VERO BEACH, FL, — August 25, 2025 — McKee Botanical Garden and the Vero Beach Orchid Society are pleased to announce the First Annual Rare & Exotic Orchid Exhibition and Sale, taking place at McKee Botanical Garden on Saturday, September 6, from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm, and Sunday, September 7, from 9:00 am to 3:00 pm.
The event will showcase Florida craft artisans and several nationally and internationally acclaimed orchid growers, including Krull-Smith, Odom’s Orchids, Ritter Tropic 1, Quest Orchids, and Springwater Orchids. Visitors will enjoy a vibrant marketplace of rare and exotic plants, within McKee’s award-winning jungle landscape, as well as lectures and educational offerings throughout the weekend.
On Saturday at 9:30 am, internationally acclaimed plantsman and author Robbie Honey will discuss his most recent book, The Accidental Botanist. At 10:30 am, join Dr. Martin R. Motes, Florida’s foremost breeder and cultivator of Vandacaeous orchids, for a lecture on his experience growing orchids for over 40 years and insights into this striking orchid family. Copies of his bestselling works Florida Orchid Growing: Month by Month and The Natural Genus: Vanda will be available for sale.
Throughout history, orchids have captivated artists, writers, and visionaries alike. For McKee Jungle Gardens’ Co-Founder and orchid enthusiast Arthur McKee, personally amassed the largest private orchid collection in the United States in the 1930s and ‘40s. This collaborative exhibition honors the Garden’s remarkable orchid legacy, which began in 1946 when Arthur McKee invited Dr. David Fairburn from the Missouri Botanical Garden to oversee McKee’s growing collection. For decades, Fairburn’s orchids remained a centerpiece of McKee Jungle Gardens, beloved by visitors and sought after by collectors.
The story of the Vero Beach Orchid Society is a vibrant tribute to passion, community, and the enduring allure of orchids. In August 1974, Dominic Lettiere’s spark lit a torch that continues to glow strongly, decades later. By 1975, VBOS adopted a charter, elected officers, and voted to become affiliated with the American Orchid Society. Today, the Vero Beach Orchid Society remains an active and enthusiastic group of orchid lovers.
McKee Botanical Garden’s orchid legacy flourishes with a living collection of more than 900 orchids, encompassing rare, historic, and native species. McKee is also a proud partner in The Million Orchid Project, a groundbreaking conservation initiative to reestablish rare native orchids throughout South Florida. Once the envy of orchid societies across the country, McKee’s collection is being revitalized with renewed focus. This inaugural Orchid Exhibition and Sale is only the beginning—future events will expand upon this tradition. Join us as we celebrate the return of McKee’s orchids to center stage—and help cultivate the next chapter in our storied orchid history.
