The Backstory
The year is 1942 and a 12 year old boy named Roy is bitten by the orchid bug. His father, noting his enthusiasm, constructed a small greenhouse in their backyard. Within a few months, orchid plants from local nurseries and from South America filled the tiny greenhouse. A neighbor who grew orchids also noticed the passion of the teenager and recommended him for a membership in the American Orchids Society. At that time, in order to become a member of this prestigious society one had to be sponsored by an active member. (This, of course, has changed and membership is now open to everyone.) Even though this young boy remained active in studies, sports, and music, he would make time to visit the Evans and Reeves Nursery in Brentwood, California, where a very kind Scottish grower taught him the art of growing orchids – particularly the Cymbidium variety. The large mounds of varieries of this species at this nursery encompasses his first experiences with Cymbidiums. Even though the flowers were rather drab in color, the wonderful fragrance of these majestic sprays was awe inspiring.
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Around this time, England was leading the world in growing and hybridizing orchids brought from the jungle. Because of World War II, the bombing and fuel shortages threatened the demise of these priceless orchid plants, which used to be grown in the glass houses of the elite.
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With the efforts of several determined orchid growers in California, these orchids were not only protected but given new life. The breeding of these plants unveiled unseen colours and new shapes to the blooms. The establishment of our first greenhouse and lab was for breeding and growing these types of cool weather orchids. By the time Sequoia Orchids & Redwoods was created in 1976, Cymbidiums had become a popular variety sought out by orchid enthusiasts. Over the course of 25 years, Roy cloned and produced dozens of stunning and exclusive hybrids!
Our orchids have won many awards, including “Grand Champion” of The Santa Barbara International Orchid Show!
The transition into a commercial operation for orchids has led us to our current large-scale greenhouse and laboratory operation.
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The Coast Redwood, Sequoia sempervirens, is another species with a rich history whose future has been brightened by legislative and conservation efforts. Over ten years ago, we began our venture into cloning specially selected redwood trees for a local timber company. Now each year our greenhouses are ready to hold up to one million redwood cultivars, trees that start in our lab and end up in forests all over the Pacific Northwest and across the world.
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