submitted by Alex N. on Tue, 03/26/2024 - 5:27pm

Ron Midgett          Ron MidgettOur society is delighted to welcome back Ron Midgett from New Earth Orchids. Ron is a shared speaker with our sister society, SDCOS, and will speak Tuesday, April 2nd in Balboa Park on “Green with Envy: Green Cattleyas—Origins” 

On April 3rd, Ron will speak to us on his breeding experiences with Cattleya Horace ‘Maxima’ AM/AOS.   He will explore the fascinating range of colors that crosses with this fabulous parent can create. Ron has personally done crosses with C. Horace with strong yellows among others to create an array of colors. This attribute of breeding with C. Horace seems to be unique to this particular parent. The bonus is that C. Horace hybrids are easy to grow and that Horace imparts good form and size to the hybrid’s flowers.

Ron Midgett began growing orchids in 1969 in the orchid-rich environment of Southern California.  Since then, he has grown orchids in many different regions of the US and in the Caribbean for three years.  Currently, he resides in Santa Fe, New Mexico.  He is a breeder with an emphasis on Cattleyas, Paphiopedilums, and Oncidinae.  Several cultivars from his crosses have received AOS awards.  

 In 1990, Ron founded the New England Orchid Company in Franklin, MA.  In 2003, he moved his orchid business to New Jersey and changed the name to New Earth Orchid Co., aka New Earth Orchids.  In 2010, New Earth Orchids was moved to Santa Fe, NM.    Read more »

Date: 
Wed, 04/03/2024 - 6:30pm - 9:30pm

March 2024 - Jerry Spencer and Alex Nadzan - Repotting and Dividing Your Orchids

Submitted by Alex N. on Tue, 02/27/2024 - 4:29pm

Alex Nadzan & Jerry Spencer           Alex and JerryAs we begin the 2024 orchid growing season, our first culture meeting of the year will focus on the basics of repotting and dividing orchids and provide demonstrations on repotting orchids that are easy to grow in our Southern California climate.  The presentation will feature two of our very experienced growers, Jerry Spencer and Alex Nadzan. Alex will begin the session with reviewing repotting basics that should help both beginners and more seasoned growers prepare for the busiest part of our orchid growing season. He will provide tips and valuable sources for supplies and will pot and divide a cattleya orchid or two.

Anita and Jerry Spencer are well-known for growing and showing award-winning, large specimen plants so Jerry will share his techniques on dividing and repotting a large specimen cymbidium orchid. During the presentation, Alex and Jerry will address any repotting questions you may have so bring them to the meeting.  

This should be a very interesting and educational session for all who want to get a head start on the upcoming orchid growing season.  The session also will provide an incentive for members to produce divisions of your collections for our upcoming POS sale over the weekend of May 24-27 at the San Diego Botanic Garden’s World of Orchids Show (May 4-27) in Encinitas.

 Finally, the plant table this month will be provided by one of our local orchid growers.

Date: 
Wed, 03/06/2024 - 6:30pm - 9:30pm

February 2024 - Donna Ballard

Submitted by Alex N. on Mon, 01/22/2024 - 12:55am
Donna BallardDonna BallardOur society welcomes for the first time Donna Ballard of the San Fernando Valley Orchid Society who will talk to us on ‘Growing Orchids in the Middle of a Drought’. Although we are not under drought conditions at this time, most of our summers and falls in Southern California experience serious drought conditions and we can clearly benefit from Donna’s experience and suggestions for managing our orchids under such conditions. Donna is a shared speaker with our sister society SDCOS and she will be speaking on ‘The Difference Between Orchid Seedlings and Meristem Clones’ on Tuesday, February 6th in Balboa Park, Casa de Prado, Room 101 and Zoom Simulcast at 7:30 pm
Donna is a native Californian, and is an Accredited American Orchid Society Judge. 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 Garden’s 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 Vandas and novelty Phalaenopsis orchids as well as several other genera.
This month’s opportunity table will be from one of our local growers.
Date: 
Wed, 02/07/2024 - 6:30pm - 9:30pm

January 2024 - Carol Beule

Submitted by Alex N. on Thu, 12/21/2023 - 6:45pm

Carol BeuleCarol BeuleWe are delighted to welcome Carol Beule from Holllywood Hills to our society as our first speaker of 2024. Carol will talk on ‘Sarchochilus’ a wonderful compact species from Australia that does well in our Southern California climate. While Sarcochilus can be grown in a greenhouse, they can easily grow alongside cattleyas and any other outdoor growing orchids in our area. The species have been extensively hybridized to produce Sarcos in a variety of colors and sizes and, as such, they are perfect additions to every orchid enthusiast’s collection. Most are compact but they also can develop into large specimen plants. Carol will discuss how to grow Sarcochilus and share her extensive knowledge of this interesting class of orchids. 

Carol is a shared speaker with our sister society, SDCOS, who will give a talk on ‘Lycastes’ on Tuesday evening, January 2 at 6:30 pm in Balboa Park should any of our members desire to attend in person or participate on Zoom.

Carol has grown all species of orchids since purchasing a home at the base of the Hollywood Hills 25 years ago, and it has been her quest to discover which orchids will thrive in the unique climate she has in the San Fernando Valley and the surrounding communities. In the search to find the perfect plant for her growing area, Carol now grows Neofinetia (Vanda) falcata, Paphiopedilum, Phalaenopsis, Cattleya, Laelia, Dendrobium, Lycaste, Asian Cymbidiums and Rossioglossum orchids on her patio and in two small greenhouses.   Read more »

Date: 
Wed, 01/03/2024 - 6:30pm - 9:30pm

December 2023 - Holiday Dinner

Submitted by Alex N. on Fri, 11/17/2023 - 11:41pm

Our 2023 Holiday Dinner will be held on December 6, 2023 starting at 6:30 pm in the George and Patricia Gowland Meeting Room located in the Carlsbad City Library. Dinner will be catered at the cost of $30 per person, which includes good Chinese food, soft drinks, water and delicious desserts. Every guest will be gifted a blooming or near blooming orchid.

Please mail the completed RSVP form by November 27th to Bill Wong with your check made payable to the Palomar Orchid Society. We cannot accept payment and/or walk-ins at the day of the event.

Date: 
Wed, 12/06/2023 - 6:30pm - 9:30pm