Founded in 1946, the Peninsula Orchid Society (POS) is a society of about 200 orchid enthusiasts and professional growers with members from around the San Francisco Bay area. Our mission is to increase the awareness, appreciation, enjoyment, conservation, and cultivation of orchids. POS members fulfill this mission in the following ways:
- Monthly Meetings.
- Annual Orchid Show and Sale
- Auction or sales of member owned orchids several times each year. Occasional one-day shows.
- Diverse educational activities that vary from year to year.
About Our Usual Monthly Meetings
We meet at the San Mateo Garden Center, 605 Parkside Way, San Mateo, CA. Doors open at 6:30 PM and the meeting begins at 7:00 PM. Meetings take place on the 4th Friday, February - November. January you will find us at our annual show and in December our meeting is on the 3rd Friday. You may also join our meetings via Zoom. Visitors are warmly welcomed.
Our monthly meetings are full of orchids. Members bring in plants that they have in-bloom to be
featured on the Show and Tell table. At an appointed time, one or two of the Society's knowledgeable members
present the plants and talk a little about each orchid's cultural requirements, breeding, or history.
Our meeting begins with an invited speaker who gives a talk about an issue of interest to
orchid growers. Topics range from natural history and culture of specific types of orchids to orchid genetics
to reports about trips to see wild orchids. These lectures feature prominent local orchid experts and occasional speakers from other states and from abroad.
Every meeting also includes a member sales table, where members sell orchids from their
own collections and an "opportunity table" containing plants which can be won at the end of the meeting.
During the meeting there is a skill session where members can learn about repotting or mounting,
cultivation best practices, or other topics of interest to orchid enthusiasts.
Our Members
Our members span from teens to seniors. They range from having only a couple of store bought orchids to window-sill growers with many orchids taking over their home to advanced hobby growers with greenhouses to professional orchid growers. They live on the Peninsula, in San Jose, Fremont, San Leandro, Pleasant Hill, San Francisco, and some live far away. Guests are always welcome at our meetings and other events.
In addition to our website, you may find information on our activities on our Facebook Page and in our
Newsletter "The Sheath".
The Peninsula Orchid Society is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, affiliated with the American Orchid Society.
