Meetings
Meetings take place at Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden on the Fourth Monday of every month except December.
Meetings generally take place in classroom Corbin A at Fairchild Garden unless otherwise noted. Refreshments and Raffle table are usually set up by 7:15pm and speakers begin presentations at 7:30pm.
During each meeting, there is a speaker on a pre-announced topic related to growing plants. Speakers are often well-known members of the exotic plant community including growers, horticulturalists, botanists, and collectors. Members are able to sell plants during the meeting at the designated Members’ sales tables. Additionally, members may bring in snacks, drinks, and plants for the Raffle table.
Meetings are free to attend, but the society relies entirely on the support of our paying members to sustain our mission and activities. None of this would be possible without their generosity and commitment. By becoming a member, you help ensure that we can continue offering these opportunities and resources to everyone. Join us today.
Next meeting: August 24, 2026
Speaker: Sid Gardino
Topic: “Hunting for Carnivorous Plants in South Florida”
Born in Brazil, where he lived for 30 years, Sid started growing plants—ferns—in 1973 at home, and everything grew from there.
He started Gardino Nursery in the U.S. in 1994, specializing in rare and unusual plants, including many species of Hoyas, ferns, orchids, flowering trees, fragrant plants, and more.
While living in Brazil, one of Sid's most memorable experiences was going into the rainforest and looking for interesting plants. Even though we don’t have the same diversity of plants in the U.S., he finds it very enjoyable to explore natural areas in search of native plants, especially carnivorous plants and orchids. He has also been keeping track of a few populations and observing how they change throughout the year. It’s definitely not what he was expecting.
You may actually be surprised by the number of very cool plants hiding in these areas. It is just a matter of knowing where to look.
Previous meeting: “In the Fairchild Tradition: Plant Exploration Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow”
Speaker: Chad Husby
Botanists have described nearly 400,000 plant species and continue to discover and describe about 2,000 new species each year. This staggering diversity is concentrated in the tropics and so far only a small portion have been evaluated for horticultural potential. Plant exploration is the art and science of finding, introducing and evaluating new plants for cultivation. South Florida and Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden have been hubs of tropical plant exploration for over a century. David Fairchild, for whom the Garden was named, spearheaded United States plant exploration in the late 19th and early 20th century and conveyed the wonder and importance of this endeavor to the public. We have continued this tradition at Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden. In this presentation we will discuss the nature of tropical plant exploration and its past, present and future at the Garden.
July 27, 2026
Past meetings
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![Rick Hawkins in front of rare palm Dictyocaryum lamarckianum]()
Speaker: Rick Hawkins
June 22, 2026
Topic: “A journey through Peru with the IPS”
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![Philip Iloo hols up a drynaria fern]()
Speaker: Philip Iloo
May 25, 2026
Topic: “Ferns and Other Exotics“
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![Nacho Duran of Unique Plants Nursery holds an anthurium]()
Speaker: Nacho Duran
April 27, 2026
Topic: “Hybridizing Anthuriums”
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Speaker: Xain Lawracy
March 23, 2026
Topic: “Fruit Hunting in Puerto Rico”
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![Dr. Carl Lewis stands in front of a slide depicting butterflies and pairs of plants - for the larval and adult forms.]()
Speaker: Dr. Carl Lewis
February 23, 2026
Topic: “City in a Garden: Fairchild's Vision for South Florida”
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![speaker Palmer Crippen stands in front of a screen displaying a slide with 3 photos of Schlumbergera - including 'Samba Brazil' and 'Golden Charm']()
Speaker: Palmer Crippen
January 26, 2026
Topic: “Journey Through Jungle Cacti: Rhipsalis, Lepismium, Schlumbergera, and Other Epiphytic Cacti”
2025
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![Marie Nock and Dr. Sandy Schultz address a group from behind a podium. Behind them part of a slide showing plants can be seen]()
Speakers: Sandy Schultz and Marie Nock
November 24, 2025
Topic: “Traveling to Plant Destinations”
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![Ivan Portilla of Ecuagenera standing in a dimly lit room in front of a projector]()
Speaker: Ivan Portilla
September 22, 2025
Topic: “Aroids of Ecuagenera”
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![Reggie Whitehead holds up a fern so that the spores under the frond are visible]()
Speaker: Reggie Whitehead
August 25, 2025
Topic: “The Nature of Ferns”
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![Chip Jones holding a bromeliad and speaking into a microphone in front of a presentation slide with interview questions asked to Bert Forster cut off]()
Speaker: Chip Jones
July 28, 2025
Topic: “Bromeliad Breeders from the World Bromeliad Conference 2024”
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![Brett Jestrow presenting in front of a slide with palms]()
Speaker: Brett Jestrow, PhD
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![Alex bello gesturing toward a slide with photos of 2 cattleya hybrids side by side]()
Speaker: Alex Bello
May 26, 2025
Topic: ”Cattleya Species of Venezuela and South America”
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![Irina Kim Sang of Miami Vertical Garden in front of a slide presentation depicting a grid/color block design and implementation]()
Speaker: Irina Kim Sang
April 28, 2025
Topic: “Sustainable Vertical Garden Design: A Comprehensive Guide and Case Studies”
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![Mike D'andrea in front of a slide with turning points in Monstera cultivation]()
Speaker: Mike D'andrea
March 24, 2025
Topic: “2025 Update on Variegated Monstera, an International Perspective”
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![Chad Husby pointing toward an image of a field of horsetails.]()
Speaker: Chad Husby
February 24, 2025
Topic: “The Paleozoic in the Present: Giant Horsetails in the Wild and in Cultivation”
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![Jesse Durko]()
Speaker: Jesse Durko
January 27, 2025
Topic: “Winning Plants for South Floridas Gardens“
2024
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![Horticulturalist Palmer Crippen and a slide depicting Hoya Imbricata]()
Speaker: Palmer Crippen
November 25, 2024
Topic: “Epiphytic Ant Plants of the South Pacific”
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![Ellis, Ashley, and Hunter presenting at the September 2024 meeting]()
Speakers: Ashley and Hunter
September 23, 2024
Topic: “How to Create, Engage, and Gain Active & New Plant Enthusiasts Despite Rumors that “The Boom” is Over“
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![Cat from Dade Plant Co demonstrating how to propagate Hoya.]()
Community Night
June 23, 2024
Members share stories about unique and fascinating plants they've collected.
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![Presentation slide of curled fern frond and speaker Chad Busby]()
Speaker: Chad Husby
April 22, 2024
Topic: “Botanical Explorations in Colombia”
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Speaker: Philip Iloo of Stelmar Gardens
March 25 2024
Topic: "Pyrrosia and their mutations"
