Monthly Meetings
We meet on the second Friday of each month except July and August at the Commerce Bank Center for Science Education (CBEC). The December meeting has an earlier than normal start time.
Educational programs are presented at each meeting (excluding the annual potluck) by guest speakers. Presentations cover all aspects of orchid culture from orchids found around the world!
Many of our speakers are also Orchid growers and bring plants to sell. The number of plants for sale will be limited so get there early for the largest selection.
Members are encouraged to bring their flowering orchids to show off and vote on their favorite for the Member’s Choice award!
Refreshments are often provided, and usually plants and/or planting supplies will be raffled off to attendees!
Please check the calendar often for updates. If a meeting is cancelled for some reason, we will post that there and send out email notices to our members.
Our meetings can also be live streamed on our YouTube channel for those that cannot make it in person.
Annual Show & Sale
Our society presents a yearly Orchid Show & Sale here in St. Louis in conjunction with the Missouri Botanical Garden’s Orchid Show opening weekend! Along with the opening of the MOBot exhibit, we are joined by regional orchid societies and vendors from all over the world!
Come visit our Annual Show & Sale to view wonderful orchid displays and purchase orchids for your collection!
Annual Auction
Each August we host our annual Orchid Auction as a fundraising for our society. Plants are both donated by members, the botanical garden collection, and purchased from vendors. With more than 300 plants for auction, you are bound to find something new for your collection! Additional plants will be sold at a sales table for those that cannot stay for the entire event.
The Auction is open to the general public and other regional orchid societies are invited to participate. Auctions typically take place in the Missouri Botanical Garden‘s Farr Auditorium.
The next auction will be in August and will be on our calendar. Check back prior to the event for an updated plant list.
Regional Orchid Shows
OSOGSL travels to surrounding regional society shows to display our orchids for the community and highlight the diversity of genera. Annual regional shows include the Springfield (MO) Orchid Society, Memphis Orchid Society, Kansas City Orchid Society. Each show is unique, a great opportunity to meet other orchid growers, and a wonderful place to find new orchids for your collection!
Member participation is encourage in the society’s Shows and Events to represent the society and St. Louis, and members often have a chance at receiving awards for their blooming orchids!
Orchid Judging
American Orchid Society (AOS) awards are recognized as a benchmark of quality worldwide and pursued by hobbyists and commercial growers alike. Awards are presented for outstanding flower quality, horticultural merit, and orchid arrangements or displays. AOS judging is open to anyone and is offered free of charge by trained AOS judges. Once awarded, a one-time charge of $40 (AOS member)/ $60 (non-member) is assessed to process the award and register the plant within the AOS system.
AOS Judging takes place monthly at the Mid-America Judging Center; Commerce Bank Education Center (CBEC), 4651 Shaw Blvd, St. Louis, MO 63110, at noon on the second Saturday of each month.*
To find out more, and learn about recent awards, you can visit the Mid-America Judging Center’s Facebook page. To view other outstanding flowers and national awards please visit the American Orchid Society website (AOS.org.)†
* Unless otherwise noted. Judging is periodically rescheduled to correspond with AOS judged shows and events.
† Must be an AOS member to access the Orchid Pro database of awards (op.aos.org)
Chicagoland Trip
Every year (or so), the society hosts a trip for members to attend the annual Chicagoland Orchid Festival in Chicago IL! It is a two-day trip visiting different orchid greenhouse locations within the suburbs of Chicago, and peruse wares from several visiting vendors as well!
The festival features a vast array of plants for sale, refreshments, special bargains, and the opportunity to stroll among the most exotic and beautiful plants found in nature.
We typically charter a bus and stay overnight in a hotel between days. This is a paid event to cover the costs of travel and lodging.
Annual Potluck
Bring a dish and spend time with fellow orchid enthusiasts! OSOGSL provides a main entree, and members to bring desserts and side dishes. This monthly meeting typically doesn’t have a guest speaker, but all other aspects of our monthly meetings still occur!
Election of OSOGSL Officers also occurs during the December monthly meeting by majority vote.
