Often called the "American Riviera" Santa Barbara has an ideal climate for
growing orchids. In fact Santa Barbara now produces more orchids then any other region in
the country. Every year Santa Barbara hosts the international orchid show at the Earl
Warren Showgrounds located at the intersection of the 101 freeway and Las Positas
Road. Many orchid dealers are present at this show. Some local
nurseries that are usually not open to the public exhibit their
orchids and are open to the public for tours of their
greenhouses.
You will be amazed to see the large number and variety of orchids displayed.
People come from all over the world to see this great show and display their orchids. You
will see many orchids in the main pavilion. Some are displayed by private growers, others
are displayed by public growers. They are judged and then awarded prizes. Then in a
smaller room many dealers sell many different varieties of orchids. When I was there I
overheard one gentleman talking about the 4000 orchids that he owns. He said that he only
bought three orchids at the particular show that I was at. The prices ranged from 10 to
over 100 dollars, with most Orchids in the range of 15 to 45 dollars.
Orchids were originally introduced to Santa Barbara around the early 1900's when wealthy
industrialists came to enjoy the spa resorts. Many of these people fell in love with the
climate (its not hard to do!) and they commissioned world class horticulturists to plant
orchids in their elaborate gardens. Exotic orchids soon became popular and were heavily
planted in the Montecito and Hope Ranch estates. After World War II the oil baron Samuel
Mosher spent 1.5 million on breeding orchids at his Dos Pueblos Orchid Company. His
breeding grounds provided young plants for other growers who would often times pay up to
tens of thousands of dollars for rare varieties. Today the prices have dramatically
dropped due to the cloning of many orchids and various laboratory techniques.
There are various Orchid growers that are present at the Orchid Show. Some of them are:
Cal-Orchid, Inc. Their nursery ships around the world. They are
located at 1251 Orchid drive. Their PHONE NUMBER is (805) 967-1312. They are open on
Monday through Saturday from 9AM until 4PM.
Por La Mar Nursery is a commercial nursery and is only open during
the Orchid Show. They are located at 905 South Patterson Ave. Their PHONE NUMBER is (805)
967-1284.
Santa Barbara Orchid Estate is my personal favorite. I have been
here many times and have purchased a few orchids. They have several large greenhouses and
a few smaller ones. Their selection is good, featuring over 1000 different species. They
were founded in 1957 and specialize in growing outdoor varieties. Beware of picking the
tangerines on their tangerine tree that grows at the entrance. The fruit is always orange
in color but is the most sour fruit that I have ever eaten. It stays sour all year long. I
think they planted that certain variety out in front of their greenhouses on purpose! They
are located not far from the campus of UCSB at 1250 Orchid Drive. Their PHONE NUMBER is
(805) 967-1284 and yes they are open all year round. Their hours are Monday through
Saturday from 8AM to 4:30PM and Sunday from 11AM to 4PM.
For more information please visit their website: www.sborchid.com
Stewart Orchids are also open year round. They advertise themselves
as one of countries oldest nurseries. They are located at 3376 Foothill Road in
Carpenteria. They are open Monday through Friday from 8AM until 5PM, Saturday from 9AM
until 5PM, and Sunday from 10AM until 5PM. Their PHONE NUMBER is (805) 684-5448.
Gallup and Stribling Orchid Visitor
Center is open 7 days a week from 10-5pm on the weekdays, and also
8:30-5pm on Saturday & Sunday. They are the largest wholesale orchid
grower in the United States. They are located at 3450 Via
Real in Carpinteria. For more information about this orchid farm please
call PHONE NUMBER 805-684-9842 or 805-684-1998 or visit their web
site: http://americanorchids.com
Orchids Royale is only open during the Orchid Show and they are
located at 5902 Via Real in Carpinteria. Their PHONE NUMBER is (805) 684-8066.
The Orchid Park is open only during the Orchid Show and they are
located at 2929 Etting Road in Oxnard. (on a good traffic day, Oxnard is about 40 minutes south of Santa Barbara)
Their PHONE NUMBER is (805) 488-1781.
For information about the Santa Barbara International Orchid Show you can call (805)
969-5746, or you can write them at:
1096 N. Patterson Avenue Santa Barbara, CA 93111.
Visit The Santa Barbara Orchid Show's Web Site at:
The hours for these shows are: Open
Friday at 10AM until 8PM, Saturday from 9AM until 8PM, and Sunday from
9AM to 5PM. Admission is $10 general/adults, $8 for seniors and students
with an ID, and FREE for children under 12 accompanied by an adult.
Group rates are available for the purchase of 25 tickets or more.
