Book: AOS Guide to Growing Orchids
Shares the advice of 24 respected orchid horticulturists who explain what is necessary to succeed with orchids. Softback, color pictures.

Book: AOS Guide to Orchids and their Culture
Authored by renowned growers/authors/travelers, Mary E. Gerritsen and Ron Parsons, this book filled with the combinded knowledge of two lifetimes of orchid experience and Ron’s legendary photographs. This book has something for begining hobbyists and advanced growers alike!

Beginners will appreciate the sections about orchid culture, pests, shopping tips, and name tags. More advanced growers will gravitate towards the recommendations for different orchid species to try. This book has a wealth of inspiring, real-life examples from the authors'shared experiences that encompass eight diverse growing areas!

Soft-bound with 246 pages. By Mary E. Gerritsen and Ron Parsons. 2018.


Orchid of the Day: June 17, 2019

Book: AOS Guide to Pests and Diseases
Everything you need to know to identify and control whatever may be ailing your orchid, whether insects, bacteria or fungi. Softback, color pictures.

Book: Diamonds and Disas
By Harold Koopowitz.  2016.  A novel.  Emeritus UCI botanist Dr. Harold Koopowitz transplants his “Orchid Tales” characters from the genre of genteel historical fiction to that of modern action and adventure.  Facing a variety of perils, familiar friends and newcomers race across the South African countryside in search of a new species of Disa.   The fascinating plants, animals, and rocks of Namaqualand are interwoven into the story.   Paperback with 319 pages.   All book proceeds will be donated to the Orchid Digest Publication Fund.

We are so honored that Harold will be the guest author at our 2016 SBOE Summer Open House, July 8-10th. Harold will speak on South African orchids and other plants at 7:30 pm Friday July 8, 2016 at a joint meeting of the Orchid Society of Santa Barbara and the Santa Barbara Cymbidium Society, in Fellowship Hall of Trinity Lutheran Church, located at 909 North La Cumbre Road, Santa Barbara.

Signed books will be shipped after Summer Open House (week of July 11). 
Orchid of the Day: June 23, 2016

Book: Discovering New World Orchids Book
By Steve Manning. Travel back in time to the early days of orchid discovery, collection, commerce, and botanical description. Whether your favorite orchid growers are local, domestic, or international, the stories behind the routes taken by early orchids and their cultivators makes for fascinating reading!

Many first-hand accounts, famous color prints and documents, plus lively text fill each page. The open pages shown above cover Nathaniel Ward and his introduction of "The Wardian Case" as well as a section on Cattleya loddigesii.

Signed and unsigned copies available. 2010. Hardcover. 669 pages.
Orchid of the Day: July 7, 2022

Book: El Rancho Rinconada - Orchid Town
By Louis M. Boyle. 1946. A genuine artifact. Never circulated. Travel back in time to orchid growing in the 1940’s at El Rancho Rinconada Nursery, Ojai, California. Originally published as a promotional and reference book, 70 years later it is a remarkable example of vintage orchid glamor and Western kitsch. The alphabetical list of early Cymbidium hybrids remains useful. The student of early Cymbidium hybridizing will find great interest in the extensive list of unnamed Cymbidium crosses, many of which were never registered, thus providing a broader view of 1940’s Cymbidium hybridizing than the data in the International Orchid Register.
Orchid of the Day: July 30, 2016

Book: From the Hand of God to the Miracles of Orchids
By AOS past president Milton Carpenter. 2012. Part autobiography, part highlights of Everglades Orchids breeding program, part vignettes of orchid friends and others. This engaging 217-page hardbound book contains over 170 beautiful photographs, most of them color, including over 100 images of orchids.
One hardcover book, one Christian music CD, one orchid story DVD. Signed by the author.
Orchid of the Day: June 30, 2016

Book: Of Men and Orchids - Part 1
By Rudolf Jenny. 2015. Each of the 21 chapters presents a fascinating glimpse into orchid history, which is richly brought to life with may historical images and modern photos. 302 pages. We here at SBOE can mail prospective buyers an example copy of the 2-page table of contents. Books can only be shipped to U.S. addresses.
Orchid of the Day: July 9, 2016

Book: Periodicals 1947-77 - Cymbidium Society Newsletter
Even more interesting now than when they were new, these periodicals are a glimpse of the horticultural history of orchids! Discover (or perhaps re-live!) the camaraderie of the orchid scene in Southern California as it was between 1946-1974, the 'golden age' of Californian Cymbidium hybridization and orchid nurseries.

Abundant advertisements of “new seedlings” and “the latest cultivars” from popular nurseries lost to time. Plus much about contemporary orchid growers around the world. Every page will bring a smile to your face, and maybe a nostalgic tear to your eye. Gems of horicultural history.

Limited random issues, each for $10.

Only one, near-complete collector's set for $500.
Orchid of the Day: September 29, 2020

Book: Slipper Orchids of Borneo , Second Edition
By Phillip Cribb. 2014. Building strongly on the first edition, this second edition includes : five additional Phaphiopedillum species and varieties ( inamorii, ooii, rothschildianum var. elliottianum, platyphyllum, and sugiyamamum ), an expanded general discussion of Phaphiopedillum classificarion, a new historical section with biographies of plant collectors and botanists in Borneo, and many new photos and drawings throughout the book. Soft-bound with 160 pages. Signed by the author.
Books can only be shipped to US addresses. For shipping to other countries, order directly from the publisher in Borneo at www.nhpborneo.com
Orchid of the Day: July 5, 2016

Book: The Book of Orchids
The Book of Orchids: A Life-Size Guide to Six Hundred
Species from around the World
By Mark Chase, Maarten Christenhusz, and Tom Mirenda. 2017.

This handsome and informative 'coffee-table'-style book provides a glimpse of wonderfully obscure orchids that most of us might otherwise never see! Beginning with Tom Mirenda's sublime preface, the first 24 pages outline the family of orchids, one of the world's most diverse. Then follow the single-page spotlights featuring a different orchid on each page; in all, 600 entries that include actual-size photographs and geographic distribution.

Each species spotlight gives an overview relaying varying details particular to that orchid, such as cultivation and ethnobotany, fragrance, pollinators, and even scientific significance where applicable. A great feature: the orchids are organized taxonomically so that related orchids are presented together, allowing the reader to appreciate the ingenuity and diversity of orchids.

We are so honored that Tom Mirenda, who has also been a frequent contributor to the American Orchid Society magazine, participated as the Guest Author for this book at our 2017 SBOE Summer Open House!
Hardcover book with 656 pages.

Orchid of the Day: July 8, 2022

Book: The Genus Calanthe
By Dudley Clayton and Phillip Cribb. 2013. A definitive compilation of the 207 species of this lovely pan-tropical "genus". Includes surprising DNA results in the phylogeny chapter by Professor Tomohisa Yukawa. This 411 page, hardbound book contains 92 drawings, 11 color paintings, 273 color photographs, a key, and biographical notes. Signed by Cribb.
Books can only be shipped to US addresses. For shipping to other countries, order directly from the publisher in Borneo at www.nhpborneo.com
Orchid of the Day: July 6, 2016

Book: The Genus Cymbidium
By David Du Puy and Phillip Cribb. 2007. Indispensable volume for Cymbidium enthusiasts and breeders alike. This revised edition includes many more habitat photographs, updated taxonomy (including the results from recent DNA studies), distribution maps, and at least eight new species! Hardcover with 369 pages. Signed by Cribb.
Orchid of the Day: February 7, 2021

Book: Wild Orchids of California
By Ronald Coleman. 2002.
A beautiful, useful, and informative field guide for both armchair and backcountry orchid lovers! One particularly exciting feature of this book is that it contains some amazing photos of in-situ wild orchids in bloom.

There is something thrilling about seeing a genuine wild orchid in nature in our own home state of California, especially when you consider that most are seasonally deciduous and regionally specific!

Describes 32 species in 11 genera, and includes tables of county counts, with 40 pages of color plates. 201 pages of text. Softcover.
Orchid of the Day: July 23, 2022