THE ORCHID TEMPLE

OUR DREAM GREENHOUSE
717 Paris St. (off Geneva)

OrchidMania has grown in a big way during the past thirteen years. Our first orchid "garage sale" was held in a San Francisco side street with only upturned cardboard boxes to display our plants. We now receive more than 10,000 donated orchid plants every year, and donations come throughout the year.

We initially used three tiny backyard greenhouses at the homes of volunteers to handle this perpetual collection of plants. We always knew that this was only a temporary solution to managing our collection. And one day our friend Bruce Rogers told us about a weed-infested greenhouse on the outskirts of San Francisco. The roof was gone and it looked on the verge of collapse. But it had great potential and the price was right.

Late in 1995 we signed a lease for this dilapidated 1500 square foot greenhouse. Call us crazy, but for OrchidMania this has been a dream come true. This greenhouse will enable us to accept plant donations throughout the year, centralize our plant inventory, establish a vocational training program for urban youth, and offer new learning opportunities for volunteers who want to learn about growing orchids. We have come to call the place the "Orchid Temple" because we practically worship the darn things.

Over a period of almost six years we rebuilt the structure as a modern commercial production facility and educational center. In 2001 we greatly expanded the outdoor growing area and put lots of new shade cloth over the cool-loving plants. We refurbished the wooden structure beside the greenhouse that serves as the OrchidMania office, library, and donation reception area. In early 2002, we put several tons of fresh gravel throughout the greenhouse, finally alleviating the problem of muddy walkways. The greenhouse is now a truly impressive facility and we're happy, on occassion, to open it to the public for special "invitation only" greenhouse sales.

We now have three distinctly different growing climates — warm, intermediate, and cool. With our sister organization in southern Florida, where there is another very large hot-climate greenhouse, we can grow just about any type of orchid.

We owe a great deal to Herbert and Elizabeth Sussman and their family, and to the many other good friends who gave us the financial help to make this dream come true. The ChevronTexaco Corporation has also be extremely helpful in the past several years (thanks to the fabulous work of our Donations Coordinator, Rod Thompson), awarding OrchidMania with microgrants to upgrade the restroom facilities, reroof the office, and make other structural repairs.

Operating the Orchid Temple is extremely expensive, and we are happy to receive tax-deductible financial gifts earmarked for this purpose. This is where we house our permanent conservation collection, and we are happy to receive your donations of species plants for inclusion in this special collection. If you have a rare or endangered species of orchid that needs a good home, or a large plant that can spare a division, you can make a positive and lasting impact on orchid conservation by contributing to our permanent collection. We hope to have your support.

SUNDAY GREENHOUSE SALES

11am to 2pm most Sundays
Call first (415-841-1678) to make sure we're open!

717 Paris St. (x Italy, off Geneva)

Come visit our "orchid temple" and support OrchidMania while browsing our fabulous collection:

• hardy outdoor orchids
• cool growers for balconies and other tight spaces
• shade tolerant orchids
• RARE SPECIES (representing all temperature and light conditions) seldom offered elsewhere
• Large Cattleya and Cymbidium specimens
• Vandas and other heat tolerant plants for those on the eastern side of the Caldecott Tunnel.

We accept checks (with ID), Visa, and Mastercard. Sorry, we cannot accept cash purchases.

Please note: Sunday sales are suspended each year from April 1st until after our May Mother's Day Weekend sale.

Driving Directions to Reach Our Greenhouse

From the East Bay:

• Take I-80 W across the Bay Bridge toward SAN FRANCISCO.
• I-80 W becomes US-101 S.
• Merge onto I-280 S toward DALY CITY.
• Take the OCEAN/GENEVA AVE exit toward GENEVA AVE. (about 0.1 mile)
• Turn LEFT onto GENEVA AVE. (about 0.6 miles)
• Turn LEFT onto PARIS ST. (about 0.1 mile)
• 717 Paris

From the North Bay:

• Take US-101 S toward SAN FRANCISCO.
• Merge onto Hwy 1 S toward 19TH AVE/GOLDEN GATE PARK. (about 5.2 miles).
• Turn LEFT onto SLOAT BLVD. (about 0.1 mile)
• Turn RIGHT onto JUNIPERO SERRA BLVD. (about 0.2 miles)
• Turn LEFT onto OCEAN AVE. (about 1.2 miles)
• Turn SLIGHT RIGHT onto GENEVA AVE. (about 0.8 miles)
• Turn LEFT onto PARIS ST. (about 0.1 mile)
• 717 Paris

From the South Bay:

• US-101 N toward SAN FRANCISCO.
• Merge onto I-380 W toward I-280/SAN BRUNO. (about 2 miles)
• Merge onto I-280 N toward SAN FRANCISCO. (about 7.8 miles)
• Take the GENEVA AVE exit. (about 0.1 mile)
• Turn RIGHT onto GENEVA AVE. (about 0.6 miles)
• Turn LEFT onto PARIS ST. (about 0.1 mile)
• 717 Paris