Membership Information

The Long Beach Amateur Orchid Society Newsletter (LBAOS) is emailed every month. Stay up-to-date on LBAOS activities, enjoy entertaining and informative articles, and expert orchid culture tips from a variety of sources.

The Newsletter will announce the speakers and associated Zoom link each month. There will be a brief biography of the guest speaker and a brief description of the presentation in the Newsletter. There is something to be learned at every meeting from our knowledgeable, entertaining, and professional speakers. Topics include how to grow different types of orchids, the orchids indigenous to different areas of the world, how different species are used in hybridizing orchids, and much more. Usually, there are beautiful slides as part of the presentation. Questions are always welcome and engaging with the speaker really adds to the program.

LBAOS hopes that your interest in orchid culture will grow and be with you for a long time and we hope that you will be an active member for an equally long time. As a non-profit organization LBAOS relies on volunteers. Any offer to help is greatly appreciated.

Do you want to learn how to grow orchids? LBAOS is a dynamic group of orchid growers having all levels of experience, from those who just brought their first orchid home to those with overflowing greenhouses. All members have one thing in common, we love to share our experiences, our knowledge, and our love of orchids. Come to one of our meetings so we can get to know each other.

At almost every meeting, plant judging takes place by genus category. The one main requirement is that you must have owned the plant for at least 6 months to place a plant into judging. The judges are expert growers in the Society and know what each plant should exhibit to be grown well and look typical of that genus and species. It is a true learning experience to see what our members bring in for judging. Talk to the members and get their tips and tricks on how to successfully grow beautiful, healthy plants. Each plant brought for judging gets a raffle ticket, which is a way to increase your collection of quality plants.

LBAOS is frequently asked to support the Westminster Mall Orchid Show by creating a unique orchid display for those people visiting the mall and fellow orchid enthusiasts. Everyone is welcome and encouraged to volunteer to support this event no matter what skill level you have in growing orchids.

At each monthly meeting there are opportunities to win beautiful, quality orchids. We have orchid raffles every month except in March when our annual auction takes place. Each month we also auction some higher-end plants that are special in some aspect such as type, availability, and/or size. These are great opportunities to bring home quality orchids and expand your collection with plants from well-known vendors.

LBAOS has a yearly auction in March. It is a very lively, fast-paced evening where gorgeous orchids are sold to the highest bidder. All LBAOS members and the public are welcome to bid. Plants come from vendors all over California as well as our member’s own collections. It is a great way to see a wide variety of orchids. This event generates funding for the Society to cover expenses for the year.

Occasionally, LBAOS will have pop-up sales. These are random sales of member’s plants and are a great way to increase your collection. They are held at St. Gregory’s Church where we meet monthly. These events are publicized on social media outlets.