Palomar Orchid Society

Welcome to the Palomar Orchid Society!

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 5, 2026

The Palomar Orchid Society generally meets at 4:00 pm the FIRST WEDNESDAY of every month in the Activity Room 108 of the Pine Avenue Community Center located at 3209 Harding Street, Carlsbad, CA 92008.

IMPORTANT NOTE: For June, July, and August of 2026 the meeting location and time have changed: due to a conflict in scheduling, we are temporarily meeting at the Senior Center (799 Pine Ave, Carlsbad, CA 92008) adjacent to our current Pine Avenue Community Center location with the meeting running from 5-8 pm. There is ample parking and the meeting room is slightly smaller but will work for the 3 months listed. Starting September, we are back at the Community Center and the regular time slot from 4-7pm.

August 2016 General Meeting – Harold Koopowitz

Wed, 08/03/2016 6:30pm – 9:30pm

The Palomar Orchid Society is welcoming Harold Koopowitz for a presentation on “Understanding color in orchid flowers.” Aside from being a well-known lecturer in the orchid circuit, Harold has been honored by being a recipient of the Herbert Medal from the International Bulb Society; the Orchid Digest Medal for meritorious service to orchids; the Ralph B. White Medal from the Royal Horticultural Society for innovations in daffodil breeding; the Gold Medal from the American Daffodil Society and the Gold Medal from the American Orchid Society as well as the Westonbirt Medal from the Royal Horticultural Society for outstanding achievement with… [Continue Reading]

July 2016 General Meeting – Ron Parsons

Wed, 07/06/2016 6:30pm – 9:30pm

We are happy to welcome back Ron Parsons to speak on “Orchids of Southeastern Australia” and share with us the excellent photos taken on his trip. Ron describes his Australian experience as follows: ‘For five weeks of the austral spring of 2011, from early October to mid-early November, I traveled through southeastern Australia. My trip started on the island state of Tasmania (the north and northwest part) where friends took me out to see and photograph orchids I would not have found on my own. From there I traveled to Victoria where I was taken to Grampians National Park in… [Continue Reading]

June 2016 – Karen Muir

Wed, 06/01/2016 6:30pm – 9:30pm

The Palomar Orchid Society is pleased to welcome Karen Muir for a presnetation on Maxillarias. Wikipedia describes that genus as “a diverse genus, with very different morphological forms. Their characteristics can vary widely. [Maxillarias] are commonly called spider orchids, flame orchids or tiger orchids. Their scientific name is derived from the Latin word maxilla, meaning jawbone, reflecting on the column and the base of the lip of some species, that may evoke a protruding jaw.”Karen hails originally from Michigan where she started raising orchids in 1972. She was a member of the Michigan Orchid Society and held all of the… [Continue Reading]

April 2016 – Paul Tuskes

Wed, 04/06/2016 6:30pm – 9:30pm

The Palomar Orchid Society is pleased to welcome back Dr. Paul Tuskes. Paul’s presentation will be on “Encyclias and their relatives”.Encyclia and related genera occur from south Florida to Brazil and live in a wide range of habitats and elevations….. meaning they are ideal for everybody. He will focus on the best plants for the San Diego area and some of their hybrids.Paul has been growing orchids for 30 years and his photographs have been used in various books and journals. He serves as an AOS orchid judge and co-founded with his wife Ann the orchid species study group of… [Continue Reading]

March 2016 – Kay Klausing

Wed, 03/02/2016 6:30pm – 9:30pm

We are delighted to welcome back Dr. Kay Klausing, 1st VP of the San Diego County Orchid Society who will speak to us on orchids viruses. The title of his talk is "Orchid Viruses: Introduction and Practical Aspects of Virus Testing". During his Masters and PhD work, Kay used a virus as a model system for replication and, as such, he has had a long interest in and fascination with viruses. Kay will give a brief introduction to orchid viruses, but will focus mainly on the practical aspects from the point of growing orchids. He will give a live demo… [Continue Reading]

February 2016 – Ron Midgett

Wed, 02/03/2016 6:30pm – 9:30pm

[img_assist|nid=649|title=Ron Midgett|desc=|link=none|align=left|width=189|height=200]We are pleased to welcome Ron Midgett of New Earth Orchids, NM, as our speaker for February. Ron is an accomplished orchid hybridizer who will be describing his cattleya hybridizing efforts with a talk entitled ‘Beyond Sc. Beaufort – A 20 Year Odyssey in Cattleya Breeding’. Ron’s visit is being co-sponsored by POS and SDCOS, thus he will be talking about his experiences with oncidium hybrids at SDCOS on Tuesday evening with the talk “Oncidinae Intergeneric Hybrids—What Are They and How Do I Grow Them?”. He also will be providing the POS opportunity table and have some… [Continue Reading]

January 2016 – Orchid Culture Class with Alex Nadzan and Jerry Spencer

Wed, 01/06/2016 6:30pm – 9:30pm

We start out 2016 with a meeting devoted to orchid culture. This topic will be highly beneficial for many of our newer members who are just entering the wonderful world of orchids. Experienced member will gain some new insights from the presentations as well. Alex Nadzan will address the basics of orchid culture, by reviewing the common orchid classes and emphasizing the basic light, temperature and cultural preferences for each class. He will bring in examples of each class and provide suggestions for growing them successfully. Jerry Spencer, our expert cymbidium grower, will review the basic cultural requirements for cymbidiums… [Continue Reading]

November 2015 – Phyllis Prestia

Wed, 11/04/2015 6:30pm – 9:30pm

This month, our guest speaker is POS member Phyllis Prestia. She will discuss her trip to the World Orchid Conference, held last year in Johannesburg, South Africa. Phyllis will take us on a tour of the displays and orchids at the WOC, including those that received the highest awards at the conference. She will also discuss some of the orchids of the South African and Madagascar regions, which she saw and photographed. Since Phyllis herself grows many of those species, her presentation will include details and tips on the culture of rainforest and savannah terrestrials.Phyllis is a retired educator and… [Continue Reading]

October 2015 – Satomi Kasahara

Wed, 10/07/2015 6:30pm – 9:30pm

Our guest speaker this month is Satomi Kasahara of Seed Engei. Her topic is Neofinetia falcata, an orchid native to Japan. She will discuss the history, culture and special methods that are used to judge this unique orchid. The Japanese have been cultivating Neofinetia falcata (now officially named Vanda falcata) for over 400 years. In Japan, it is called Fūki-ran (富貴蘭), which means the orchid of the rich and noble people, because many years ago, only the rich and royalty could own them.Satomi’s father, Shigeru, started Seed Engei 35 years ago in Shiuzuoka, Japan. They specialize in growing Neofinetia falcata… [Continue Reading]

September 2015 – Brandon Tam

Wed, 09/02/2015 6:30pm – 9:30pm

This month, our guest speaker is Brandon Tam, Orchid Collection Specialist at the Huntington Library, Art Collections and Botanical Gardens in San Marino, CA. The Huntington has one of the largest orchid collections in the United States with 16,000 plants. Brandon will present an overview of the collection and discuss the Huntington’s involvement in the orchid world. Then, he will present his 10 favorite orchids in the collection including their origins and growing culture.Brandon has been with the Huntington for over 8 years. He began volunteering at the institution at the age of 14. There were always plenty of opportunities… [Continue Reading]