May 2026 - Arthur Pinkers on 'Coelogyne, My First Love'

Arthur Pinkers

This month we are pleased to welcome back Arthur Pinkers who will be sharing his talk ‘Coelogyne, My First Love’. This genus 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 is a shared speaker with the San Diego Orchid Society, and he will be giving his talk "Oncidium Intergeneric Orchids" on Tuesday, May 5th, at 6:30pm in Balboa Park. You can watch his talk on Zoom (contact Barry or Alex for the link) or attend in person at the Casa Del Prado, room 101.

Arthur has been an orchid enthusiast since the age of sixteen, when he acquired a plant of Slc. Glittering Jewel, which infected him with the orchid bug.  His forty plus years of experience growing orchids started in the Pacific Northwest with a greenhouse to fend off the cold, rainy days. In 2004, a job change forced him to move to Santa Clarita, California, where the conditions are extreme for growing orchids. 

Growing up in the Seattle area, Arthur attended Western Washington University in Bellingham, Washington, graduating with a B.S. in Chemistry and Biology.  He worked for many years as a chemist and had the fortune of having his dream job as the Lab Director for Beall Orchid Company until shortly before its close in 1990. 

Despite not having a current career working with orchids, Arthur has taken an active role in the orchid community.  He has been an Accredited Orchid Judge for over twenty years, served in most executive positions on the Board of the Northwest Orchid Society, including serving as President from 1988 to1989 and President of the San Fernando Valley Orchid Society 2016 to present. He was the center photographer for the Pacific Northwest Judging region 1993 - 2004.  Currently, Arthur serves as the Awards Director for the Pacific South Judging Center and one of the photographers for the Pacific South Judging Center.  Although he has an interest in a wide variety of orchids, botanicals are a special draw to him for their diversity and charm.

Arthur has been married to his wife, Margie, for over twenty-nine years, and has two adult children and a Granddaughter and Grandson.  While they have not inherited his love for growing orchids, his family enjoys the beauty and wild aromas his backyard jungle brings to their home, a respite from the desert landscape around them.

This month’s plant table will be provided by Andy’s Orchids and will include some Coelogyne species orchids.