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.

POS Day at the SD County Fair

It was POS Day at the SD County Fair on Saturday, June 27, 2009. Gil Ho, Alex Nadzan and Merle Robboy all gave informative talks to audience members at the Flower & Garden Show Stage. After each presentation, we raffled off an orchid to a lucky individual.

Orchids at the Flower Fields

POS participated in this annual event held at the Flower Fields. We provided information on orchid care, and for the second year in a row sold cut cymbidium stems from Rudvalis Orchids. As always, they provided a fantastic display and were a big crowd-pleaser.

POS goes to Rancho Santa Fe

POS went to the Rancho Santa Fe Garden Club on Saturday, January 17, 2009. Renate Schmidt and Gil Ho, among others, spoke to members on different aspects of orchid care and cultivation. Afterwards, their members enjoyed selecting orchids we had for sale. POS members were on hand to answer any questions they might have had about growing the orchids they had just purchased.

Fabulous Fall Orchid Festival

We held our first "Fabulous Fall Orchid Festival" at the San Diego Botanic Garden on Saturday, November 21, 2009. Vendors Loren Batchman, Ben Machado, Charlie Foquette, Nico Goosens and Lisa Humphreys, and Derek Woodman sold orchids and supplies. Renate Schmidt presented a repotting demonstration, and Gil Ho and Merle Robboy gave informative talks inside the Ecke Building.

2009 POS Orchid Auction

2008 POS Orchid Auction

2010 POS Orchid Auction

July 2011 - Ben Machado

This month’s speaker is Ben Machado, who is well known to many POS members. Ben has been growing orchids for the last 19 years, after having been introduced to orchids by one of San Diego County’s leading growers, Harry Tolen. It started off as a concern for Ben finding something to do as his retirement was approaching. Now, after 10 years of retirement, Ben’s initial dabbling in the world of orchids has turned into a hobby gone wild. Does that sound familiar to anyone?   Read more »

Date: 
Wed, 07/06/2011 - 7:00pm

June 2011 - Dr. Norito Hasegawa

Dr. Norito HasegawaDr. Norito HasegawaNorito Hasegawa is a retired dentist, an overextended hobbyist (considered commercial for tax purposes), is a 3 million miler travelling to many foreign countries talking and/or judging in places such as Japan, South Africa, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Denmark, Germany, New Zealand, Taiwan, England, France, Switzerland and many many cities in the USA.   Read more »

Date: 
Wed, 06/01/2011 - 7:00pm

May 2011 - Ron Kaufmann

Our speaker in May will be Ron Kaufmann, who is no stranger to POS. Many of you may recall is previous visit to out society last year and his memorable talk on his travels to Ecuador. This month Ron will share with us his orchid experiences in Columbia. His talk entitled "Searching for Orchids in Colombia" will highlight his trip to discover orchids in Colombia in preparation for an upcoming tour he is organizing to benefit the Orchid Conservation Alliance. Colombia is one of the most orchid-rich countries in the world, with over 3,000 described species. Ron's talk will cover orchids in the wild, in reserves and at several nurseries that are cultivating native Colombian orchids. This is definitely a presentation not to be missed!   Read more »

Date: 
Wed, 05/04/2011 - 7:00pm