Palomar Orchid Society – Page 17 – It's All About Orchids!

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.

November 2011 – Betty P. Kelepecz

Wed, 11/02/2011 6:30pm – 6:30pm

The Orchids of the Machu Picchu Sanctuary in PeruBetty has been an orchid hobbyist in Southern California for over almost 30 years. She has grown orchids in Long Beach and Huntington Beach, and, since 2003, in the Point Loma area of San Diego. Betty started raising orchids in the early 1980’s when her husband and co-orchid grower Steve brought home a discarded cutting/keiki of a red Epidendrum he found in a trash bin in the alley beside their home in Long Beach. He planted the unimpressive and bloomless cutting on a moss-covered rock and confidently predicted that it would bloom… [Continue Reading]

October 2011 – Mary Gerritsen, PhD

Wed, 10/05/2011 6:30pm – 10:00pm

Borneo, Land Beneath the WindDiscover orchids in their native habitats on the island of Borneo. Mary visited the states of Sabah and Sarawak (Borneo) for nearly a month in November of 2009, and this talk will feature a travelogue of her treks on Mt. Kinabalu, Mt. Alab, Long Pasia, Mulu National Park, Fairy Cave, and Bako National Park. Her trek to Long Pasia was featured in the October 2010 issue of Orchids magazineSpeaker Biography:Mary Gerritsen, Ph.D. is an independent biotechnology consultant who has been growing orchids (mostly species) on and off for more than 30 years, and since relocating to… [Continue Reading]

September 2011 – Paul Gripp

Wed, 09/07/2011 6:30pm – 9:00pm

Our speaker for the general meeting on Sept 7, 2011 at 6:30pm will be Paul Gripp from Santa Barbara Orchid Estate. Here is a description of him from the Newport Harbor Society: "Revered by his peers for his insatiable interest in all kinds of orchids and once described as “the man” of the orchid industry, Paul Gripp is best known for his association with the Santa Barbara Orchid Estate (SBOE) where he started working in 1957, after earning his BS in horticulture at UCLA. In 1967, he purchased the Estate and built it into one of the foremost orchid nurseries.… [Continue Reading]

July 2011 – Ben Machado

Wed, 07/06/2011 7:00pm – 7:00pm

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? Ben’s orchid obsession started with Cattleya hybrids, moving on to Dendrobiums, Oncidiums, Paphs, Bulbophyllums, etc., etc.,… [Continue Reading]

June 2011 – Dr. Norito Hasegawa

Wed, 06/01/2011 7:00pm – 7:00pm

Norito 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. He is primarily a hybridizer of Slipper Orchids (Paphiopedilum) although his interests and collection of 15,000 orchids include miniature cattleyas, phalaenopsis, cymbidiums and variegated orchids of all sorts. He first became interested in orchids after seeing orchids in mass at the World Orchid Conference held in Long Beach… [Continue Reading]

May 2011 – Ron Kaufmann

Wed, 05/04/2011 7:00pm – 7:00pm

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… [Continue Reading]

March 2011 – Dr. Merle Robroy

Wed, 03/02/2011 7:00pm – 7:00pm

[img_assist|nid=28|title=Merle Robroy|desc=|link=none|align=left|width=198|height=200]An MD practicing OB/Gyn, Dr. Robboy is a prominent orchid lecturer for the AOS. He has grown orchids over 25 years and speak for the AOS on the West coast for over 15 years. His collection has over 1500 plants, more than 1/2 are species, and are grown under shade and in a greenhouse as well. He has served as president of the So. Calif. Orchid Species Society and the Newport Harbor Orchid Society. He has a wide interest in other tropical plant types and serves as a judge in the American Dahlia Society.

February 2011 – Fred Clarke

Wed, 02/02/2011 7:00pm – 7:00pm

[img_assist|nid=29|title=Fred Clarke|desc=|link=node|align=right|width=200|height=150]Catasetum, Cycnoches and Mormodes are three related genera from the Tribe Cymbidieae. Individually, each has been considered an orchid oddity, or “botanical”, of interest mainly to the seriously addicted enthusiast. These plants have a brief deciduous period in winter, when the plants need a definite dry rest period bordering on neglect. These robust orchids are native to lowland tropical forests in Central and South America and are usually grown in warm or intermediate conditions. Commercially, Catasetum, Cycnoches (or ‘Swan’ orchids) and Mormodes (or ‘Goblin’ orchids) have occupied a small market niche on the edge of a sea of Cymbidiums, Cattleyas, Phalaenopsis, Dendrobiums, Epidendrums, and so on. Until… [Continue Reading]

January 2011 – Chris Croom

Wed, 01/05/2011 7:00pm – 7:00pm

Christopher has been growing orchids for 11 years in San Diego, and grows mostly species orchids entirely outdoors, year-round. There are about 250 plants in his collection, and his collection has little focus: there are pepperings of Pleurothallids, droves of Dendrobiums, a number of cool-growing Vandaceous picks, Cattleya alliance members, and terrestrial oddities like Eulophia and Oeceoclades in his collection. Christopher worked with Andy's Orchids for one year and potted, watered, mounted plants and sold plants at shows; and has been the editor of the SDCOS Newsletter and a Board member for the SDCOS since 2005. He has presented at… [Continue Reading]

November 2010 – James Rose

Wed, 11/03/2010 7:00pm – 7:00pm

Lycaste orchids are one of those orchids that reward us with beautiful blooms, tantalizing fragrances, and also very interesting foliage during the summer. They lose those leaves during their winter rest period when they need a dry cool place to get ready for those spring blooms. When I think of Lycaste orchids, I think of the Lycaste aromatica which is a very popular plant here. Members can go to Jim’s website (http://www.calorchid.com/) before our meeting to see the assortment of Lycastes that Cal-Orchid is currently offering for sale. If you see something that you would like to purchase, send him… [Continue Reading]