Introduction
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Welcome to the website of the Central Louisiana Orchid Society in Alexandria, LA. The CLOS was formed in 1980 to promote fellowship among orchid enthusiasts and to educate others in our area on ways to conserve, cultivate, and hybridize orchids.
Orchids are fun to grow and very rewarding. They are great long lasting gifts for all occasions that re-bloom year after year. If you are interested in growing orchids, we can help you get started. Whether you are a beginner or an experienced orchid grower, we all have something to learn from each other. The best way to learn more about orchids and meet others who are passionate about this enjoyable hobby is to join and participate in an orchid society. Our society provides fellowship, encouragement, and further education of orchid growing. Our members have a wide range of orchid growing experience and grow their orchids in greenhouses, outdoors, indoors under lights, and on windowsills. We can also help you diagnose problems with orchid culture and related pests. Except in special circumstances, our club meets monthly in the Youth Building at St. James Episcopal Church, located at 1546 Albert St. in Alexandria, LA. Meetings begin at 2:30 on the third Sunday of each month and are open to the general public. Anyone with an interest in orchids is encouraged to attend. 
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Our 2026 Orchid Show will be held in Pineville on October 9-10, 2026!
**Next Meeting**
Thursday, July 23, 2026@ 6:00pm Program: Cattleya in Brazil (note the different meeting date and time) This month Out of town guest speaker Francisco Miranda of Miranda Orchids! A taxonomist, naturalist and orchid grower, Francisco travels extensively in the U.S. and internationally speaking at orchid-related events and meetings. He has been doing this since 1988, while still living in Brazil. The subjects of these presentations reflect Francisco's extensive travels to study orchids in their natural environments. His wife Maria Cristina Miranda is also a biologist. Together they own Miranda Orchids and Cristina takes care of the lab production and day-to-day nursery operation. Miranda Orchids started in 1999 and is a nursery specializing in growing mainly selected Cattleya alliance species. In a sense, it is a continuation of Boa Vista Orchids, a nursery we ran in Brazil from 1986 until we moved to the U.S.A. in 1999. Many of the plants available are produced in our lab and nursery in Central Florida from our extensive collection of stud plants. The rest we bring from Brazil to increase variety and novelty. Being native Brazilians, and having had a nursery for many years, we know that there is a lot of development in Cattleya species being done there. This is mostly because a lot of those species are native from Brazil (including all the bifoliate cattleyas) and because these plants are favorites of growers there. Of course, having lived and grown orchids for a long time there we know most of the growers and what is being produced and we go there several times a year to make sure we are kept up-to-date. Miranda Orchids also grows other Brazilian species so if you are looking for something in particular do not hesitate in contact us. Our goal is to be your number one source for selected Brazilian Orchids. The Central Louisiana Orchid Society also is part of a cooperative effort between the Kisatchie National Forest to restore one of the rarest and most spectacular orchids native to the region - Cypripedium kentuckiense. This cooperative began with the initiative of a Shreveport high school student in 2006. Read more about this very important project on the Cypripedium Study tab above.
The CLOS hosts an Orchid Show every 18 months and actively participates in other orchid shows in our region. This is a fun time to display your blooming orchids and see the spectacular exhibits on display! For more information on orchid shows, please see the Shows page. You can also find out more about our history by clicking on the About Us tab above. Here is our membership form: CLOS Membership Form |
CLOS Award Winning Exhibit - 2015 Central Louisiana Orchid Society Fall Show
CLOS Award Winning Exhibit - AOS and ODC Trophies - 2015 Baton Rouge Orchid Show
CLOS Best Society Tabletop Exhibit - 2013 Fall SWROGA Show in Shreveport, LA
Thank you for visiting our website!
