Alex McLeod

Alexander McLeod has been growing orchids since 2003, when he bought a grocery store phalaenopsis for his mother on Mother’s Day. His sister had purchased the same orchid, and his mother suggested he keep one so they could “grow them together.”

After losing much of his collection during a move when plants were confiscated by California Agriculture Inspection Services, Alexander rebuilt his collection and eventually constructed a greenhouse. More recently, he has expanded his skills by completing a tissue culture class and beginning to grow orchids from seed. He has taught “Kokedama” workshops and cultivates a wide variety of orchid species. He is a San Antonio Botanical Garden Orchid Greenhouse volunteer, maintaining the society’s orchid collection. Alexander is an active member of the Alamo Orchid Society and a student judge with the Alamo Judging Center. Beyond orchids, he is a certified Comal County Master Gardener and a retired dean from the college of business at Texas State University. He and his wife, Melina—also a Master Gardener—enjoy family life with their two sons and three daughters.