Suffolk Orchid Society

A society of orchid enthusiasts based in Suffolk, United Kingdom
Latest News

The Suffolk Orchid Society was founded on September 5th 1981 when 10 growers met at the Oddfellows Hall in Ipswich and is still going strong today. Read more about us

Monthly meetings

We hold regular meetings with different themes and run monthly competitions for the best growers.

Our meetings are normally held on the last Wednesday of the month. We do not have meetings in July, August or December. Meetings start at 7.30pm. Please refer to the “Events” section of this website for up to date information.

Events meetings

We began showing our plants in the mid-eighties at the Ipswich Flower Show. Today, we mount an annual stand at the Suffolk Show which is always a great success.

We hold a very successful show in March/April each year to promote the society. It includes a display of members’ plants, repotting demonstrations, advice on how to care for your orchids, homemade refreshments and the opportunity to buy plants from invite growers.

Where we meet

The venue is St Michaels Church Centre, The Drift, Martlesham, IP5 3PL.

You can find it next to the small shopping centre and the Douglas Bader pub where there is ample parking. It is a large modern church hall with good facilities. For those hard of hearing we encourage our speakers to use our PA system. At each meeting we normally have an outside speaker who gives a talk, often illustrated, lasting about an hour followed by questions. Some bring orchid plants for sale. Refreshments follow and a raffle is drawn.

We pride ourselves in giving new members a friendly welcome.

January 2024 monthly meeting

Some of our members were unable to come to our January meeting due to an accident that blocked the...

November 2023 monthly meeting

Our meeting on 29-Nov-23 was our annual social evening; members brought food and drink to share....

October 2023 monthly meeting

Andrew Bannister of Orchid Alchemy came to our meeting on 25-Oct-23 to give us a talk entitled...

OSEA Autumn Show 22-Oct-23

The Society contributed a stand to the Orchid Society of East Anglia Autumn Show on 22-Oct-23....

September 2023 monthly meeting

On 27-Sep-23 we held our first monthly meeting of the new season, and subscriptions were due. We...

June 2023 monthly meeting

Our meeting on June 28 2023 included our AGM and a slideshow of orchid photos taken by the late...

May 2023 monthly meeting and Suffolk Show

There were no display tables at our May 2023 meeting, as we had all taken our plants in flower to...

April 2023 monthly meeting

Phil Gould was our guest at our April meeting, to give us a talk entitled 'The Cambridge...

March 2023 monthly meeting

Simon Tarrant visited us this month to give a talk entitled 'Orchids of Estonia'.  Simon visited...

Suffolk Orchid Society Annual Show – 11 March 2023

Our annual Show on 11 March 2023 was a great success, with credit and thanks due to everyone who...

New members to our society are always welcome