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: March 23, 2026
Speaker: Xain Lawracy
Topic: “Fruit Hunting in Puerto Rico”
Xain Lawracy is the owner of Xains World Nursery in WPB. Xains World specializes in fruit trees and exotic plants. Xain has been in the plant community most of his life, but he really started collecting at about 15 years old. Every year he tries to go to Puerto Rico with a group of friends to try and see plants native to the island and goes to tropical fruit farms to collect fruit. Xain will be talking about all the amazing fruits grown on the island. 
Previous meeting: “City in a Garden: Fairchild's Vision for South Florida”
Speaker: Carl Lewis, PhD
Carl Lewis is Director of Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden, an institution with a bold vision to make South Florida more green, more biodiverse, and more livable through ambitious science and community initiatives. He received a Ph.D. in Systematic Botany from Cornell University and brings a background in tropical plant research and field exploration, with a long-standing focus on palms of the Indo-Pacific region. His work is inspired by the legacy of David Fairchild, the Garden’s namesake, whose writing celebrated the joy of plant discovery and the transformative power of gardens.
Dr. Lewis connects that legacy to the present by highlighting how the enthusiasm and expertise of tropical plant collectors can shape the future of South Florida through richer, more diverse plantings. His talk explores how individual gardens and collections, taken together, contribute to a resilient regional landscape and why expanding tropical plant diversity in cultivation matters now more than ever.
February 23, 2026
Past meetings
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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"
