2025 Spring Members Meeting - Annapolis, MD

Join Us in Annapolis April 9th -12th. Registration is now CLOSED!

Make plans to join us this Spring in Annapolis, MD. April 9th through the 12th

Your Registration includes: Early access to vendors/plant sales, 6 Expert Speaker sessions, Meet & Greet Social, Silent and Live Auctions, Hands-On Workshops, Town Hall, Award Presentations, Tours and more! There will be AOS Judging hosted by the National Capital Judging Center.

Held in Conjunction with the North America Orchid Conservation Center (NAOCC) - a program of the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center (SERC)

If you are not registered, feel free to come and visit the vendors, attend committee meetings, join us for the auction and sit in on the Town Hall. Everyone is welcome for these free events.

Orchid Vendors

We are thrilled to Welcome:

J & L Orchids - Specializing in miniature orchids that can be grown in the home. J&L Orchids is a long-established orchid nursery, specializing in miniature orchids and a wide variety of species and interesting hybrids. We are long term hobbyists, propagators, and AOS judges; in business since 1968, and offer something for just about every grower.

Preorders can be placed on their website (https://jlorchids.com) with discount code "Annapolis2025" or emailed to preorders@jlorchids.com. The last day for preorders is Tuesday 8th April, and payments can be made at the time of pickup, too.

NeedMoreOrchids - Specializing in Habenarias aka Habenaria Heaven. Seasonal sales of Habenaria, Pectabenaria, Cynorkis, Nervilia tubers and plants as well as other unusual species and hybrids of Bulbophyllum, Dendrobium & Epidendrum plus a selection of easy to grow orchid companion plants.

Orchidom - Orchids Dominicana - Featuring Dendrobium, Vanda, Cattleya and Oncidium. The link will bring up a partial list of what they plan to bring to the Members Meeting. To make sure that your favorites are available in Annapolis, preorder by April 1.

They will also be bringing flasks of select Cattleyas and native Dominican species.

Woodstream Orchids - One of the most prominent breeders of Paphiopedilums and Phragmipediums in the United States. They will be featuring Top Quality Paphiopedilums, Phragmipediums and additional selected genera. Flasks, seedling and divisions.

Preorders. Please email woodstream3@verizon.net to request Paph, Phrag, Flask, and non-slipper genera availability lists. Happy to deliver plants to the AOS meeting. Lists on the web site are obsolete.

Woodstream Orchids is having a pop-up Open House Sunday April 13, 10 am – 5 PM at their nursery at 5810 Huntingtown Road, Huntingtown, MD 20639, (410) 610-6697. This is a 35–40-minute drive southwest of Annapolis.

Host Hotel - Annapolis Crowne Plaza

173 Jennifer Road, Annapolis, MD

We have reserved a block of rooms at special Members Meeting rate ($149/night)

Click the button below to make your reservations. Your stay dates can be adjusted at the top of the page using the calendar icon.

Reserve Here

Wednesday, April 9th

Noon - 4:00 PM Board of Trustees Strategic Planning Session (SERC facilities)
4:00 - 5:30 PM Smithsonian Environmental Research Center (SERC) Lab/Facilities Tour. The tour will offer an overview of the SERC campus and 92,000 sq ft LEED-Platinum Charles McC. Mathias building which has 69,000 sq ft of office and laboratory space as well as on-site solar energy production, geothermal heating and cooling, water reclamation system and stormwater management wetlands. A focus of the tour will be a visit to the SERC Plant and Molecular Ecology lab to see the NAOCC orchid mycorrhizal fungal collection and the genomics facilities that we use to identify the fungi that orchids need to grow. ** Interested registrants must arrange for their own transportation to SERC in Edgewater, MD **
Dinner on your own
7:00 - 9:00 PM Judges Training Forum - Dendrobium: 2 Sections

* "Judging Latouria Dendrobium" - Cordelia Head and Lucas Carreño

* "Dendrobium section Oxyglossum - Great Presents Come in Small Packages" - Bob Winkley

Thursday, April 10th

8:00 - 9:00 AM Education Committee "Bring your Coffee" Meet & Greet
8:00 - 10:30 AM Judging Commitee Meeting - Arundel A Meeting Room
9:00 - 10:30 AM Education Committee Meeting - Arundel C Meeting Room
9:00 - 10:00 AM Membership Committee Meetings - Montgomery Meeting Room
11:00 - 6:00 PM D.C. Botanic Gardens Backstage Tours & Experience (Ticketed Event) Includes the Smithsonian Gardens and the US Botanic Garden + Loop around the National Mall. **SOLD OUT**
Dinner on your own

Friday, April 11th

8:30 AM Vendor/Plant sales open to Meeting registrants.
9:00 - Noon Board of Trustees Meeting
9:30 AM Vendor/Plant sales open to the public
Noon - 1:00 PM "Meet the Leadership and AOS Judges" Lunch (Ticketed Event)
1:00 PM AOS Judging - Arundel C
Speaker Sessions - Orchid Conservation - A Vital Endeavor - Arundel B

* 1:00 PM - Janice Yates - 'Treading Lightly: Tales of Citizen Conservation and Education'

* 2:00 PM - Sarah Hedean and Amy Highland - 'Orchid Conservation at the Smithsonian Gardens and the United States Botanic Garden'

* 3:00 PM - Peter Zale, Ph.D. - 'Native Orchid Conservation Efforts at Longwood Gardens'

4:00 - 5:00 PM "Repotting, Dividing, and Mounting." Hands-on Workshop. While included with meeting registration, space is limited to 50. (Supplies will be provided to those who pre-register for this workshop.) ** There will be a separate registration/sign up for this event. **
5:15 - 6:00 PM Meet & Greet Social. Live Auction Preview. Queen Anne Ballroom
5:15 - 6:30 PM Silent Auction. Queen Anne Ballroom
6:00 - 7:30 PM Live Auction. Queen Anne Ballroom

Speakers/Talks Details

Saturday, April 12th

8:30 AM Vendor/Plant sales open to Meeting registrants
9:00 AM - Noon Meeting of the Members & Town Hall. Awards Presentation. AOS Elections.
9:30 AM Vendor/Plant sales open to the public
Noon - 1:00 PM Board of Trustees Reorganization Meeting (BoT Working Lunch)
Speaker Sessions - Orchids Uncovered: Guardians, Extremes and Conservation Dreams

* 1:00 PM - Melissa K. McCormick, Ph.D. - 'Conserving our Native Orchid Heritage'

* 2:00 PM - Hope Brooks - 'Doggone Orchid Hunters – How Man’s Best Friend Can Help Sniff Out Orchids'

* 3:00 PM - Bob Sprague - 'Orchids, Whales and Polar Bears'

4:00 - 5:15 PM "Orchid Viruses" Hands-on Workshop. While included with meeting registration, space is limited to 50. Sponsored by Agdia. (Supplies will be provided to those who pre-register for this workshop.) ** There will be a separate registration/sign up for this event. **
7:00 - 9:00 PM "Annapolis in Bloom: An Orchid Celebration" Banquet with Keynote Speaker Dennis Whigham, Ph.D., Founder of the North American Orchid Conservation Center (NAOCC), an initiative of the Smithsonian and the United States Botanic Garden.

Click Here to Register

Membership - Sign In

Join Us in Annapolis April 9th -12th. Registration is now CLOSED!

Orchid Vendors

Host Hotel - Annapolis Crowne Plaza