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What is the New Hampshire Orchid Society?

The New Hampshire Orchid Society is a membership organization for people who grow, study, or simply admire orchids. According to its site, it was organized in 1983 and has over 200 members. It runs monthly meetings, an annual picnic, an annual orchid show, and other special events, publishes a monthly newsletter for members, and keeps a lending library of orchid books and videos.

New Hampshire Orchid Society

H3 Practical uses

• Learning to grow orchids: Meetings, speakers, and show tables let you see what other local growers are doing and ask questions in person.
• Showing plants: The site keeps an archive of show tables going back many seasons, so you can see what has been exhibited and how classes have been organized over time.
• Conservation: The society lists projects such as the NH Native Orchid Project, work at Ponemah Bog and Strawbery Banke, a UNH greenhouse project, and conservation grants, which suits members who want to volunteer or support native-orchid work.
• Identifying plants: The "What Orchid is This?" page is a starting point if you have a plant you cannot name.

H3 Who it suits

• Beginners in or near New Hampshire who want a local, low-pressure group rather than an online-only forum.
• Experienced growers who want to exhibit, judge-adjacent experience, or trade plants at auctions.
• People more interested in native orchids and conservation than in collecting hybrids.

H3 Trade-offs to weigh

• It is a regional society, so the meetings and show are most useful if you can attend in person; the site's value to distant readers is mostly the show-table archive and conservation pages.
• Much of the ongoing content, including the newsletter and library, is member-oriented, so some material sits behind a members-only area.
• If you want a national society with a magazine or a large annual show, a state group will feel smaller and more local by design.

A useful next step: check the meetings/events page and the most recent show-table year to see whether the meeting location, schedule, and plants on display match what you grow. If they do, joining is the natural follow-up; if you mainly want identification help, start with the "What Orchid is This?" page.

How do I join the New Hampshire Orchid Society?

Join through the Join! link in the site's main menu. The New Hampshire Orchid Society describes itself as open to all who love orchids, so membership is not limited to experienced growers or New Hampshire residents.

What membership gives you

According to the page, members get:

• Monthly meetings and an annual picnic
• An annual orchid show and other special events
• A monthly newsletter
• Borrowing access to an orchid library of books and videos
• A members-only area of the website

The society was organized in 1983 and reports over 200 members, which suggests a reasonably active group for a regional club.

A practical next step

Before paying dues, email the contact address on New Hampshire Orchid Society and ask two things: whether you can attend a meeting as a guest first, and what the current annual dues are. Meetings are the fastest way to judge whether the group's focus — conservation projects, show-table judging, or general growing advice — matches your interests.

If you are new to orchids, ask whether a member would be willing to mentor you. Many societies pair newcomers with experienced growers, and that alone can be worth the membership fee.

When and where is the annual orchid show held?

The annual orchid show is organized by the New Hampshire Orchid Society, but the page provided does not state a specific date or venue for it. The society's site does list "Orchid Shows" among its main sections, and the annual show is described as one of the events that give members opportunities to learn about orchids.

To find the current year's details, start with the "Orchid Shows" section on New Hampshire Orchid Society, then check the "Meetings/Events" and "Event Calendar" pages, which are where time-sensitive announcements such as show dates and locations are typically posted. If the date is still not listed, use the "Contact" page to ask a member directly.

As a practical check, orchid shows are usually announced several months ahead, so if you are planning travel, confirm the date on the calendar before booking and recheck closer to the event, since venues and dates can change between years.

What happens at the monthly meetings and events?

Monthly meetings are the society’s main learning and social hub, with speakers, a show table and an auction among the activities listed for members and visitors.

Typical meeting activities

• Speakers: The society lists speakers among its meeting activities, so expect presentations on orchid growing, species or conservation topics.
• Show table: Members bring plants for display and comparison; the site keeps show-table records going back many years, which suggests this is a regular, organized part of meetings.
• Auction: An orchid auction is highlighted, likely giving attendees a chance to acquire plants while supporting the society.

Beyond the monthly meeting

• Annual orchid show: A larger public event, historically associated with the Radisson Hotel in Bedford, NH.
• Annual picnic: A social gathering for members.
• Special events: Additional occasions for learning about orchids.
• Newsletter and library: A monthly newsletter goes to all members, and members may borrow books and videos from the orchid library.

Who it suits

If you are deciding whether to attend, monthly meetings suit people who want structured learning plus a chance to show plants and meet other growers. The annual show suits a broader audience, including beginners and the simply curious. Conservation-minded readers may be interested in the society’s native orchid project and grant work.

A practical next step: check the event calendar and directions before a meeting, then bring one plant for the show table even if you are new. For comparison, other regional societies such as the American Orchid Society publish similar meeting and show information, and local clubs like the New Hampshire Orchid Society are often the easiest way to meet growers nearby.

How can I get help identifying an orchid I own?

The New Hampshire Orchid Society's site points to a few practical routes for identification help: its "What Orchid is This?" page, monthly meetings with a show table, and an annual orchid show where members display plants.

Ways to get an orchid identified

• Ask at a society meeting. The site lists monthly meetings, a show table, and guest speakers. Bringing your plant or clear photos to a meeting puts you in front of experienced growers who can compare flowers, leaves, and growth habit in person.
• Use the site's identification page. "What Orchid is This?" is the society's own resource for this question, so it's the most direct starting point before you contact anyone.
• Visit a show. The annual orchid show is where members and vendors gather, and it's an efficient way to show a plant to several knowledgeable people in one trip.
• Check the newsletters and library. Members receive a monthly newsletter and can borrow books and videos, which helps if you want to learn the diagnostic features yourself.

What to prepare before asking

Identification usually comes down to details, so bring or photograph:

1. The flower, front and side, plus a close look at the lip and column.
2. The whole plant, showing pseudobulbs, leaves, and pot or mount.
3. Any label or tag, even a partial one.
4. Basic growing conditions and how long you've had it.

A realistic expectation

Many orchids can be narrowed to a genus or hybrid group fairly quickly, but exact cultivar names are often impossible without a tag, especially for complex hybrids. Treat identification as a best-effort match rather than a guaranteed name.

Next step

If you're in or near New Hampshire, start with the society's "What Orchid is This?" page and the meetings/events listing at New Hampshire Orchid Society. If you're elsewhere, a local society or botanical garden orchid collection can offer the same in-person help.

What conservation projects does the society support?

The New Hampshire Orchid Society supports a mix of hands-on native-orchid work, research funding and public education. Based on its site, the conservation-related projects include:

• NH Native Orchid Project — the society's own native-orchid focus.
• Telipogon Pollinator Research Grant — funding research into orchid pollination.
• Singapore Orchid Conservation Poster Grant — supporting conservation communication.
• UNH Greenhouse Project — a collaboration with the University of New Hampshire.
• Ponemah Bog — a bog habitat project.
• Fakahatchee Webcam Project — remote monitoring of an orchid habitat.
• Cypripedium reginae & Crossroads Academy — work involving the showy lady's slipper and a school.
• Strawbery Banke, Portsmouth NH — a local site project.
• Orchid Digest Diamond Award — listed alongside its conservation and education activities.

The society also keeps a Conservation Grant Application page and a Conservation History page, which is the best next step if you want details on how grants are awarded or what past projects achieved.

For a concrete example: if you are a grower in New England interested in native orchids, the NH Native Orchid Project and Ponemah Bog are the most locally relevant; if your interest is research funding, the pollinator and poster grants are the clearer fit. The trade-off is that this is a regional society, so its conservation work leans toward New Hampshire sites and member-volunteer projects rather than large-scale international programs.

For broader context, compare with organizations such as American Orchid Society or Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, which run conservation programs at a larger scale.