About the Virginia Orchid Society

The Virginia Orchid Society had its beginning in 1949 when a group of Richmond orchid enthusiasts joined to form the society. The VOS was officially organized in September 1951, and recognized as an affiliate society of the American Orchid Society in October 1953. From the beginning, the mission of the society has been to bring together like-minded orchid hobbyists to share valuable knowledge and growing techniques about this amazing group of plants through meetings, lectures and annual orchid shows open to the public. The Virginia Orchid Society is a membership organization open to anyone with an interest in orchids. A downloadable membership form is available from the VOS website.

The VOS began meeting at Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden in September 2012, and continued through May 2015. After a hiatus, the VOS returned to the Garden where it holds its meetings September through November and January through May, typically the third Sunday of the month at 2 pm. The speakers at VOS monthly meetings discuss various aspects of orchid growing and share their knowledge of orchid world. The current meeting schedule with dates, times, and lecture topics is posted on the VOS website. Current membership is over 70 members and guests are always welcome.

Since March 2022, the VOS’s annual orchid shows have been held at Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden in the Conservatory. The shows include lavish display of orchids and offer lectures and vendors with orchids for sale. The shows are always free to attend with Garden membership or Garden admission.

VOS PUBLIC MEETINGS AT LEWIS GINTER BOTANICAL GARDEN

September 17, 2023 | Topic: Native Orchids of Puerto Rico

  • Speaker: Arnaldo Cardona, Educational Consultant with degrees in Education, Art, Landscape and Environmental Design from Richmond, VA

October 15, 2023 | Topic: Journey of a Seed Pod

  • Speaker: Bridget Uzar, worked for Carter and Holmes Orchids and an experienced lecturer for 20 years from Newberry, SC

November 12, 2023 | Topic: Growing Orchids without a Greenhouse

  • Speaker: Steve Frowine, Professional Horticulturalist, Author and Lecturer from Asheville, NC

January 21, 2024 | Topic: Orchid Pests: Getting the Most Out of Your Pesticide Label

  • Speaker: Helen Hull-Sanders, experienced Entomologist with over 10 years’ experience in plant-animal interaction

February 18, 2024 | Topic: Native Orchids of North America

  • Melissa McCormick, Environmental biologist from the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center in Edgewater, MD

February 23-25, 2024

  • Annual VOS-AOS (American Orchid Society) judged show at Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden

 March 17, 2024 | Topic: Creating Beautiful Outdoor Spaces Where Orchids Thrive

  • Speaker: Bill Bodei, American Orchid Society Board of Trustee and initiator of orchidmarketplace.com from Middletown, NJ

April 21, 2024 | Topic: Picture Perfect, a look at Cattleyas

  • Speaker: Dave Off, Owner of Waldor Orchids from Linwood, NJ

May 19, 2024 | Topic and Speaker TBA

For any inquiries about the work of the VOS or for more information on upcoming meetings, please contact [email protected]. You can also contact Ronald Geraci, Webmaster, through the Contact Us page on the society’s website.