Dear Orchid Friends,

     We are deeply saddened to announce that Paul Gripp, Orchid Man, first employee and former owner of Santa Barbara Orchid Estate, has passed away after a brief illness at the age 93.   Your e-mail recollections of Paul are comforting and we will reply to them when we are able. Additional recollections are welcome.   With gratitude, The Gripp Family (January 2026)

    With Paul, we had been looking forward to an epic-blooming season of Dendrobium speciosum with Paul sharing his immense knowledge.  With the first speciosum of the year beginning to bloom, the rare capricornum subspecies/variety, we are soldiering on.  From this MLK weekend onwards will have a speciosum display arranged geographically to help visitors understand the distribution and cultural requirements of this remarkable species that spans 1400 miles along the East Coast of Australia.  We have also brought into the sales area in-spike speciosum seedlings, most blooming for the first time (and a few previously bloomed with 2025 color & flower size noted).

 

 

For the Martin Luther King Jr Holiday Weekend, SBOE will be open:
Friday January 16, 2026:  Open 10am-2pm 
Saturday January 17, 2026:  Open 9am-3:30pm
Sunday January 18, 2026:  Open 10am-2pm 
Monday January 19, 2026:  Open 10am-2pm:  Martin Luther King Day

2026 SBOE Regular Open Days & Hours:
Fridays 10am-2pm 
Saturdays 9am-3:30pm
(Reservations are not required, but before travelling a long distance, we strongly recommend re-confirming by e-mail, on website, or by phone the day before visiting in case of unexpected closure.)

Lists, Lists, Lists: Use the links below to download pdfs of our most recent specialty plant lists:

UPDATED LIST!!! Specimen List June 2025:   Would you rather have ten small diamonds or one big diamond?  Recommended for expert growers only.  Plants for a variety of growing conditions.  Prices range from $200 to $5000.  List updated 6/24/25

UPDATED LIST!!! Epidendrum Pink Champagne Established Keiki List June 2025:  The “poor-man’s” orchid moves up in the world.  Beautiful sunset colors.  Prices range from $30 to $50.  List updated 6/24/25.

NEW LIST!!!   Dendrobium speciosum May 2025 list:  An offering of 14 plants spanning several forms of the glorious Australian species.  Includes notes on provenance if known and pictures of plants in bloom early this Spring.  Prices range from $100 to $1500.  List updated 5/15/25.

Dendrobioum speciosum exceptional divisions in-spike:   Only seven this offering.  Includes the foundational Australian speciosums ‘Windermere’ & ‘Daylight Moon’, two different hillii’s with ‘Don Brown’ as the father, and a magnificent tall, arching yellow.  Prices range from $700-$2750.  List made 2/12/25.
(download here)

Dendrobium speciosum Seedling List: Crosses made using exceptional parents. Blooming size to a decade from blooming.  Prices range from $35 to $300.  List updated 4/19/24.
(download here)

For updates, please join our email list HERE.

We try to answer the phone 8 am to 4:30 pm, Monday through Saturday. If we don’t answer, please call later or e-mail us.  Plants may be ordered for pick-up outside the nursery gates if arranged 2-3 days in advance of pick-up date. Please phone or email if you have any questions.